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The Forgotten #1
The Forgotten: Aten's Last Queen
Ankhesenamun grew up a princess and became queen at age 13. Her husband, the famed King Tut, was 9. They were expected to restore Egypt to its former glory and renounce their family. They were forced to leave their home, abandon their god, and change their names. But how can these two lead a nation when they have lost all that they once were?
Ankhesenamun must also deal with a secret of the heart and of a man not of the royal court who has captured it. He is a person being hunted as an “Aten follower” by powerful men who wish to destroy monotheistic worship. Yet is it Aten he is worshipping or another god that once punished the Egyptian lands…
But there is one more thing that Ankhesenamun must keep secret – there is a young girl who was never supposed to have survived the fall of Akhenaten City, a daughter she bore that carries the blood of “the heretic” in her veins. There are people who will stop at nothing to find this daughter of Ankhesenamun’s and end the line of “the heretic king” once and for all.
Trying to keep her daughter and her true love a secret, Ankhesenamun will do what she must for the good of her people. But it is enough to survive the most terrible of all fates – being erased from the walls of time? Being forgotten…
Ankhesenamun must also deal with a secret of the heart and of a man not of the royal court who has captured it. He is a person being hunted as an “Aten follower” by powerful men who wish to destroy monotheistic worship. Yet is it Aten he is worshipping or another god that once punished the Egyptian lands…
But there is one more thing that Ankhesenamun must keep secret – there is a young girl who was never supposed to have survived the fall of Akhenaten City, a daughter she bore that carries the blood of “the heretic” in her veins. There are people who will stop at nothing to find this daughter of Ankhesenamun’s and end the line of “the heretic king” once and for all.
Trying to keep her daughter and her true love a secret, Ankhesenamun will do what she must for the good of her people. But it is enough to survive the most terrible of all fates – being erased from the walls of time? Being forgotten…
544 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 2013
29 people are currently reading
996 people want to read
About the author
J. Lynn Else
7 books116 followersJ. LYNN ELSE is an award-winning author from Minnesota who’s self-published two historical fiction novels set in ancient Egypt, “The Forgotten: Aten’s Last Queen (2013),” which was named an Indie Editor’s Choice book for 2016 by the Historical Novel Society, and “The Forgotten: Heir of the Heretic (2016)” as well as a sci fi novella “Strangely Constructed Souls (2018).” Through Inklings Publishing, she’s authored an Arthurian-influenced, female-driven fantasy trilogy, “Descendants of Avalon” (2018), “Lost Daughters of Avalon” (2019), and “Destiny of Avalon” (2021).” Her short story “The Girl from the Haunted Woods,” won 2nd place in the “Journey into the Fantastical” Anthology contest. From 2021 to 2025, she served as the Indie Reviews Editor for the Historical Novel Society. She believes in unicorns and practicing random acts of awesome.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 16, 2014
Wonderful!
A lover of historical fiction, especially novels put in unusual, "unexplored" by historical fiction, times and places, this novel gratified the reader in me greatly, leaving me satisfied, but wishing for more. If there was a sequel to this novel I would have picked it right away, despite the perfectly rounded-up ending, even.
Not an expert on anything ancient Egypt related, I found it a delight to learn all about Akhenaten and the possible motives to his actions, to his puzzling attempts of bringing monotheism to his county-folk. The fresh, interesting, thought-provoking angle on the story of Moses paralleling this of Akhenaten was wonderful.
And yet, Akhennaten's family, his women-folk, his chief wife Nefertiti and her numerous daughters, as much as his minor wives and offsprings, being the true stars of this story, made this book into what it is, a great literature, a fascinating story and not only an history lesson. The untold story of the various historical characters, what can be more fulfilling than this?
An - Ankhesenamun - captured my heart from the very beginning, her voice so fresh, so authentic and yet so understandable to me as a modern-day reader. Connecting with her was easy. Her hopes, her pain, her aspirations, her frustrations, her delights, her disappointment with herself, her love and desires - I felt all of it together with her, learning history and enjoying a great story at the same time. A perfect combination.
