Keops Si Conjuratia Ibisului

Le Roman des Pyramides #1

by Guy Rachet

Corren tiempos de crisis en Egipto. El rey Snefru, aquejado de una misteriosa enfermedad, se resiste a designar a su sucesor. Los hombres poderosos de la corte se preguntan quién ocupará el trono. Abdicado Snefru, Keops gobernará el pueblo de Osiris. Pero una mano invisible le acecha a cada instante. Una novela rica en pasiones humanas que tiene como testigo silencioso a la pirámide del Sol.

Genres: Egypt

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[R.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

English review follows the Greek one...

Το "Χέοψ και η Πυραμίδα του Ήλιου" το είχα διαβάσει πριν χρόνια. Το ξαναδιάβασα τώρα μέσα σε 2-3 απογεύματα, που είχα διάθεση για κάτι σχετικά χαλαρό.

Βρήκα την πλοκή αρκετά ενδιαφέρουσα, αν και νομίζω ότι το βιβλίο θα μπορούσε να είναι μικρότερο κατά το ένα τρίτο, διότι κάπου στα μισά η ιστορία "κάνει κοιλιά" κι επίσης κάποια στοιχεία θα μπορούσαν να λείπουν. Ιδίως τα κεφάλαια σχετικά με τα τελετουργικά των μυήσεων του Χέοπα τα βρήκα πολύ αργόσυρτα. Ακόμα, κάποιες εξελίξεις ή ακόμα και οι ίδιοι οι ήρωες εμφανίζονται λίγο αφελείς στα μάτια του αναγνώστη.

Ο Guy Rachet, άνθρωπος πολυταξιδεμένος και πολύπλευρος, είναι ερασιτέχνης Αιγυπτιολόγος και για πολλά χρόνια στην Γαλλία θεωρούταν αυθεντία στον Αιγυπτιακό πολιτισμό και όχι μόνο (έχει γράψει μέχρι και οδηγούς για τον αρχαίο Ελληνικό πολιτισμό και πολλά άλλα), ωστόσο το μυθιστόρημα γράφτηκε πριν δυο δεκαετίες και δεν είμαι σίγουρη αν κάποιες από τις απόψεις του είναι ακριβείς και έγκυρες με τα σημερινά επιστημονικά δεδομένα.

Παρόλα αυτά, ίσως περισσότερο και από την υπόθεση του βιβλίου, ευχαριστήθηκα γενικότερα το ιστορικό πλαίσιο και τις περιγραφές για την τοπογραφία, την γεωλογία, την πολεοδομία, τον τρόπο ζωής της εποχής εκείνης, ακόμα κι αν είναι προϊόν κυρίως της φαντασίας του συγγραφέα.

Το κακό είναι πως το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο είναι το πρώτο μίας τετραλογίας και το τέλος του είναι κάπως απότομο. Αν και γενικά μου άρεσε, δεν νομίζω ότι είναι στις προταιρεότητές μου να αναζητήσω άμεσα τα επόμενα της σειράς. Ωστόσο αν τα έβρισκα εύκαιρα, σίγουρα δεν θα τα προσπερνούσα...


I've read this book ages ago and I decided to reread it again while in the mood for something relaxing. It didn't disappoint.

I found the plot quite interesting, although I think the book could be somehow smaller because half way through, the story slows down for quite a while. Some descriptions of cult rituals were somehow mundane to be honest and not completely necessary to the narration. Furthermore, some developments or even the heroes themselves appear a little naïve, the author could have craft some episodes way better...

Guy Rachet is an amateur Egyptologist and for many years in France and beyond, he was considered to be an expert on Egyptian civilization among other things. That said, this novel was written two decades ago, so I'm not sure if all his theories are accurate and valid according to today's scientific beliefs.

However, perhaps even more that the book's main premise, I really enjoyed the setting and the historical context. I really liked the descriptions of topography, geology, urban planning, religion, manners, society, every day life of the era, even if they are mainly the product of the writer's imagination. A nice, relaxing read.

A major off-putting element of this book is its ending which is quite abrupt. This is the first book in a tetralogy and if you don't have the following tomes on hand, the story remains half-told. And me I don't have those tomes on hand unfortunately. While I don't think I'll rush to find them immediately, if I could obtain them at some point, I would happily read them. Not an extremely great book, but not a bad one either...

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

În urmă cu patruzeci şi şase de secole, această oază întinsă din deşertul vestic, pe care o numim Fayum, era un loc sălbatic, ocupat în cea mai mare parte de un lac atunci imens, actualul Birket Karun fiind doar rămăşiţa lui palidă. El era abundent alimentat de un lung braţ al Nilului (Bahr Yusuf al arabilor), care îi aducea în permanenţă apă. Această abundenţă de apă crease mlaştini peste tot în jur şi dăduse naştere unei vegetaţii luxuriante, unde dominau papirusul şi trestia. Locul acela devenise astfel refugiul unei faune felurite şi paradisul vânătorilor care veneau aici să hăituiască, spre marginile deşertului, antilope, gazele, girafe, struţi, hiene şi lei. Lângă malurile lacului, vegetaţia deasă adăpostea pantere, gheparzi, mistreţi, pitoni şi elefanţi, în timp ce în acele ape, considerate de egipteni o adevărată mare (o numeau uneori Marea cea Mare, Pa-yom, din care copţii au făcut Phiom, iar arabii, Fayum), şi în mlaştinile de pe marginea lor trăiau hipopotami şi crocodili, pe lângă tot felul de peşti, mai puţin vizibili şi mai puţin stingheritori, şi, bineînţeles, o mare varietate de păsări. Abia în timpul domniei faraonilor din Regatul de Mijloc, la începutul mileniului al II-lea, va fi amenajat Fayum, ca să se obţină pământuri cultivabile. Aici începe povestea lui Keops.

[Iwona · Rating 4 out of 5]

° sehr informativ und atmosphärisch
° wunderbar recherchiert
° der Schreibstill ziemlich trocken und stellenweise langweilig

[Costea Constantin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Egiptul este cuprins de tulburare, căci Snefru zace doborât de o boală misterioasă și încă nu și-a numit succesorul. Nefermaat urzește complot după complot ca să treacă înaintea fratelui său vitreg și să ajungă faraon. Keops, moștenitorul legitim, continuă să ducă o viață simplă, singuratică, vânând și urmărind de departe construcția piramidelor. Însă mama sa, Marea Soție Regală, ia hotărârea să-l trimită la Heliopolis pentru inițierea în secretele Fenixului. Snefru este pe punctul de a abdica, iar Keops se simte pregătit să guverneze poporul lui Osiris. Dar o mână invizibilă îl amenință clipă de clipă. Oare Nefermaat este un criminal sau există un dușman necunoscut și mult mai primejdios?