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"'Chock full of drama and passion... An excellent read set along the exotic Nile.' The Good Book Guide"
--This text refers to an alternate
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Book Description
An ancient egyptian novel spanning twelve generations of Pharaohs from the death of Alexander the Great to the fall of Cleopatra.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If Egyptian history is your thing, then this is definitely a book for you.
The novel is a chronicle of four of the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs - members of the Ptolemy dynasty - told as if by Seshat, the ancient Goddess of History and Arithmetic. She is our omniscient narrator, who tells all of the facts and admits it when she can't be sure of the exact details. Each Pharaoh may have the same first name of Ptolemy, but the author considerately refers to them by their personal names to avoid confusion.
The story itself is engrossing and interesting - the time was so different from ours that some things are difficult to contemplate. But at the heart of the book is the fact that all of the characters are members of one big, unhappy family. This is a clan where sisters marry their brothers, where mothers sleep with their daughters' husbands, and where no family member can let their guard down, even for an instant, when their siblings are around.
Each character is different, and absorbing. Arsinoe Beta is a fierce woman whose past is never quite fully explained, Berenike Syra is abandoned in a hostile country by her father, and Ptolemy Philopator prefers women's clothes to men's, and wishes with all his heart to become a eunuch. You quickly become immersed as the narrative moves from one royal couple to another, and although some parts can be sickening and gritty, this is a book you will probably be unable to put down.
Duncan Sprott transports his readers to the warm, sunny shores of the Nile - this book will take you to Egypt while you read it, and I would thoroughly recommend it for its' witty, ironic narrator, and its' thoroughly interesting characters.
The novel is a chronicle of four of the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs - members of the Ptolemy dynasty - told as if by Seshat, the ancient Goddess of History and Arithmetic. She is our omniscient narrator, who tells all of the facts and admits it when she can't be sure of the exact details. Each Pharaoh may have the same first name of Ptolemy, but the author considerately refers to them by their personal names to avoid confusion.
The story itself is engrossing and interesting - the time was so different from ours that some things are difficult to contemplate. But at the heart of the book is the fact that all of the characters are members of one big, unhappy family. This is a clan where sisters marry their brothers, where mothers sleep with their daughters' husbands, and where no family member can let their guard down, even for an instant, when their siblings are around.
Each character is different, and absorbing. Arsinoe Beta is a fierce woman whose past is never quite fully explained, Berenike Syra is abandoned in a hostile country by her father, and Ptolemy Philopator prefers women's clothes to men's, and wishes with all his heart to become a eunuch. You quickly become immersed as the narrative moves from one royal couple to another, and although some parts can be sickening and gritty, this is a book you will probably be unable to put down.
Duncan Sprott transports his readers to the warm, sunny shores of the Nile - this book will take you to Egypt while you read it, and I would thoroughly recommend it for its' witty, ironic narrator, and its' thoroughly interesting characters.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
A fine series continues
15 Mar 2007
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have always hated history in school, where it was presented as a meaningless jumble of dates peppered with brainless, arrogant blowhards (much like today's political climate). However, a book like this will absolutely blow away all preconceived notions of 'boring' ancient history - and is both a terrific read and an absolute revelation as to how things REALLY were in the so-call Classical civilized world. This is precisely detailed, comprehensive and yet tremendously interesting work, the second book in Ptolemys quartet.
Like the first book in the series, this is a bloody, sacrilegious, and fascinating saga, this time covering the period of Egyptian history during the reigns of the children of the first Ptolemaic pharoah. Also like the first book, it is 'narrated' by an Egyptian deity, this time Sheshat, goddess of architecture and mathematics. Her tone is considerably milder than the bombastic oratory of her husband Thoth, narrator of the first book, which is probably a good thing - Thoth was fun, but overbearing, and I'm not sure I could take another long work narrated by him. In any case, read this book slowly - you'll want to get every juicy detail of this wild and wooly tale. I also recommend that you refresh your knowledge of the first book in the series, the Ptolemies, (also sold under the title House of Eagles)if it's been awhile since you've read it; the details of the first book are important to this second. Especially as pertains to the women of the Royal House, who end up being married off to various allies and enemies as hostage brides; some are killed, and some will return to Egypt to make further serious mischief. The saga continues, and I can't wait for the next installment. Not the least of which is wondering which Egyptian deity will be the narrator next time around...
