Pharaoh Fantastic [Paperback]

DuBois, Brendan: "A Lion Let Loose Upon the World" Told in the style of Lovecraft, explaining a grandmother's dislike of ancient Egypt - a culture of death, in her eyes - by a story within a story: how it wrecked her brother Conrad's life even though he never left New England.

Edghill, Rosemary: The narrator, the most loyal follower of Akhenaten, remembers the day his lord saw "A Light in the Desert", and his efforts to lead his people to worship one true God.

Foster, Alan Dean: "Basted" Ali, riding into the desert to escape his shrewish wife's endless comments on his shortcomings, falls into the tomb of the obscure pharaoh Unarhotep ("call me Unar"), whose soul was transferred to his pet cheetah when a wasting disease threatened to leave nothing to mummify. But even if Ali and Unar can escape the tomb, how can Unar cope with the changed world?

Hoffman, Nina Kiriki: "Whatever Was Forgotten", narrated by Horemheb from his cozy afterlife as he falls prey to unbelievers who begin dismantling the tomb that maintains his soul in its comforts. Nice use of ancient Egyptian viewpoint.

Huff, Tanya: Set late in the reign of Menes, first pharaoh to unite the Two Lands, "Succession" is the tale of his vizier's attempts to ensure that Menes has a son by his newest queen (paving the way for a regency), and the eldest queen's efforts to thwart him - not out of jealousy, but to avert disaster should a pharaoh be born due to the vizier's dabbling in evil magic. (Apart from the magical aspects, the only item apparently without possible historical backing is that the vizier isn't of royal blood, a requirement early in Egyptian history. Huff even gets the queens' names right.)

Lindskold, Jane: "Beneath the Eye of the Hawk" later grew into Lindskold's novel THE BURIED PYRAMID (see). The protagonists are archaeologists working (or rather, fleeing for their lives as the story opens) in nineteenth-century Egypt.

McCay, Bill: "To See Beyond Darkness" Similar background to other McCay stories (but not the StarGate universe): cats, Those Who See Beyond Darkness, guard the world from predators invisible to human eyes. The protagonist becomes the pharaoh's new cat-companion en route to the great cat cemeteries at Bubastis, where his predecessor is about to be buried. But the centre of cat worship in Egypt is curiously devoid of cats, thanks to a corrupt high priest's secret dabbling in evil magic.

Nye, Jody Lynn: "The Voice of Authority" Ramses III waited until his last breath to name his eldest surviving son (now in his forties) as his heir. Now the new Ramses is finding it quite a strain to visit every major temple in Egypt before his coronation to learn that he's *still* answerable to higher authorities.

Patton, Fiona: A guard condemned for failing to protect pharaoh is offered the chance to pass the time before his execution with "Games of Fate": exchanging his own fate with someone else's. He's allowed to choose whoever he wishes from those around him, and is advised to choose whoever will best advance the game and keep the gods' interest. After a few rounds of the game, it becomes apparent why he was chosen to play.

Reichert, Mickey Zucker: "Let Our People Go" Time travellers from an alternate history facing nuclear annihilation from the Middle East try to divert Egyptian history into another track by inspiring an obscure figure from the Bible - a slave-born prince who faded into obscurity as a shepherd - to emancipate his people. (Not very plausible alternate history, since the history without Moses mysteriously closely resembles ours culturally.)

Resnick, Laura: How did Ramses manage to build monuments to his victory at Kadesh when the Hittites actually defeated him? Because the gods sent him "The Spin Wizard", who'd helped them out after that unpleasant experiment in Aten worship a few generations before. (She sounds like she's from Brooklyn.)

Sherman, Josepha: "The Scroll of Wisdom" tempts the scholarly magician-priest Khamwas to tomb robbery. His failed attempt, however, attracts a less mortal and more dangerous thief. Involves time travel to present-day NYU. Unfortunately, the short format apparently isn't Sherman's strong suit; she needs greater length to develop her plots properly.

Sizemore, Susan: "That God Won't Hunt" Why has the Queen Mother selected Ipuit (a minor princess who has spent her life studying magic in an obscure temple) to marry the young pharaoh Pepi? And why has Pepi - studious and serious as a boy - wasted the first year of his adult reign hunting the countryside with his dogs? The vizier's open support of the priests of Set - dark magicians - is a bit of a clue...