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The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles #1
Salvation in the Sun
This future she knows for certain--the great sun city will be her undoing.
Amidst a power struggle between Pharaoh and the priesthood of Amun, Queen Nefertiti helps the ill-prepared new Pharaoh, Amenhotep, enact his father's plan to regain power for the throne. But what seemed a difficult task only becomes more grueling when Amenhotep loses himself in his radical obsessions.
Standing alone to bear the burden of a failing country and stem the tide of a growing rebellion, Nefertiti must choose between her love for Pharaoh and her duty to Egypt in this dramatic retelling of a story forgotten by time.
Salvation in the Sun is the first volume of Lauren Lee Merewether's debut series, The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles, a resurrection of an erased time that follows the five Kings of Egypt who were lost to history for over three millennia. The story continues in book two, Secrets in the Sand.
Amidst a power struggle between Pharaoh and the priesthood of Amun, Queen Nefertiti helps the ill-prepared new Pharaoh, Amenhotep, enact his father's plan to regain power for the throne. But what seemed a difficult task only becomes more grueling when Amenhotep loses himself in his radical obsessions.
Standing alone to bear the burden of a failing country and stem the tide of a growing rebellion, Nefertiti must choose between her love for Pharaoh and her duty to Egypt in this dramatic retelling of a story forgotten by time.
Salvation in the Sun is the first volume of Lauren Lee Merewether's debut series, The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles, a resurrection of an erased time that follows the five Kings of Egypt who were lost to history for over three millennia. The story continues in book two, Secrets in the Sand.
362 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 13, 2018
776 people are currently reading
598 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Lee Merewether
28 books131 followersLAUREN LEE MEREWETHER writes multi-genre romantic sagas inspired by ancient places, legends, and myths. She loves to delve into the shadows of the past, spinning slow-burn, closed door romantic narratives that merge the timeless passions of history with the mysteries of ancient mythologies. Her award-winning novels invite readers to explore the thrilling depths of legends, emotions, and humanity, spanning high-seas adventures to the splendors of ancient empires.
In her free time, Lauren loves to daydream about times long past while sipping green tea and watching the experts on Discovery unearth our ancestors' civilizations.
Go behind the scenes, say hello, and stay current with Lauren’s latest releases at www.LaurenLeeMerewether.com.
Follow and connect with Lauren on:
BookBub - bookbub.com/authors/lauren-lee-merewe...
Facebook - facebook.com/llmbooks
Instagram - instagram.com/llmbooks
Pinterest - pinterest.com/llmerewether/llm-books
Twitter - twitter.com/llmbooks
TikTok - tiktok.com/@llmbooks
Lemon8 - lemon8-app.com/@llmbooks
"Merewether’s up-close and empathetic narrative style is combined with the many sensations, family conflicts, and political struggles of an exciting plotline, making for an unstoppable read."
- K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
In her free time, Lauren loves to daydream about times long past while sipping green tea and watching the experts on Discovery unearth our ancestors' civilizations.
Go behind the scenes, say hello, and stay current with Lauren’s latest releases at www.LaurenLeeMerewether.com.
Follow and connect with Lauren on:
BookBub - bookbub.com/authors/lauren-lee-merewe...
Facebook - facebook.com/llmbooks
Instagram - instagram.com/llmbooks
Pinterest - pinterest.com/llmerewether/llm-books
Twitter - twitter.com/llmbooks
TikTok - tiktok.com/@llmbooks
Lemon8 - lemon8-app.com/@llmbooks
"Merewether’s up-close and empathetic narrative style is combined with the many sensations, family conflicts, and political struggles of an exciting plotline, making for an unstoppable read."
- K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
August 15, 2021
Fabulous first book in the series
Wow! Where to start? This historical recount of the lost pharaohs is fascinating. The author has done an amazing job following what records and artefacts speculate with a fictional recounting. I was gripped from page one and was not disappointed for the duration of the story. There is everything going on here. I look forward to reading book 2, Secrets in the Sand!!!
Wow! Where to start? This historical recount of the lost pharaohs is fascinating. The author has done an amazing job following what records and artefacts speculate with a fictional recounting. I was gripped from page one and was not disappointed for the duration of the story. There is everything going on here. I look forward to reading book 2, Secrets in the Sand!!!
