Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Perfect Historical Novel Of Suspense, Love, and Subterfuge, 21 Aug 2001
By A Customer
'The Battle Of Kadesh', the third instalment in the acclaimed 'Ramses' series, is thus far the best and most compelling. It chronicles the next few years in Ramses' reign, during which the Great Pharaoh must confront the near invincibility of the Hittite forces who crave expansion at Egypt's expense. Before he can concentrate on war, however, Ramses' reign is being undermined by a network of different alliances against him, most notably that of Ofir, the sorcerer, trying to use black magic to weaken the Pharaoh's defences; And an underground network of Hittite spies intent in bringing about Egypt's downfall. Heading these operations is Shaanar, Ramses' jealous elder brother who is consumed with his desire to rule. When the Battle of Kadesh finally dawns, Ramses is left alone to confront the entire barbaric Hittite army, forcing him to call upon his late father's divine assistance. Will his prayers be answered ?This book had me up reading until the early hours of the morning. With spectacular landscape descriptions, charismatic protagonists, and suspenseful plots it truly is impossible to put down.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not quite River God..., 1 Dec 2000
I would agree with much that has already been said about this book - and this series. A lot more could have been achieved with the subject matter than has been. Jacq has certainly not decided whether he is writing a fantasy novel or an historical novel, but with the Battle of Kadesh he seems to be veering more towards fantasy. Certainly, in the earlier volumes divine intervention was quite rare, and could readily be explained away on scientific grounds. I presumed Jacq was portraying events as the Egyptians would have considered them. However, with this book the Ramses saga does start to plunge off into the worlds of the fantastic, which those who prefer strict historical fiction may find disconcerting. Having recently read Wilbur Smith's River God, I found the latter a much more convincing portrayal of life in ancient Egypt, albeit set at an earlier period in the kingdom's evolution. One aspect I did like about this book is the way the two societies of Egypt and the Hittite Empire contrast so vividly: the law-abiding, comfort-loving Egyptians field an army of timid, god-fearing soldiers and incompetent generals against the Hittites, a cruel, viciious, and war-like empire with vast territorial ambitions. The Egyptian love of the law and justice is very different from the Hittites' 'survival of the strongest' philosophy. In previous volumes, Egypt's arch-rivals were portrayed as a distant empire, which few Egyptians other than Ahsha and Shaanar (and the Syrian spy Raia) really understood. Now we get a much more in-depth look at the merciless enemy and the internal politics of their harsh nation. In summary, I would still say this series has brought Egypt to life for me, and I've bought a biography of Ramses and the PC city-building game Pharoah as a consequence. It did inspire me to learn more about Egypt. Being a Greek specialist personally, this is something of an accolade.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
The story of Ramses should make a great tale. This isn't it., 20 Jan 2000
The story of Ramses has everything; intrigue, passion, adventure, war, sex and in the hands of a very good writer would make for compulsive reading. Unfortunately, while his knowledge isn't in doubt, Jacq is not the man to give the legend life. Jacq seems unsure whether to write about the myth or the man, resulting in a story that sits uneasily between being a fact based novel or pure fantasy. To my mind the stronger novel would have been to concentrate on the historical and forgo the mysticism that allows the author to get Ramses out of trouble all to easily. Ramses alone against an army? No problem - just give him a little help from the gods. This elevation of Ramses to something more than a man removes most of the drama from the book. You know that he's never in any real danger because some mystical force or another will come to his aid. With more effort or a clearer direction from the author this series could have been a classic. There is so much potential in the story and characters that, ultimately, this is a disappointing and unsatisfying read.
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