Tutankhamun, just an occasional name from some forgotten school lesson, took shape in this novel for me, presenting me with an interesting character, human and alive, and not a sandy statue or hieroglyph, but a person, hopeful and tragic at the same time, a lovely boy who tried to do his best.
I can go on and on discussing the numerous characters, historical and fictional ones, as this novel drew me inside it, made me live their lives together with them, while learning history and customs, traditions, believes of people, I knew little about before.
I'm a fan and sincerely hope the author will publish more historical fiction in the near future.
A lover of historical fiction, especially novels put in unusual, "unexplored" by historical fiction, times and places, this novel gratified the reader in me greatly, leaving me satisfied, but wishing for more. If there was a sequel to this novel I would have picked it right away, despite the perfectly rounded-up ending, even.
Not an expert on anything ancient Egypt related, I found it a delight to learn all about Akhenaten and the possible motives to his actions, to his puzzling attempts of bringing monotheism to his county-folk. The fresh, interesting, thought-provoking angle on the story of Moses paralleling this of Akhenaten was wonderful.
And yet, Akhennaten's family, his women-folk, his chief wife Nefertiti and her numerous daughters, as much as his minor wives and offsprings, being the true stars of this story, made this book into what it is, a great literature, a fascinating story and not only an history lesson. The untold story of the various historical characters, what can be more fulfilling than this?
An - Ankhesenamun - captured my heart from the very beginning, her voice so fresh, so authentic and yet so understandable to me as a modern-day reader. Connecting with her was easy. Her hopes, her pain, her aspirations, her frustrations, her delights, her disappointment with herself, her love and desires - I felt all of it together with her, learning history and enjoying a great story at the same time. A perfect combination.
Tutankhamun, just an occasional name from some forgotten school lesson, took shape in this novel for me, presenting me with an interesting character, human and alive, and not a sandy statue or hieroglyph, but a person, hopeful and tragic at the same time, a lovely boy who tried to do his best.
I can go on and on discussing the numerous characters, historical and fictional ones, as this novel drew me inside it, made me live their lives together with them, while learning history and customs, traditions, believes of people, I knew little about before.
I'm a fan and sincerely hope the author will publish more historical fiction in the near future.
March 18, 2014
Rating: 2.5
The Forgotten: Aten's Last Queen wasn't bad. It just tried to do too much. I made it to the half-way point and just could not finish.
There's not a lot known or written about King Tutankhamen's wife Ankhesenamun save for a letter she may have written to the Hittite king asking for a prince to marry after the death of her husband (under then what were believed to be mysterious circumstances). J. Lynn Else does her/his best to not only fill in the blanks, which was a notable endeavor. Her character is sympathetic, strong-willed and yet caught up in a web of greed, ambition and politics set in her father's fabled city of Amarna. There is much love and loss, and familiar personages we've come to know from study (and from guesswork) are a little different here.
In an overarching arc, the author tries to explain the "Heretic Pharoah" Akhenaten's attempted monotheistic reformation by linking it with the story of Moses. Not the first time it's been done, but it has been reasoned, however, that Moses (if the story is true) would have been around the same time as Ramses the Great. And this attempt, plus the heavy-handed, muddled religious overtones detracted from a compelling and fascinating story. And I've always given a bit of a side-eye to the idea that Akhenaten was crazy. There was a practical method to his new belief system, which was to wrest power from the priests of Amun who tried to rule (or tell the pharaohs how to rule).
I may pick this up later to see what the author does with the rrst of the tale. Not bad, just not up to the quality I expect of Egyptian historical fiction.
The Forgotten: Aten's Last Queen wasn't bad. It just tried to do too much. I made it to the half-way point and just could not finish.
There's not a lot known or written about King Tutankhamen's wife Ankhesenamun save for a letter she may have written to the Hittite king asking for a prince to marry after the death of her husband (under then what were believed to be mysterious circumstances). J. Lynn Else does her/his best to not only fill in the blanks, which was a notable endeavor. Her character is sympathetic, strong-willed and yet caught up in a web of greed, ambition and politics set in her father's fabled city of Amarna. There is much love and loss, and familiar personages we've come to know from study (and from guesswork) are a little different here.