July 17, 2020
I know I'm in the minority here, based on other reviews, but despite my great interest in ancient Egypt, this book just didn't captivate me. The author has obviously done a tremendous amount of research and has a passion for her subject, but something was missing. I started out engrossed in the story but lost steam as it went along. The characterization of Akhenaten as basically a madman with a growing drinking problem didn't ring true for me, and his change in character was rather abrupt. Nefertiti's obsession with her husband's love, and the ways in which she reacts to his neglect and betrayal, felt at odds with her reputed political acumen and the power she is believed to have wielded. In the case of Akhenaten's betrayal, it made no sense to me that Nefertiti would have believed Beketaten's version of events without question, even though it ran contrary to her friendship with Kiya. The whole premise of the novel, Akhenaten's abandonment of Egypt's polytheistic religion, and especially its premier god, Amun-Re, in favor of a monotheistic worship of the sun disc Aten, had a few holes as well. Not the shift in beliefs, per se, but the reasoning behind it, which in the novel originates with Akhenaten's parents and others seeking to break the power of the Amun-Re priesthood. I understood the idea of breaking the priesthood's power, but the idea that the religion would change long enough for that to happen, but then return to its old form, minus the powerful priests, was a bit convoluted.
I didn't dislike this book, but it just didn't work for me 100 percent. It feels like the self-published book it is. Not that self-published books are inherently of lower quality than traditionally published ones, but this book did seem to lack an editor's touch. There were quite a few small grammatical issues that I found irritating, including the frequent use of "may" when it should have been "might", among other things. There are also occasional lapses in language that took me out of the time period, such as Nefertiti exclaiming, "That's great news!"
I read this through Kindle Unlimited during a free trial, which will expire soon. If I decide to pay for another month or two, I may download the next book since I'm somewhat curious to see how Lauren Lee Merewether continues the story, and how she develops as an author (this is her first book). But I won't be spending money specifically to read this series.
I didn't dislike this book, but it just didn't work for me 100 percent. It feels like the self-published book it is. Not that self-published books are inherently of lower quality than traditionally published ones, but this book did seem to lack an editor's touch. There were quite a few small grammatical issues that I found irritating, including the frequent use of "may" when it should have been "might", among other things. There are also occasional lapses in language that took me out of the time period, such as Nefertiti exclaiming, "That's great news!"
I read this through Kindle Unlimited during a free trial, which will expire soon. If I decide to pay for another month or two, I may download the next book since I'm somewhat curious to see how Lauren Lee Merewether continues the story, and how she develops as an author (this is her first book). But I won't be spending money specifically to read this series.
May 24, 2020
My undergrad degree is in ancient history and my favorite is the history of Egypt. I find most novels about the Amarna period inaccurate with gross exaggerations and mistakes incompatible with the known facts. This is an excellent and most probable account of the royal family that I've read yet. It's well researched and written, flows well, and has very good characterizations. I do recommend this novel for those interested in the history of ancient Egypt.
June 28, 2020
As much as I respect the amount of research that went into this novel, it absolutely doesn't do justice to any of the historical figures. As one of the most famous pharaohs of all time, portraying Akhenaten as a raving mad lunatic is ridiculous. I agree that he probably had confidence issues, especially given the fact that he wasn't meant to rule in the first place, but he still grew up in a royal household, so he still would have been conditioned to rule to some extent. Alas, instead of a politically calculating revolutionary, Akhenaten is curiously portrayed as a insane hermit.
If Akhenaten's portrayal isn't poor enough, Nefertiti herself is a disgrace. She's widely considered to be one of the most powerful women of the ancient world, yet in the book, her greatest interest lies in receiving her husband's love. Love?
There is no competition between her and Pharaoh's other wives, no political maneuvering, and no time where Nefertiti ever shines. The great Nefertiti actually seems quite stupid, allowing Egypt to dismantle the power of her own husband, thus her own power as well.
I'm always down for a reinterpretation of history, but this one too senseless to be believable.
If Akhenaten's portrayal isn't poor enough, Nefertiti herself is a disgrace. She's widely considered to be one of the most powerful women of the ancient world, yet in the book, her greatest interest lies in receiving her husband's love. Love?
There is no competition between her and Pharaoh's other wives, no political maneuvering, and no time where Nefertiti ever shines. The great Nefertiti actually seems quite stupid, allowing Egypt to dismantle the power of her own husband, thus her own power as well.
