Eyes of Horus

Far Memory #3

by Joan Grant

The third of Joan Grant's "Far Memory" novels, Eyes of Horus, set in Egypt at the close of the dark XIth Dynasty, is a profound commentary on the power of fear and the unlimited ability of light to shatter it. Eyes of Horus is the story, told in the first person, of Ra-ab, heir to the Nomarch of the Oryx, one of eighteen provinces in Egypt. He comes to learn that the Oryx is different than the rest of Egypt-it is still in touch with the light. The rest of Egypt is plagued by fear and ruled by corruption. Pharaoh is an ineffectual ruler. The priests have replaced the worship of Ptah with the worship of Set. Only the Oryx has cast off these shackles-and it is from the Oryx that a silent brotherhood of the 'eyes of Horus'-the Watchers of the Horizon-arises, to work and wait for the dawn of a new age in Egypt. 'Send Fear into Exile', is the Watchers' password, and when the time is ripe, Ra-ab leads the Oryx and its followers to victory-and a new Egypt. As a child growing up in Edwardian England, Joan Grant became aware of an astonishing ability to remember previous lifetimes, and as an author professed her seven novels to be based on her personal recollections of other incarnations, male and female, in ancient civilisations. "This book is warm with the sunshine of Egypt, delicate with the beauty of its homes and palaces, its surpassing art... there are also stories of graft, of insolent luxury... but through all runs the spirit of chivalry and heroism and faith." Times Literary Supplement

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Historical

390 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Keely · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of the Joan Grant books and the books about Joan Grant. She is a wonderful example of early 20th century mysticism and interest in reincarnation. Her stories are absorbing reads in and of themselves. Her belief that they were inspired by her own past lives is an interesting footnote that speaks to the philosophies and spiritualism of her time as well as the cultural adaptation of Asian religious & cultural beliefs, but there is a sweetness to the spirit in which she goes about exploring her own consciousness and trusting herself and her own beliefs and her own conscience and what her own spirit revealed to her about herself through these stories and ideas. I have never compared her novels with historical accounts and check them for accuracy because whether or not reincarnation is a literal phenomenon that part of our consciousness experiences during mortality and in various states of consciousness. I do not believe that mortal death is the end of our consciousness; I do not believe that birth is the beginning of our consciousness. I have met many newborns and they all have a sentience and clarity about them that is reflected clearly throughout their lives irrespective of other people's ideas of who they should be. I have watched many of these newborns grown into wonderful adults and it always delights me to see how peoples faith grows and how they are able to make sense of a challenging world by exploring building and adjusting their own beliefs through experience and comparison with others expressed experiences. Joan Grant's books are fun and beautiful and they usually have a wonderful love story. they continue to feel poignant maybe even more especially in today's world (2026+) than when I first read them in the 1990s.

[Marianne Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the Winged Pharaoh better but this was still a good read. I had a very old copy and the pages were brittle and cover falling off which made it more difficult to read

[Margareth8537 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read a 1940s edition of this but can't trace it. This was another of the books I used to read at my Grandmother's - think she was actually a closet follower of Madame Blavatsky.
Very well written, fascinating book

[Adelle Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as engaging as Winged Pharaoh, and one of the most incredible windows into Ancient Egypt I've encountered anywhere