In an overarching arc, the author tries to explain the "Heretic Pharoah" Akhenaten's attempted monotheistic reformation by linking it with the story of Moses. Not the first time it's been done, but it has been reasoned, however, that Moses (if the story is true) would have been around the same time as Ramses the Great. And this attempt, plus the heavy-handed, muddled religious overtones detracted from a compelling and fascinating story. And I've always given a bit of a side-eye to the idea that Akhenaten was crazy. There was a practical method to his new belief system, which was to wrest power from the priests of Amun who tried to rule (or tell the pharaohs how to rule).
I may pick this up later to see what the author does with the rrst of the tale. Not bad, just not up to the quality I expect of Egyptian historical fiction.
November 2, 2014
I rate this book a 4.5 of 5 due to editing error. This is a combination of actual facts and fiction. The story is told from the point of view of king tut's great wife, the only pharoah that only had one wife and never had a herem. king tut was the half brother of his great wife. throughout egyptian history pharoahs took their sisters, daughters, granddaughters and such as their wives to preserve the royal bloodlines which produced many deformities and deaths of the babies from the incestous marriages. king tuts wife An (for short) gave birth to 3 daughters, one sired from her father Akenauten at a very young age and 2 from her half brother king tut. one stillborn and the second possibly died shortly after birth. both of which where buried with king tut. It was the duty of the wife to produce a son/ heir to the thrown and was considered to be a failure if she didnt produce a son. This also reflected poorly on the pharoah which is one of the reasons for taking multiple wives and the harem. This book was very interesting and I couldnt put it down even knowing it was partially fiction and parts were difficult to read.
I highly recommend this book
I highly recommend this book
December 8, 2013
Beautiful prose! I am not a fan of ancient historical fiction but this novel is mesmerizing ! I learned so much about the beauty and horror of the time! Careful research and documentation is masterful !
May 25, 2018
Ankhesenamun is the third daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Her early life was happy until her father becomes obsessed with giving birth to a healthy son. She watches in horror as her father commits atrocious crimes for his god, Aten. Once Tutankhamun becomes king, it seems that her nightmare is over and a peaceful era has begun. She marries Tutankhamun and becomes his queen. However, Ankhesenamun realizes that peace is merely an illusion because behind Tutankhamun are power-hungry men that wait for the opportunity to seize his throne. Ankhesenamun must fight to protect her family from the men whose biggest wish is to see them dead.
Ankhesenamun is a sympathetic character. She is truly a survivor. She experiences many horrors. She is the last of her line and is forced to watch her family die in front of her. My heart ached for her everytime she lost a member of her family. She is also forced to marry her father and gives him a healthy baby girl. After the death of Tutankhamun, she has to marry her grandfather, Ay. She tries to get out of the marriage by pleading to the Hittite king to help her. It ends up being a futile attempt to get out of her marriage to Ay. However the novel shows that these tragedies helped make Ankhesenamun a strong woman. I admire that she is really not afraid to stand up and fight for those she loves. She has a few flaws in this novel. She could be occasionally selfish and ruthless. However, Ankhesenamun is mostly a mature character in the novel. Because of the tragedies in her life, she is forced to become an adult at the age of nine. I could not stop reading this book because I hoped that she would eventually find some happiness in her life.
Overall, this novel is about hope, faith, love, and family. The message of The Forgotten: Aten's Last Queen is that there is always a silver lining. Even though Ankhesenamun has many dark moments in her life, she learned that these moments paved the road to her happiness. I thought that most of the characters were developed. My second favorite character was Nefertiti. She seemed like a warrior queen. She even took up the sword to protect her family and her country. Tutankhamun seemed like a lonely boy that tried to be a great king to his kingdom. The only character I thought needed more development was the villian. His motive for wanting to destroy Ankhesenamun’s family was very silly. I like how the author incorporated the story of Moses in the Bible and that it played an important part in the story. The aspects I did not like in the novel was the unnecessary love triangle and the story switches periodically between Ankhesenamun’s life as King Tut’s widow and Ankhesenamun’s past. These time jumps made the reading a bit confusing for me and harder to keep track of the story. Still, The Forgotten: Aten's Last Queen is a feast for historical fiction lovers and features a captivating heroine. It is meticulously researched and is an engrossing novel. I recommend this novel for fans of Michelle Moran, Pauline Gedge, and Stephanie Thornton.