I'm always down for a reinterpretation of history, but this one too senseless to be believable.
May 21, 2018
A beautifully written story, and a compelling ride back in time to the world of Nefertiti. If you're into ancient Egyptian history, or if you know nothing about it, this is a great read - I learnt a lot and enjoyed every moment of it! Warning: I was also inspired to get onto the internet and read more about this period and the next, and the next... I would recommend this book and I'm looking forward very much to the author's next one.
September 24, 2019
Absolutely amazing rendition of the Amarna dynasty
May 20, 2018
Historical Fiction at its best!!!
A riveting book that brought history alive! I was totally engaged with the characters and captivated with Nefertiti's journey! If you love historical fiction, this book is a must read!!!
A riveting book that brought history alive! I was totally engaged with the characters and captivated with Nefertiti's journey! If you love historical fiction, this book is a must read!!!
April 26, 2020
This was really good
I always loved reading about ancient Kemet and Kemet and wondering who is who. I loved the book because for fiction it felt very real. It is as if this is what really happened although no one knows really anything about Kemet. It is hard as well when documentation was not taking very good especially during Amenhotep IV reign. Which is understandable because of the embarrassment he brought to the people base off his own insecurities and having something to prove to his mother Queen Tiye, his father Amenhotep III, and leaving in his brother’s shadow despite him passing away when they were children. That is if that account of Amenhotep IV better known as Akhenaten because he worshipped the one and only God Aten the sun. Which makes sense if you think about it the sun does bring life. It is hard for Kemet to break out of the tradition of having the freedom to pray to more than one God. For each God provided different needs for the people. Reading this book also have insight how strong religion has over people. People from all nationalities etc seems like they need something to believe in to have faith in for the afterlife. It was also an eye opener to me how far the royal family would go to keep everything in the bloodline. We are now told base of genetics that we should not have incest within in our family because morally it is disgusting plus you are risking many health factors into the equation. To have someone be your brother cousin, etc is a lot. It is pretty disgusting a father would marry his daughter and have kids by her, a cousin marrying a cousin, a brother and sister marrying each other, all for the sake of keeping it in the bloodline. From reading it seem adultery was more of the father wedding the daughter and having a child by her. I look at all the interbreeding as just too much. I am glad that the world has progress from that way of thinking “keeping it in the family,” sort of somewhat for society point of view. For who knows what others do behind closed doors. I will keep reading the series because it makes want to physically buy the book and add to my library. From one independent author to another keep doing your thing.
I always loved reading about ancient Kemet and Kemet and wondering who is who. I loved the book because for fiction it felt very real. It is as if this is what really happened although no one knows really anything about Kemet. It is hard as well when documentation was not taking very good especially during Amenhotep IV reign. Which is understandable because of the embarrassment he brought to the people base off his own insecurities and having something to prove to his mother Queen Tiye, his father Amenhotep III, and leaving in his brother’s shadow despite him passing away when they were children. That is if that account of Amenhotep IV better known as Akhenaten because he worshipped the one and only God Aten the sun. Which makes sense if you think about it the sun does bring life. It is hard for Kemet to break out of the tradition of having the freedom to pray to more than one God. For each God provided different needs for the people. Reading this book also have insight how strong religion has over people. People from all nationalities etc seems like they need something to believe in to have faith in for the afterlife. It was also an eye opener to me how far the royal family would go to keep everything in the bloodline. We are now told base of genetics that we should not have incest within in our family because morally it is disgusting plus you are risking many health factors into the equation. To have someone be your brother cousin, etc is a lot. It is pretty disgusting a father would marry his daughter and have kids by her, a cousin marrying a cousin, a brother and sister marrying each other, all for the sake of keeping it in the bloodline. From reading it seem adultery was more of the father wedding the daughter and having a child by her. I look at all the interbreeding as just too much. I am glad that the world has progress from that way of thinking “keeping it in the family,” sort of somewhat for society point of view. For who knows what others do behind closed doors. I will keep reading the series because it makes want to physically buy the book and add to my library. From one independent author to another keep doing your thing.
October 10, 2022
Excellent Journey into Ancient Egypt
This is the first book, I have read by this author and I immensely enjoyed it. She took the far distant past and breathed life into it again, making historical figures rich, vibrant and complicated people again. Great character development, a spellbinding story. I will definitely look forward to reading more from this author.
