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82 of 93 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ancient Egypt - a lesson for today' s world?!, 25 Feb 2004
Paul Doherty takes us with his new book - the first part of a triology - into the 14th century BC to Egypt at the peak of its Imperial glory. Egypt had never been richer, more powerful, or more secure. Up and down the Nile, workers built hundreds of temples to pay homage to the Gods. They believed that if the Gods were pleased, Egypt would prosper. But then Akhenaten, the tenth Pharao of the 18th Dynasty, and his wife Queen Nefertiti - often referred to in history as "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World" as shown by her bust on Berlin - ascended the throne. They turned 2,000 years of Egyptian religious believes upside down - the polytheism of Egypt was supplanted by monotheism centered around Aten, the god of the solar disc. One of the most profound changes in history. Paul Doherty describes these historical events and its leading personalities through a friend of Pharao who was intimately involved in these events. Doherty's uses his abilities to bring alive long dead people and times to the full. Ancient Egypt does not seem to be 3000 years away, but it seems that one have lived through these times oneself. Descriptions and actions are well balance. I have a horror of papes over pages of mere descriptions or only action. This book balances it - as usual in Doherty's works - very well. So there is no moment of boredom, step by step one gets really hooked to the story and one wants to know what is going to happen next. Paul Doherty' s book is fiction but it is based on historical evidence. Especially the personality and history of Akhenaton and his reasons for bringing about this revolution are well explained. As Doherty described him correctly as a family outcast. He never appeared in any portraits and was never taken to public events. He received no honors. It was as if the God Amun had excluded him. He was rejected by the world, properly because of his ungainly body - short torso, long head, neck, arms, hand and feet, pronounced collarbones, pot belly, heavy thighs, and poor muscle tone. Scientists believe that Akhenaten suffered from a disease called Marfan Syndrome, a genetic defect that damages the body's connective tissue and causing these symptoms . But there is more to this excellent book: This book is as well a discussion on the dangers of religious fever, the politics surrounding religion and above all warning about religious fanatism.... and suddenly the reader is not any longer in ancient Egypt but in today' s world. This is a sutle, but powerful message by Doherty. I enjoyed this book enormously and cannot wait till part 2 and 3 will be published!! 5 stars - not enough for this book!!
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