Ankhesenamun is a sympathetic character. She is truly a survivor. She experiences many horrors. She is the last of her line and is forced to watch her family die in front of her. My heart ached for her everytime she lost a member of her family. She is also forced to marry her father and gives him a healthy baby girl. After the death of Tutankhamun, she has to marry her grandfather, Ay. She tries to get out of the marriage by pleading to the Hittite king to help her. It ends up being a futile attempt to get out of her marriage to Ay. However the novel shows that these tragedies helped make Ankhesenamun a strong woman. I admire that she is really not afraid to stand up and fight for those she loves. She has a few flaws in this novel. She could be occasionally selfish and ruthless. However, Ankhesenamun is mostly a mature character in the novel. Because of the tragedies in her life, she is forced to become an adult at the age of nine. I could not stop reading this book because I hoped that she would eventually find some happiness in her life.
Overall, this novel is about hope, faith, love, and family. The message of The Forgotten: Aten's Last Queen is that there is always a silver lining. Even though Ankhesenamun has many dark moments in her life, she learned that these moments paved the road to her happiness. I thought that most of the characters were developed. My second favorite character was Nefertiti. She seemed like a warrior queen. She even took up the sword to protect her family and her country. Tutankhamun seemed like a lonely boy that tried to be a great king to his kingdom. The only character I thought needed more development was the villian. His motive for wanting to destroy Ankhesenamun’s family was very silly. I like how the author incorporated the story of Moses in the Bible and that it played an important part in the story. The aspects I did not like in the novel was the unnecessary love triangle and the story switches periodically between Ankhesenamun’s life as King Tut’s widow and Ankhesenamun’s past. These time jumps made the reading a bit confusing for me and harder to keep track of the story. Still, The Forgotten: Aten's Last Queen is a feast for historical fiction lovers and features a captivating heroine. It is meticulously researched and is an engrossing novel. I recommend this novel for fans of Michelle Moran, Pauline Gedge, and Stephanie Thornton.
April 5, 2018
I enjoy the history of Egypt and Israel and thought I would try The Forgotten.
The author gives a table of content and an alphabetic listing of characters at the beginning of the book. I wish I had marked their location on my Kindle so I could easily refer to them I finally did so and it allowed me to keep the names clear in my mind. The table of content assisted in keeping the myriad dates clear. The story would back and forth from present to past and, since we are reading about BC dates, can be confusing. I was about one-quarter of the way through the book when I had my revelation and I started again.
The author tells a good story and fleshed out a period of time that we are still guessing about. She also does some speculation about religions, how they came about and where they crossed which may have some upset. I thought they were interesting and didn't bother me since this is fiction after all.
There were some typos but nothing confusing. I like indie authors for their guts to self-publish. I hope to read more by J. Lynn Else in the future
The author gives a table of content and an alphabetic listing of characters at the beginning of the book. I wish I had marked their location on my Kindle so I could easily refer to them I finally did so and it allowed me to keep the names clear in my mind. The table of content assisted in keeping the myriad dates clear. The story would back and forth from present to past and, since we are reading about BC dates, can be confusing. I was about one-quarter of the way through the book when I had my revelation and I started again.
The author tells a good story and fleshed out a period of time that we are still guessing about. She also does some speculation about religions, how they came about and where they crossed which may have some upset. I thought they were interesting and didn't bother me since this is fiction after all.
There were some typos but nothing confusing. I like indie authors for their guts to self-publish. I hope to read more by J. Lynn Else in the future
September 24, 2017
The extent of the author’s research was impressive and it certainly paid as it added a sense of reality to the story. What made the story so real, however, was the depth each character, main or supporting, had.