This is the first book, I have read by this author and I immensely enjoyed it. She took the far distant past and breathed life into it again, making historical figures rich, vibrant and complicated people again. Great character development, a spellbinding story. I will definitely look forward to reading more from this author.
July 4, 2020
Very enjoyable reads...
I have read all but the final book in The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles and I must say I have been thoroughly entertained. #1 on my 'Bucket List' is to visit Egypt. There is a mystery about Egypt and all it's myths and legends; and this series of books has made my desire to visit Egypt even greater.
Lauren Lee, I have every intent to read each and every one of your books. Thank you for keeping us entertained.
I have read all but the final book in The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles and I must say I have been thoroughly entertained. #1 on my 'Bucket List' is to visit Egypt. There is a mystery about Egypt and all it's myths and legends; and this series of books has made my desire to visit Egypt even greater.
Lauren Lee, I have every intent to read each and every one of your books. Thank you for keeping us entertained.
May 8, 2023
Having read several books dealing with this time this book is by far the best.
The scenes, though fictionalized, appear in keeping what we know about this period and its real life people. The author goes into great depth about life in Egypt giving us a glimpse into clothing, hairstyles, and religion. It is religion that drives not only this story but also this whole period in Egyptian history.
This novel is about King Tut’s father.
In this book, Thutmose III, next in line to be Pharaoh, meets an untimely death. Unprepared to ascend to the throne his brother, Amenhotep IV, becomes ruler.
The author gives us information that one does not readily find in a novel, such as explaining the different crowns for the Pharaoh and Queen, and what the crown of Upper Egypt or Lower Egypt is called.
This book does a great job of not only immersing the reader in history but also making us privy to the story behind the rulers. We are given a glimpse into what the possible lives of its people were.
Through the author’s words and events we feel the angst that Queen Nefertiti must have felt bearing six children, all daughters. The pharaoh is said to have finally conceived the heir, Tutankhaten, (with a nod to the god Aten) with, many theorists hold, his sister.
While I knew the outcome of the book as soon as I started reading it, it was still hard to put down, partly due to this being one of the most interesting episodes in Egypt’s past and partly because of the eloquence of the author’s words and vision.
If history, especially ancient history, is of interest to you pick up this book. The personal life of the real people portrayed and the potential issues they may have had to deal with is quite fascinating. Well done. I am looking forward to reading Lauren Lee Merewether’s other historical fiction.
Susan Piazza, a Navy veteran, is an author, columnist, and blogger.
The scenes, though fictionalized, appear in keeping what we know about this period and its real life people. The author goes into great depth about life in Egypt giving us a glimpse into clothing, hairstyles, and religion. It is religion that drives not only this story but also this whole period in Egyptian history.
This novel is about King Tut’s father.
In this book, Thutmose III, next in line to be Pharaoh, meets an untimely death. Unprepared to ascend to the throne his brother, Amenhotep IV, becomes ruler.
The author gives us information that one does not readily find in a novel, such as explaining the different crowns for the Pharaoh and Queen, and what the crown of Upper Egypt or Lower Egypt is called.
This book does a great job of not only immersing the reader in history but also making us privy to the story behind the rulers. We are given a glimpse into what the possible lives of its people were.
Through the author’s words and events we feel the angst that Queen Nefertiti must have felt bearing six children, all daughters. The pharaoh is said to have finally conceived the heir, Tutankhaten, (with a nod to the god Aten) with, many theorists hold, his sister.
While I knew the outcome of the book as soon as I started reading it, it was still hard to put down, partly due to this being one of the most interesting episodes in Egypt’s past and partly because of the eloquence of the author’s words and vision.
If history, especially ancient history, is of interest to you pick up this book. The personal life of the real people portrayed and the potential issues they may have had to deal with is quite fascinating. Well done. I am looking forward to reading Lauren Lee Merewether’s other historical fiction.
Susan Piazza, a Navy veteran, is an author, columnist, and blogger.
November 19, 2019
Lauren Lee Merewether skillfully weaves a plausible tale about Queen Nefertiti, queen of Egypt and wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten during the 14th century B.C. Salvation in the Sun is a tale of how this most beautiful and powerful female Egyptian ruler helps her husband Pharaoh Amenhotep install the cult of Atun, the Sun God.
Since I know little of Egyptian history, I enjoyed the fictional story (the first of the trilogy) of this influential woman more than the possible retelling of historical events. Ms. Merewether succeeds in humanizing Queen Nefertiti.
If you love reading about strong female personages and Egyptian life, you will enjoy this book, though, the Egyptian names can make reading difficult. For this, Ms. Merewether provides a glossary, which is helpful.
Since I know little of Egyptian history, I enjoyed the fictional story (the first of the trilogy) of this influential woman more than the possible retelling of historical events. Ms. Merewether succeeds in humanizing Queen Nefertiti.
If you love reading about strong female personages and Egyptian life, you will enjoy this book, though, the Egyptian names can make reading difficult. For this, Ms. Merewether provides a glossary, which is helpful.
April 3, 2020
Very entertaining, a different view of history...
September 16, 2019
The love for the Sun
This story was very intense.It kept my attention. There was a lot of excitement yet unbelievable things happening. This king loved the sun because when he stayed out in it. It made decreased his pain and made him feel better.He decides to worship it as his God.He became so obsessed with the sun as his God.He made a law that The Sun would be the God that every one in Egypt worship.This story shows the consequences of his actions. If you like read about ancient Egyptian history. This would be a great book to read.
This story was very intense.It kept my attention. There was a lot of excitement yet unbelievable things happening. This king loved the sun because when he stayed out in it. It made decreased his pain and made him feel better.He decides to worship it as his God.He became so obsessed with the sun as his God.He made a law that The Sun would be the God that every one in Egypt worship.This story shows the consequences of his actions. If you like read about ancient Egyptian history. This would be a great book to read.
June 11, 2018
An excellently written book that keeps you on your toes waiting to discover what happens next! This historical fiction piece connects you to the characters and makes you want to keep turning the page! Not wanting Book I to end, I eagerly await Book II in The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles and more novels from this author.
June 6, 2018
Interesting world brought to life!
I tend to think of ancient rulers and their people in one-dimensional ways. This self-published book really brought to life some historical events and people that i previously knew nothing about!
I tend to think of ancient rulers and their people in one-dimensional ways. This self-published book really brought to life some historical events and people that i previously knew nothing about!
June 9, 2018
Wonderful book
I loved this book from start to finish. It kept me engaged with every page flip. The author put in a lot of detail so your mind is filled with images while reading. Loved it.
I loved this book from start to finish. It kept me engaged with every page flip. The author put in a lot of detail so your mind is filled with images while reading. Loved it.
January 17, 2019
Good book. Very interesting take on Nefertiti. I will enjoy reading the next one.
June 10, 2019
Good read
This book is very easy to read. It held my attention the whole time. Please consider reading. I was very satisfied
This book is very easy to read. It held my attention the whole time. Please consider reading. I was very satisfied
March 6, 2021
Salvation in the Sun – Akhenaten starts his madness and beautiful Nefertiti becomes powerful and mature Queen
This is the first book of four book in “The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles” series authored by Lauren Lee Merewether. This is by the way my reading of the first book by Lauren. In this series she talks about a period in New Kingdom of Pharaonic Egypt where Dynasty 18 rulers Amenhotep-III, Akhenaten, Smenkhare, Nefertiti, Tutankhamen, Ay, Horemheb ruled the unified Egypt. This is somewhere about BC 1390 – 1295. Once Horemheb became Pharaoh he decided to erase from Egyptian history the records of Akhenaten to Aye, so a lot of details were lost from the temple engravings and statues except the magnificent discovery of Tutankhamen’s untouched tomb by Haward Carter in 1922.
A lot of people have written about this period with fictionized stories about death of boy king Tutankhamun and the related people and passing of throne to non-blood people like Aye and Horemheb, Lauren is one among them.
Powerful Pharaoh Amenhotep-III is concerned about the growing power of priests of Amun, the state God of Egypt. He plans with his wife Tey a change of State God to Aten and deprive the priest clan of their power and then transition back to Amun after some time, but things do not go as planned. His elder son Tuthmose is killed in a conspiracy. In this 1st book of the series she talks about the last days of Amenhotep-III and transition of power to his second sickly child who becomes king Akhenaten and moves kingdom to Tell el Amarna (Akhetaton), marries the legendary beautiful queen Nefertiti and becomes hardcore Aten worshipper in his 17 year rule during which Egypt goes down as a country, allies desert it. Nefertiti gets attracted to General Horemheb as Akhenaten betrays her in marital relationship. Conspiracy is evolved all around this story in the corridors of power as powerful God Amun is banished and Aten is popularized. Lauren picks up Pawah the key conspirator who is a bit naïve in this 1st book and becomes more crooked and hardened villain in subsequent books of the series.
The book is pretty well written, though a bit boring after first half. I would have loved if she had called Egypt as Kemet as she was calling Luxor as Waset. I still like the fictionalized series written by Max Overton over this one by Lauren on the same period. I will still recommend this book to the readers as another version of interesting story of this period of Egyptian history. Lauren has tried to stick to history while building his story throughout.
This is the first book of four book in “The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles” series authored by Lauren Lee Merewether. This is by the way my reading of the first book by Lauren. In this series she talks about a period in New Kingdom of Pharaonic Egypt where Dynasty 18 rulers Amenhotep-III, Akhenaten, Smenkhare, Nefertiti, Tutankhamen, Ay, Horemheb ruled the unified Egypt. This is somewhere about BC 1390 – 1295. Once Horemheb became Pharaoh he decided to erase from Egyptian history the records of Akhenaten to Aye, so a lot of details were lost from the temple engravings and statues except the magnificent discovery of Tutankhamen’s untouched tomb by Haward Carter in 1922.
A lot of people have written about this period with fictionized stories about death of boy king Tutankhamun and the related people and passing of throne to non-blood people like Aye and Horemheb, Lauren is one among them.
Powerful Pharaoh Amenhotep-III is concerned about the growing power of priests of Amun, the state God of Egypt. He plans with his wife Tey a change of State God to Aten and deprive the priest clan of their power and then transition back to Amun after some time, but things do not go as planned. His elder son Tuthmose is killed in a conspiracy. In this 1st book of the series she talks about the last days of Amenhotep-III and transition of power to his second sickly child who becomes king Akhenaten and moves kingdom to Tell el Amarna (Akhetaton), marries the legendary beautiful queen Nefertiti and becomes hardcore Aten worshipper in his 17 year rule during which Egypt goes down as a country, allies desert it. Nefertiti gets attracted to General Horemheb as Akhenaten betrays her in marital relationship. Conspiracy is evolved all around this story in the corridors of power as powerful God Amun is banished and Aten is popularized. Lauren picks up Pawah the key conspirator who is a bit naïve in this 1st book and becomes more crooked and hardened villain in subsequent books of the series.
The book is pretty well written, though a bit boring after first half. I would have loved if she had called Egypt as Kemet as she was calling Luxor as Waset. I still like the fictionalized series written by Max Overton over this one by Lauren on the same period. I will still recommend this book to the readers as another version of interesting story of this period of Egyptian history. Lauren has tried to stick to history while building his story throughout.
October 25, 2023
📚 Book Review 📚
Salvation in the Sun
The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles
Book 1
By
Lauren Lee Merewether
I am a devoted enthusiast of history and ancient history especially intrigues me. The author did a fabulous job of presenting a scenario of a time in ancient Egyptian history that has been banished from the books.
The story is a chronicle of the lives and times of the Egyptian King Amenhotep IV, aka Pharaoh Akhenaten, and his devoted wife, Queen Nefertiti. This is an account of the transition that may have occurred in Egyptian culture when the new Pharaoh decreed that the God Aten, the sun God, was the only true God and only Aten was to be worshiped by the Egyptian people. That proclamation did not go over well with the people of Egypt and Egypt was pushed into an era of unrest, treachery, betrayal, and overall decline. The Pharaoh was obsessed with the God Aten, and slowly began to withdraw into his world of all-consuming Aten worship and ignoring his duties as King of Egypt. The king also began to set aside his responsibilities to his wife, Nefertiti, and their children. Nefertiti, realizing the dire situation, became Coregent to the Pharaoh and began to make the daily decisions in her husband’s absence. Soon, the queen had to deal with a revolt by her people, the plague, loss of allies and support for Egypt, and the traitors in her mist.
I found this book fascinating and well-written. The world-building was superb. The characters and description of events were detailed and totally within the scope of a believable sequence of events that may have occurred during that time in Egyptian history. The author also included what may have attributed to King Akhenaten’s bizarre behavior with the medical knowledge we have today. It was definitely a page-turner for me, and although brutal at times, it was also a true tale of love, commitment, and strength. I recommend this book to ancient history buffs or anyone looking for a story of love, sacrifice, and betrayal.
Salvation in the Sun
The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles
Book 1
By
Lauren Lee Merewether
I am a devoted enthusiast of history and ancient history especially intrigues me. The author did a fabulous job of presenting a scenario of a time in ancient Egyptian history that has been banished from the books.
The story is a chronicle of the lives and times of the Egyptian King Amenhotep IV, aka Pharaoh Akhenaten, and his devoted wife, Queen Nefertiti. This is an account of the transition that may have occurred in Egyptian culture when the new Pharaoh decreed that the God Aten, the sun God, was the only true God and only Aten was to be worshiped by the Egyptian people. That proclamation did not go over well with the people of Egypt and Egypt was pushed into an era of unrest, treachery, betrayal, and overall decline. The Pharaoh was obsessed with the God Aten, and slowly began to withdraw into his world of all-consuming Aten worship and ignoring his duties as King of Egypt. The king also began to set aside his responsibilities to his wife, Nefertiti, and their children. Nefertiti, realizing the dire situation, became Coregent to the Pharaoh and began to make the daily decisions in her husband’s absence. Soon, the queen had to deal with a revolt by her people, the plague, loss of allies and support for Egypt, and the traitors in her mist.
I found this book fascinating and well-written. The world-building was superb. The characters and description of events were detailed and totally within the scope of a believable sequence of events that may have occurred during that time in Egyptian history. The author also included what may have attributed to King Akhenaten’s bizarre behavior with the medical knowledge we have today. It was definitely a page-turner for me, and although brutal at times, it was also a true tale of love, commitment, and strength. I recommend this book to ancient history buffs or anyone looking for a story of love, sacrifice, and betrayal.
January 8, 2025
Intriguing story. I'm not really familiar with Egyptian history, so this was a learning experience for me. Many unfamiliar names of characters...some very long and took awhile to sound them out. And then there were eventually so many characters that it was sometimes difficult to keep them and their relationships straight.
But back to the story. The succession of Pharaohs is pretty much the same as British royalty, but is complicated by the fact that Kings may have multiple wives as Queens with multiple opportunities to provide a son as an heir. This fact provided some of the intrigue. There was also the matter of a Pharaoh being selected who had many intellectual and leadership problems. And in his reign this led to many problems for the country, especially when he chose to follow the god of the sun rather than the several gods that had been the tradition for possibly centuries. These factors are followed for several years, during some of which he turned over power to his wife Nefertiti. Very interesting times.
The bottom line is that it's a good story, much of which is factual, but as the author said at the end much of the history of this ruler was erased and she had to do a lot of research to come up with the most likely scenarios. Overall a commendable job!
But back to the story. The succession of Pharaohs is pretty much the same as British royalty, but is complicated by the fact that Kings may have multiple wives as Queens with multiple opportunities to provide a son as an heir. This fact provided some of the intrigue. There was also the matter of a Pharaoh being selected who had many intellectual and leadership problems. And in his reign this led to many problems for the country, especially when he chose to follow the god of the sun rather than the several gods that had been the tradition for possibly centuries. These factors are followed for several years, during some of which he turned over power to his wife Nefertiti. Very interesting times.
The bottom line is that it's a good story, much of which is factual, but as the author said at the end much of the history of this ruler was erased and she had to do a lot of research to come up with the most likely scenarios. Overall a commendable job!
May 24, 2018
The author developed the characters very well and allowed you to connect with them, so you identify their thoughts and emotions. The book grabs your attention from the beginning and is very hard to put down. The plot was well thought out and was very engaging. It was an excellent read and moved quickly. I was very disappointed when I turned the last page and the book came to an end. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel.
Even though Egyptian history has been lost concerning Queen Nefertiti, Ms. Merewether definitely weaves a plausible account for this unknown time period. I love history and as I read well developed fictional historical stories it motivates me to learn what I can about that era. This is the first time I have read about ancient history, and I definitely look forward to learning more before the author releases Chronicles book #2.
Even though Egyptian history has been lost concerning Queen Nefertiti, Ms. Merewether definitely weaves a plausible account for this unknown time period. I love history and as I read well developed fictional historical stories it motivates me to learn what I can about that era. This is the first time I have read about ancient history, and I definitely look forward to learning more before the author releases Chronicles book #2.
