Kill Tut

by Max Wannow, Dylan Nadsady (Cover)

Ancient Egyptians, aliens, Neanderthals. Kill Tut is a historical fiction sci-fi novel. For a secret government operation in the near future, a team of three is sent back in time to kidnap King Tutankhamun.

New York, New 2041. The American-Egyptian War continues as more Egyptian battalions invade the USA. With the purpose of bringing the war to an end, Operation Golden Ankh is a top-secret Delta Force mission that consists of sending a team of three back in time. Captain Jackson Martindale, Staff Sergeant Laiklyn Ladore, and CIA Officer Dana Villa have seven days to complete the mission in the Eighteenth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. To successfully complete the mission, the three must coerce King Tutankhamun to travel with them to the future. Forcibly kidnapping the pharaoh would lead to a domino-like disruption in the architecture of time. The three are quick to discover the past deviates from what historical records provide. The ancient people of Thebes, Egypt resort to panic when their city is invaded by Neanderthal warriors; but when humanoid aliens with skin made of a malleable gold arrive, the Ancient Egyptians welcome them with open arms.

256 pages, Paperback

Published January 11, 2019

Reviews

[Gerald Pillmeyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

How do I down loud it

[Wendy Benoit · Rating 3 out of 5]

it had a good amount of violence and intrigue, it had a well-developed sense of atmosphere of ancient egypt, i liked that part of it very much, but then... i don't know. there are a couple of squitchy moments where a little agenda may have slipped in in the form of global warming schooling, but it skirted by just this side of preachy. you can just ignore the science parts if they make your brain hurt. BOY did i feel like a dummy for the first big chonk of it. it's a lot of slang, jargon, quantum physics and evolution, but it clears itself up reasonably quickly, jingling enough memory-bells before becoming its own thing. i do think boys would like this. it's not all languid gazing and sparkling kisses, and there is bloodshed and growth. i think it is better written than a lot of fiction targeted towards boys, so i give it a thumbs-up in that department. i was relieved how naturally the ancient egyptians spoke. i feared they would come off too biblical but it was good. thumbs-up for ancient egypt, thumbs-down for aliens, and the rest you'll need to figure out for yourselves. it's pure character-driven stuff, and if you don’t like the driver, you will hate this ride. potentially-alienating protagonists seem to be the authors’s MO; especially laiklyn ladore, one of the three in the protagonist trio, was dark and unapologetically unlikeable as she cheated on her boyfriend with neanderthals. it wraps up nicely at the end, but the getting there wasn't my cuppa. but it has been said that i don't know anything about anything, so i'm probably missing all the significance with my slow doofy brain. i feel okay about it.

[Taylor Welling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally I shy away from self-published books knowing that they works suffer even more as they lack the polish a professional editor can achieve, I just don't want to put myself through that kind of anguish, as I would no longer be reading the book for pleasure. Not to mention many of the stories put out there are often amateurish, juvenile, and downright execrable. However, almost none of those things apply to Kill Tut.

The interactions between characters feel real and authentic; the insertion of sci-fi elements doesn't compromise the integrity of the historical setting as they're not presented as though they're really happening. The villain characters, Horemheb, Ankhesenamun, and Khnum are sufficiently despicable, yet they show flashes of humanity (or alienanity in Khnum's case), which is how villain characters ought to be written. Even the protagonists aren't perfect, especially Laiklyn, which is so crucial for character development.

The historical research seems to be very deep and encompassing, yet it serves to both enhance and slow down the story. While I was delighted to learn this lesser known period in the rich history of ancient Egypt, I would also love to see this story told in a less historical way. It's obvious Wannow did his research as he was able to deviate from some of the misconceptions concerning the ancient Egyptian in an authentic manner, unlike some authors who maybe skim some of the research and decide, to hell with it, they're going to write the story the way they want to, no matter how things really happened. One of the interesting deviations was the way Wannow presented speech patterns. The prevailing theory is that Ancient Egyptians spoke poetically with Olde English epithets. However, by making them use natural dialect, it introduces the idea that Ancient Egyptians were normal people like you and I with a natural presence of humanity. I also loved that there were Neanderthals, because maybe archeologists haven't been searching hard enough to prove they didn't exist in ancient Egypt! This alternate history is presented in such an authentic manner, it's easy to believe that it could've been true.

Other than some editing errors (punctuation errors, the occasional misspelling, missed capitalization) which are to be expected, the book was surprisingly well-written, taut and streamlined. Surprising for the mere fact that I didn't expect it to be so; I expected to find a lot more extraneous narration or choppy dialogue. There was none.

By the way, I'm simply an armchair Egyptologist. I've been fascinated by the subject for many, many years, but I've never undertaken a scholarly investigation of the subject. My (scanty) knowledge comes from years of absorbing books and other works on the subject. So if something I've pointed out as being wrong isn't, in fact, wrong, then I accept that I'm the one who's wrong. Is that enough wrongs to make a right? I would recommend this book to readers of historical fiction and probably sci-fi. I don’t wish to sound sexist, because I don’t believe I am at all, but I think this particular novel will appeal especially to women because of the female main character, romance, and exploration of family relationships.

[Suzy Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I was given a copy of the book by the author in exchange for my fair and honest review.*

Kill Tut by Max Wannow is a unique, imaginative tale that shows a future America in a state of crisis, and the extreme lengths our country takes to fend of an impending war on American soil. Ancient Egypt, Aliens, and Neanderthals are all combined in this over the top story and I was super excited to read it. Unfortunately, the author might want to delve into Egyptian history and Egyptology a bit more. Like, a lot more.

Kill Tut takes place in the year 2041. A war has broken out between the U.S. and Egypt, with Egypt invading America. To stop the war, a top secret operation is set into motion to have three, highly trained individuals go back in time and kidnap King Tutankhamen. The hope is that the King, who will be brought back to the present, will convince the people of Egypt to end the war and save America. After the kidnapping, the three people soon discover the domino effect the kidnapping has on history. Neanderthals invade Egypt, Aliens from Jupiter come to the rescue, and ancient Egyptians welcome them with open arms.

Ok. This was a trip of a book. But not in a good way. There was so much, being the historical fanatic I am, that I couldn't over look. First off, there is no way these three people would be able to get close to a Pharaoh. They were under extremely heavy security, no matter how bad ass these three people are, black ops, special ops, etc. They would be no match for the Pharaoh's guards.
Second, so say they pulled off the kidnapping and brought the King back in time to the US. There is no way he would agree to tell the people of Egypt-HIS people, to back off. Not a chance. But, let's say he agrees to-he wouldn't, but for arguments say he did..There is no way the people of Egypt would believe he is really King Tut.
Third, the Neanderthals. Ok, if the story wasn't already way out there, it is now. I really can't even wrap my head around this part of the plot, so I'll move on.
Ok, so the historical inaccuracies were just too out there to ignore. I get this is science fiction, but there were so many parts that made me go 'WTF?' I couldn't overlook. The spelling mistakes were pretty bad, and there were a lot of them. Also, the Ancient Egyptians were using modern slang, which bothered me as well.
The plot was very original, I think the author has some great ideas, but needs to go back to the drawing board.
I have to give a shout out to Dylan Nasady, who created the gorgeous cover.

Max Wannow created an interesting and unique story with Kill Tut, but with all of the historical inaccuracies and grammatical errors, the story didn't sit well with me at all. Wannow has an absolutely fantastic imagination, and thought up a compelling story. But if you're going to base a book on a historical figure and culture, a little homework would help this story a great deal.

[Greg Tuttle · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a reader you feel like a voyeur glimpsing in through the curtains. This was a delight to read. In terms of raw entertainment value, this book was solid – the characters were great, the dialogue was snappy, the plot was swift, and the ideas were interesting. The setting is very dark and we learn that the cause for King Tut's deformities is from generations of incest, which shows to be historically accurate. Perhaps this is my dark sense of humour, but I found that rather amusing. If that is the intention, it worked for me. The heroic trio of Dana, Jackson, and Laiklyn are entertaining and sympathetic in very different ways. Dana, especially, fully comes into her own and I completely catch her vision and trust her capability. Then of course there's Ankhesenamun who is such an enjoyable yet mysterious villain and her development was nicely done. The introduction of Neanderthals was a great curveball and as a reader it hit just at the right time, not only as a surprise, but a surprise that did not feel forced. Good timing. The Neanderthals were my favorite part because I love that idea of scientific proof being tentative until further evidence is recovered. It makes the reader wonder what other current scientific beliefs could potentially be changed with new discoveries. I also enjoyed the sudden juxtaposition between what was reading like a
period drama, to golden aliens suddenly invading. It was an enjoyable read with interesting characters and a familiar yet refreshing feel to the story.

[Kristina · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 42%

I really wanted to love this book because the concept was fantastic and features tropes I enjoy. The idea of a clandestine government mission to travel back in time to Ancient Egypt to kidnap Tutankhamun is appealing, as was the inclusion of aliens. However, the execution was poor and the direction this started to take was frankly disgusting. I was overlooking subpar writing and grammar errors to follow along with the plot, but was completely done with this story when I encountered a threesome scene involving stoned Neanderthals and one of the time traveling agents. Not only was this completely unnecessary, it was also disturbing on many levels. I was able to forge through the forced rape of Neanderthals by Egyptians at the hands of an alien race, but I drew the line and gave up on this book.

A quick google also points out the inaccuracies in this story, as Neanderthals and Ancient Egyptians likely didn't not inhabit the planet during the same timeframes. I guess with the inclusion of aliens, nothing is impossible within the book's universe, but I'm baffled as to the inclusion of the Neanderthals as it added nothing to the story. I also find it very hard to believe that Ancient Egyptians utilized the same slang and verbiage as Americans from the future (this takes place in the 2040s), or that American colloquialisms are all the same twenty years in the future.

[Ho Gai · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was combined with action and mystery. The reader is immediately drawn into the story with questions that make them intrigued. They can expect thrills, danger, and plot twists. Since it is propaganda against climate change I love the metaphor for neanderthals representing the fragility of life but I don't know if aliens related or not. The sudden introduction into an alien species is unexpected, but not unwelcome. The depiction of Tutankhamun was humorous, but intentionally. The dialogue progressed naturally and was not stilted in any way. I was able to experience myself in Ancient Egypt with the characters by the vivid details the writing afforded me. The writing POV was very interesting and I can imagine specific readers enjoying themselves while reading this story. This was a quick read, definitely futuristic in nature in an ancient setting, but eerily mirroring some parts of our current world. This book is engaging enough on the sentence and paragraph level that I kept reading and finished it with ease. But if you start this book with the expectations of the typical science fiction reader, you will have to either adjust, give up, or risk disappointment. Several plot strands that seem like they might "pay off" in the usual science-fictional ways end up not doing so. It has a uniqueness that is not commonly seen.

[Drea Carmona · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was able to feel and see the hopelessness of Tutankhamun’s case and the desperation of Ankhesenamun as I read. A lot occurs in this book, but at its core is a story of a royal family on the brink of ruin. I like Ankhesenamun the most because I was able to witness her character development. I learned that she used to love Tutankhamun but had already given up, her acceptance that he won’t change, her stress coming from the situation of her family and up to how she started wanting to get rid of Tutankhamun. The pacing is neither slow nor rushed. The book was able to properly build up the tension while showing the characters’ progressions. I like how Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun are brother and sisters. It shows the prevalent inbreeding practices of royal families in old times. There are practices and traditions. There are problems and social pressure. It is not all sunshine which is why it is realistic even with aliens, time travel, and Neanderthals included.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

(I got gifted this book by the author in exchange for a honest review)

This is by far the weirdest book I’ve ever read. And if that’s your cup of tea, you should check it out. But for me, it was just too weird.  The story and plot were of course very unique and it was an interesting read.  I actually enjoyed the plot, even if it was just a smidge to weird for me.
Reading about ancient Egyptians, Neanderthals and aliens at the same time was really fun, and a wisp of fresh air in compression of what I usually read.

The story and writing have some issues though, it felt a bit weird that the Egyptians could speak in slang, and it felt like the story had a bit too many unexplained plot holes for my taste. I have a feeling that if the book had been 100-200 pages longer, the story could’ve been improved more.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Those who like cool mashups with golden people from a Jovian moon, Neanderthals mixing it up with ancient Egyptians and some gore will get a kick out of Wannow's fanciful story.

[Ethan Barbake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read! 5/5!