For fans of historical fiction, specifically that based on the ancient Egypt civilization, and readers who like stories based on an untold figure in history, this book may just find you delightfully surprised.
Read my full review at UndergroundBookReviews(dot)org!
For fans of historical fiction, specifically that based on the ancient Egypt civilization, and readers who like stories based on an untold figure in history, this book may just find you delightfully surprised.
Read my full review at UndergroundBookReviews(dot)org!
November 1, 2017
Great book! I read both books in the series and they were both well researched and brought the characters to life. Enjoyed reading! I love reading books about Egyptian history. Definitely recommend.
September 24, 2013
The Forgotten: Aten's last Queen by J. Lynn Else
I loved this book! It's set back in ancient Egypt, but the author has a great way of making the characters come to life! J. Lynn Else is beautifully descriptive in her writing, so you feel like you are there, can see the things they see, and can almost reach out and touch the scenery. She effortlessly weaves the historical information in with the fiction, creating a rich story full of love, loss, betrayal, faith, and family. There are twists and turns, and the book keeps you wondering what will happen next! It was a fast read for me...I didn't even want to put it down to make dinner! If you like historical fiction, you'll certainly enjoy this book. Can't wait to see what J. Lynn Else puts on the shelves next!
I loved this book! It's set back in ancient Egypt, but the author has a great way of making the characters come to life! J. Lynn Else is beautifully descriptive in her writing, so you feel like you are there, can see the things they see, and can almost reach out and touch the scenery. She effortlessly weaves the historical information in with the fiction, creating a rich story full of love, loss, betrayal, faith, and family. There are twists and turns, and the book keeps you wondering what will happen next! It was a fast read for me...I didn't even want to put it down to make dinner! If you like historical fiction, you'll certainly enjoy this book. Can't wait to see what J. Lynn Else puts on the shelves next!
August 17, 2017
My Kindle e-book
August 5, 2018
"...I only had 70 days before a heir to the throne had to be named. For this task, I would trust a foreign prince instead of the snakes that seemed to slither around the halls of the palace, slowly undulating toward me like the darkness encroaching on the city."
I think the above paragraph summarizes the 400+ pages of challenges worth of ancient gods, pharaohs, and queens. I enjoyed this historic-fiction book and I praise how well it was researched by the author.
I think the above paragraph summarizes the 400+ pages of challenges worth of ancient gods, pharaohs, and queens. I enjoyed this historic-fiction book and I praise how well it was researched by the author.
November 26, 2013
The best book I have ever read!
August 3, 2015
Mesmerizing
I felt like I was taken back in time and I did not want the story to end. My emotions were taken on a rollercoaster ride.
I felt like I was taken back in time and I did not want the story to end. My emotions were taken on a rollercoaster ride.
August 5, 2021
The title of the book, "The Forgotten: Aten’s Last Queen" cleverly refers to the ambiguous and incomplete perspective of history. The protagonist, Ankhesenamun, most famously known as the wife of Tutankhamun, is revealed in her earlier context as daughter and then wife of Akhenaten. The title also frames the religious revolution, the beginning which was initiated by her father, and the end which was witnessed by her.
The book is a perfect application of historical fiction. In the universe of ancient egypt, the clues to the past have eroded to leave only a partial picture of life. J. Lynn Else takes this as an opportunity to connect the clues, interpret the evidence, and stitch back together not only the narrative that might have been, but also to rescue the life view and experience of the royal family.
As a story, truth is stranger than fiction, and J. Lynn Else makes sure to align as closely to facts as possible, only straying into fiction and fantasy when artistic license is called for. The strategy of the author results in a telling that could not be more thrilling. The first hand experiences of Ankhesenamun are rich and heartbreaking. The mother, Nefertiti, shows a more complex character behind the elegant bust that was left in the floor of Thutmose, the royal artist. Akhenaten is explored as as a man who could alternatively reveal an expression of inspiried thinking, sensitive remorse, or raging narcisism. But behind the trials and tragedies of the royal family of Aten, there is one arch villain who is simmering with evil in the background, scheming and planning his end.