May 5, 2021
I love how the author gave her rendition of the rule of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. A lot of the things that happened in that time period is lost to us because Pharaoh Horemheb and the pharaoh's after him pretty much wiped them off the line of succession and we never knew about them, but with this story it gives us a fictional rendition of how they ruled and the mother of Tutankhamen and some of the deaths of the daughters of Nefertiti and another side of the so called loving relationship between the pharaoh and his queen. I plan to read the other books to see what the author has in store with the wondrous queen and the pharaoh's thereafter.
May 7, 2021
I waiver between three and four stars, but is a good book, certainly worthy of your time.
I've always been fascinated by Egypt's history; ancient, beautiful, violent, dramatic... You get the idea. This historical fiction saga dramatizes the story of one of the ancients who had been stricken from the walls of history (he cray cray). Bringing to life the politics, power trips, struggles, familial bonds and yes, even love of the story of an ill-prepared Amenhotep and Queen Nefertiti. You will follow their journey as they fight the all too powerful Amun priesthood and try to keep Egypt in good graces with her bordering countries and hold onto her grace and power.
I've always been fascinated by Egypt's history; ancient, beautiful, violent, dramatic... You get the idea. This historical fiction saga dramatizes the story of one of the ancients who had been stricken from the walls of history (he cray cray). Bringing to life the politics, power trips, struggles, familial bonds and yes, even love of the story of an ill-prepared Amenhotep and Queen Nefertiti. You will follow their journey as they fight the all too powerful Amun priesthood and try to keep Egypt in good graces with her bordering countries and hold onto her grace and power.
June 8, 2023
At first, the book and characters felt a little forced. And it was hard to believe the theory that Akhenaten’s father was the once to suggest and begin the idea of bringing Egypt to the service of Aten as a way to reduce the power of the Priests. Then the characters began to flower and develop. Nefertiti is seen more as a pawn that is abused as time passes, rather than a co conspirator. We seen an unloved big grow into an extremely unbalanced religious fanatic that allows his country to perish from neglect. We see sides that other writers has glossed past. It is, in the end, a theoretical historical fiction.
May 21, 2018
I am overwhelmed and intrigued by this author's ingenious and imaginative writing. I am not
usually a book reader, but, this book has held my attention and interest. My husband and I visited
Egypt and experienced a lot of it firsthand including seeing artifacts and etc., so this book gives me more insight concerning the rare small profile statue of Nefertiti's existence. If you like Egyptian history, then you will love this book! I recommend it highly!
usually a book reader, but, this book has held my attention and interest. My husband and I visited
Egypt and experienced a lot of it firsthand including seeing artifacts and etc., so this book gives me more insight concerning the rare small profile statue of Nefertiti's existence. If you like Egyptian history, then you will love this book! I recommend it highly!
January 27, 2021
Loved it
I have always had a strange obsession with Amenhotep and Nefertiti. Their time period was so different from those before and after, especially in the more realistic depictions in art of the form of the pharoah in particular. He obviously had physical abnormalities whose cause we do not know. I highly recommend this work as a window into a fascinating time period. Also, very well written and researched. Thank you. Highly recommend.
I have always had a strange obsession with Amenhotep and Nefertiti. Their time period was so different from those before and after, especially in the more realistic depictions in art of the form of the pharoah in particular. He obviously had physical abnormalities whose cause we do not know. I highly recommend this work as a window into a fascinating time period. Also, very well written and researched. Thank you. Highly recommend.
September 28, 2022
This period of Egypt has left us with more information than other places at the time, 3,000 years ago, but of it - births, deaths, names, titles, funerary art - there are still some frustrating gaps of how day to day events went down.
Merewether images how the controversial reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten might have been. There is a lot more telling than showing at the start as all the players are put in place, but gradually warms up to bring the time period to life.
October 20, 2022
not a really good read
The author admits he took liberties with history, so presumably he knows a bit about history, not that that is evident. Besides which, the book reads like a bad translation, although I have no idea which language it was written in. If it was English, he should have paid more attention in school. Skipped a lot of this poor effort, will not bother with any more.
The author admits he took liberties with history, so presumably he knows a bit about history, not that that is evident. Besides which, the book reads like a bad translation, although I have no idea which language it was written in. If it was English, he should have paid more attention in school. Skipped a lot of this poor effort, will not bother with any more.
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