Some quibbles with the publishing / availability of this book: I bought the first Ptolemies book overseas, under a different title, years ago, and have been haunting US bookstores ever since looking for the sequels. I finally found Daughter of the Crocodile on the Internet two years after its original publication date. I cannot understand why this fine series is not promoted or made widely available in the US. Books of this quality should not be so difficult to find.
I also question the first two reader critiques in this file, which are exactly the same reader critiques shown under the first book of this series, The Ptolemies. Is this a mistake somewhere?
Like the first book in the series, this is a bloody, sacrilegious, and fascinating saga, this time covering the period of Egyptian history during the reigns of the children of the first Ptolemaic pharoah. Also like the first book, it is 'narrated' by an Egyptian deity, this time Sheshat, goddess of architecture and mathematics. Her tone is considerably milder than the bombastic oratory of her husband Thoth, narrator of the first book, which is probably a good thing - Thoth was fun, but overbearing, and I'm not sure I could take another long work narrated by him. In any case, read this book slowly - you'll want to get every juicy detail of this wild and wooly tale. I also recommend that you refresh your knowledge of the first book in the series, the Ptolemies, (also sold under the title House of Eagles)if it's been awhile since you've read it; the details of the first book are important to this second. Especially as pertains to the women of the Royal House, who end up being married off to various allies and enemies as hostage brides; some are killed, and some will return to Egypt to make further serious mischief. The saga continues, and I can't wait for the next installment. Not the least of which is wondering which Egyptian deity will be the narrator next time around...
Some quibbles with the publishing / availability of this book: I bought the first Ptolemies book overseas, under a different title, years ago, and have been haunting US bookstores ever since looking for the sequels. I finally found Daughter of the Crocodile on the Internet two years after its original publication date. I cannot understand why this fine series is not promoted or made widely available in the US. Books of this quality should not be so difficult to find.
I also question the first two reader critiques in this file, which are exactly the same reader critiques shown under the first book of this series, The Ptolemies. Is this a mistake somewhere?
A First-rate Retelling of a somewhat neglected aspect of the Ancient World
7 Sep 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
It has always occurred strange to me why so much academic attention has been lavished on Cleopatra vii, and so little devoted to her more enigmatic ancestors. Sure, the last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt had a pivitol role in the history of the last years of the Republic, but there has been a tendency to forget how she was influenced by the mores of the rulers that preceded her.
The history of these rulers is utterly facinating, and in the absence of any book dedicated purely to this, I have found Duncan Sprott's two novels very enlightening, although they would obviously have to be classified as historical fiction.
The author has thoroughly researched the Ptolemaic period with all its intricate family ties and produced two novels of great value. Never a dull moment, I eagerly await the follow-up books in the series which, I feel would also make a compelling, if not ground-breaking television series!
The history of these rulers is utterly facinating, and in the absence of any book dedicated purely to this, I have found Duncan Sprott's two novels very enlightening, although they would obviously have to be classified as historical fiction.
The author has thoroughly researched the Ptolemaic period with all its intricate family ties and produced two novels of great value. Never a dull moment, I eagerly await the follow-up books in the series which, I feel would also make a compelling, if not ground-breaking television series!
eager for book 3
23 Dec 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I completely concurr with the reviewer, enjoying the first two books of the Ptolemies Quartet by Duncan Sprott very much, and have been eagerly waiting for the story to continue. It's hard to believe that no one who is interested in Cleopatra wouldn't feel the same way, or other fans of Ancient Egyptian historical fiction -- or history, for that matter. Both of the available volumes were well written and full of interesting historical detail, allowing the reader to enter this exotic world -- Egypt in decline perhaps, but not in interest, in fact, thanks to the recent films on Alexander the Great and the excellent HBO miniseries on Rome, Egypt from this period has been given a new look on film, expecially in the two TV series with a completely different take on Anthony and Cleopatra, which has all of the seediness of the cultural backwater this Egyptian era doubtless contained. The recent film on Hypatia also ventured into a later era of Alexandria, but its story was too depressing and too similar to our own sad era for my liking. Give me Arsinoe anyday.
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