The book is a perfect application of historical fiction. In the universe of ancient egypt, the clues to the past have eroded to leave only a partial picture of life. J. Lynn Else takes this as an opportunity to connect the clues, interpret the evidence, and stitch back together not only the narrative that might have been, but also to rescue the life view and experience of the royal family.
As a story, truth is stranger than fiction, and J. Lynn Else makes sure to align as closely to facts as possible, only straying into fiction and fantasy when artistic license is called for. The strategy of the author results in a telling that could not be more thrilling. The first hand experiences of Ankhesenamun are rich and heartbreaking. The mother, Nefertiti, shows a more complex character behind the elegant bust that was left in the floor of Thutmose, the royal artist. Akhenaten is explored as as a man who could alternatively reveal an expression of inspiried thinking, sensitive remorse, or raging narcisism. But behind the trials and tragedies of the royal family of Aten, there is one arch villain who is simmering with evil in the background, scheming and planning his end.
September 21, 2019
The Forgotten
This story is good but to me it was hard to keep up with since it jumps from the past to the ‘current’ time and then back and forth through the entire book.
This story is good but to me it was hard to keep up with since it jumps from the past to the ‘current’ time and then back and forth through the entire book.
April 28, 2016
She was more than just an image in stone. She was more than just a pharaoh’s wife. At an early age, Ankhesenamun had to navigate her people through religious upheaval and political dissent. Her life was threatened, but she did not back down. When paths were barred, she carved out a new way. And when sacrifices had to be made, she gave with everything she had.
Ankhesenamun was a girl who had to grow up too fast. She loved and lost, but she never gave up. In this story, a strong woman is brought to light. In an ancient world where there was more change and unrest than any other time in Egyptian history, one girl became a queen at age 12 over the most powerful nation of the ancient world.
This is a story about having faith when hope seems lost. Can a lone woman stand against the tides of time which have already consumed the rest of her family? Will she find a way to overcome the most terrible of all fates -- having her name erased from the walls of history? May the gods have mercy that she does not become one of the forgotten...
Discover the adventure of her lifetime.
Ankhesenamun was a girl who had to grow up too fast. She loved and lost, but she never gave up. In this story, a strong woman is brought to light. In an ancient world where there was more change and unrest than any other time in Egyptian history, one girl became a queen at age 12 over the most powerful nation of the ancient world.
This is a story about having faith when hope seems lost. Can a lone woman stand against the tides of time which have already consumed the rest of her family? Will she find a way to overcome the most terrible of all fates -- having her name erased from the walls of history? May the gods have mercy that she does not become one of the forgotten...
Discover the adventure of her lifetime.
April 28, 2016
She was more than just an image in stone. She was more than just a pharaoh’s wife. At an early age, Ankhesenamun had to navigate her people through religious upheaval and political dissent. Her life was threatened, but she did not back down. When paths were barred, she carved out a new way. And when sacrifices had to be made, she gave with everything she had.
Ankhesenamun was a girl who had to grow up too fast. She loved and lost, but she never gave up. In this story, a strong woman is brought to light. In an ancient world where there was more change and unrest than any other time in Egyptian history, one girl became a queen at age 12 over the most powerful nation of the ancient world.
This is a story about having faith when hope seems lost. Can a lone woman stand against the tides of time which have already consumed the rest of her family? Will she find a way to overcome the most terrible of all fates -- having her name erased from the walls of history? May the gods have mercy that she does not become one of the forgotten...
Discover the adventure of her lifetime.
Ankhesenamun was a girl who had to grow up too fast. She loved and lost, but she never gave up. In this story, a strong woman is brought to light. In an ancient world where there was more change and unrest than any other time in Egyptian history, one girl became a queen at age 12 over the most powerful nation of the ancient world.
This is a story about having faith when hope seems lost. Can a lone woman stand against the tides of time which have already consumed the rest of her family? Will she find a way to overcome the most terrible of all fates -- having her name erased from the walls of history? May the gods have mercy that she does not become one of the forgotten...
Discover the adventure of her lifetime.
April 28, 2016
She was more than just an image in stone. She was more than just a pharaoh’s wife. At an early age, Ankhesenamun had to navigate her people through religious upheaval and political dissent. Her life was threatened, but she did not back down. When paths were barred, she carved out a new way. And when sacrifices had to be made, she gave with everything she had.
Ankhesenamun was a girl who had to grow up too fast. She loved and lost, but she never gave up. In this story, a strong woman is brought to light. In an ancient world where there was more change and unrest than any other time in Egyptian history, one girl became a queen at age 12 over the most powerful nation of the ancient world.
This is a story about having faith when hope seems lost. Can a lone woman stand against the tides of time which have already consumed the rest of her family? Will she find a way to overcome the most terrible of all fates -- having her name erased from the walls of history? May the gods have mercy that she does not become one of the forgotten...
Discover the adventure of her lifetime.
Ankhesenamun was a girl who had to grow up too fast. She loved and lost, but she never gave up. In this story, a strong woman is brought to light. In an ancient world where there was more change and unrest than any other time in Egyptian history, one girl became a queen at age 12 over the most powerful nation of the ancient world.
This is a story about having faith when hope seems lost. Can a lone woman stand against the tides of time which have already consumed the rest of her family? Will she find a way to overcome the most terrible of all fates -- having her name erased from the walls of history? May the gods have mercy that she does not become one of the forgotten...
Discover the adventure of her lifetime.
August 11, 2014
A good story about one of the less written about Egyptian Queens - Ankhesenamun. Unfortunately, this book suffers from a lack of historical evidence, which leads to the author's need to fill in the blanks. J. Lynn Else has done her best, I'm sure, but the "Moses" / Jewish subplot feels quite forced. The parallels drawn between the worship of "Adonai" and Aten are somewhat overwrought.
Two other personal issues: Firstly, I didn't particularly like the narrative device of chapters alternating between pre- and post-Tutankhamun's death. It made the story feel rather choppy and disjointed. Secondly, like many historical novels, it suffered from an over-abundance of "showing the research". Clearly the author has done her studies, but several parts were greatly over-described.
Otherwise, a very good story.
Two other personal issues: Firstly, I didn't particularly like the narrative device of chapters alternating between pre- and post-Tutankhamun's death. It made the story feel rather choppy and disjointed. Secondly, like many historical novels, it suffered from an over-abundance of "showing the research". Clearly the author has done her studies, but several parts were greatly over-described.
Otherwise, a very good story.
March 13, 2015
The book suffers from historical inaccuracies and is overly-ambitious in trying to weave together the story of Ankhesenamun and Moses.
The Amarna period and the religious revolution is an era ripe for gripping fiction; however, it takes a ton of research and the ability to make sense of what is essentially a collection of theories and unknown identities to do so, and I don't think this author has done that.
It's not terrible by any means, but I do think it suffers from the issues described above.
The Amarna period and the religious revolution is an era ripe for gripping fiction; however, it takes a ton of research and the ability to make sense of what is essentially a collection of theories and unknown identities to do so, and I don't think this author has done that.
It's not terrible by any means, but I do think it suffers from the issues described above.
February 13, 2016
The narrator's awareness of what is going on around her as an omniscient narrator, is not believable; it is not the perspective of a child; even a mature child in Pharaoh's court. She even admits to needing to be more aware of what goes on in her surroundings. One last thing, for now, using modern expressions such as "kids" and "no problem" are distractions that should have been caught by the editor and/or proofreader. More later
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2020
Creative way to fill in historical blanks
I'm fascinated by Egyptian history: Tut and his family in particular. This book answers some of the questions in unexpected ways. It's not a page turner but worthwhile read for history buffs who're OK with a little creative license.
I'm fascinated by Egyptian history: Tut and his family in particular. This book answers some of the questions in unexpected ways. It's not a page turner but worthwhile read for history buffs who're OK with a little creative license.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews