Rating:  Summary: ALL HAIL LYNDA S. ROBINSON & LORD MEREN!! Review: "Slayer Of Gods" the latest installment in the Lord Meren detective series is a delicious morsel from beginning to end. Set in the 14th century B.C., during the reign of the boy king Tutankamun. Tutanhkamun is beginning to show signs of the stress of running an empire fought with intrigue and danger, restoring the old gods,as he worries about the murder of his second 'mother' the great queen Nefertiti. It is up to Lord Meren, the "Eyes and Ears" of pharoah to solve this murder mystery. We find Lord Meren recuperating from the wounds he suffered when he took an arrow intended for the king. Meren fears that murderer who has managed to kill all the witnesses and former servants of the queen is getting desperate and is closing in on him. Meren recruits the services of the intriguing and mysterious Anath the 'Eyes of Babylon to aid him in uncovering the identity of of the killer. Together they embark on a perilous journey to the Horizon of Aten the former capital of the heretic king Ahkenaten and also to find the former bodyguard of Nefertiti, Sebek. While Meren is away his son Kysen and daughter Bener caught up in their own investigation which lead to Bener's kidnapping and the posioning of Kysen. Ms Robinson adeptly tranports the reader to 14th century Egypt, she weaves together an intricate web of danger and deceit, it is finest work to date. Slayer of Gods is a must read for historical mystery buffs. May your 'Ka' continue to rise.
Rating:  Summary: Finally bringing closure to the death of Nefertiti. Review: Against the backdrop of King Tut's Egypt, Lynda S. Robinson has set up a series of mysteries that truly bring the era to life. The struggle of re-building faith in the years following the devastating rule of heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten and his bride Nefertiti makes for fascinating and entertaining reading.Lord Meren, the Pharaoh's chief protector and investigator, is recovering from injuries sustained while previously attempting to resolve the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of the Queen. It is an 11-year old mystery that deeply distresses Tutankhamun and it's solving has expanded to involve Lord Meren's family members, trusted assistants and even Anath, the Eyes of Babylon. The field of suspects has narrowed, the circumstances of Nefertiti's last days are becoming clearer and the resolution is both exciting and satisfying. Indeed, this is the best novel of the series as it provides clear means and motive for the mystery. There are red herrings aplenty and Robinson relies much less on supernatural trappings and solutions that appear in earlier books. I may not agree with her fictional interpretation of history, but I genuinely applaud her skill at weaving a highly entertaining and enlightening novel. Highly Recommended.
Rating:  Summary: at last the end of the plot is available! Review: At last this series comes to an unexpected plausible end. Who would have believed it! Lord Meren, though supposed to be at home, recoving from his wounds, is trying to identify Nefertiti's assassin. With the help of his son and his daughter, Lord Meren will find proof of the most incredible story of all times. The author uses a wonderful exciting writing style that keeps the reader alert from beginning to end. Definitely a book for lovers of mystery and thriller novels.
Rating:  Summary: deteriorating Review: By the time I'd gotten to "Slayer of Gods," I'd gobbled up the previous five in order, thereby attaining the level of anticipation of a hammerhead shark in a sea of Egyptian blood. I must say it was sheer pleasure to chomp through this one. Ms. Robinson is in the best narrative form of the whole series. There are no serious breaks in the flow and action and the whole meal was over in wink, leaving me still quite bloodthirsty for more. Don't peek at any plot details! The previews reveal too much. I have to say that I figured this one out almost immediately, and I think you will too. But it's wonderfully done from a dramatic and character perspective. I give it only four stars because, to me, the plot has a many holes. Enough to make me uncomfortable, and I'm not the fussy type. Nevertheless, a scrumptious --and very suspenseful-- gobble.
Rating:  Summary: Flows beautifully--like an open wound Review: By the time I'd gotten to "Slayer of Gods," I'd gobbled up the previous five in order, thereby attaining the level of anticipation of a hammerhead shark in a sea of Egyptian blood. I must say it was sheer pleasure to chomp through this one. Ms. Robinson is in the best narrative form of the whole series. There are no serious breaks in the flow and action and the whole meal was over in wink, leaving me still quite bloodthirsty for more. Don't peek at any plot details! The previews reveal too much. I have to say that I figured this one out almost immediately, and I think you will too. But it's wonderfully done from a dramatic and character perspective. I give it only four stars because, to me, the plot has a many holes. Enough to make me uncomfortable, and I'm not the fussy type. Nevertheless, a scrumptious --and very suspenseful-- gobble.
Rating:  Summary: I Can't Agree Review: Hold on, Slayer of Gods disappoints on several levels, slim book though it is. The most serious is the sudden 'modernization' of the familial, political and adversarial relationships of Lord Meren. Alas, Slayer of Gods has catapulted somewhere into the recent past. The family is out of control (Nancy Drew, aka Bener, vies with a sadly credulous Frank Hardy, aka Kysen, whose years at his adopted father's side and abusive childhood seem to have had no effect in wiseing him up, to help solve father's thorny mystery); the villiany is plotted by a criminal mastermind, a Professor Moriarity/Fu Manchu-type, assisted by a sexy, amoral daughter-prostitute-spy; and the cause of all the hubbub, that living god guy, pharoah, doesn't really know what he wants--his majesty demands his vengeance, but, whoops, ok, if it makes you happy we won't take our righteous vengeance after all, and I don't even need to brood about it a bit, let me decide right here on the street. I'm a regular guy. Certainly brings things to a tidy and quick conclusion. Sigh. And I won't even go into the "dad's away at the first cataract, let's throw a house party to trap the killer." Lynda Robinson has fallen into what seems to be a common and unfortunate trap among historical mystery writers. They start off with compelling heroes, place them in their own time and place, with all that implys re human relationships, attitudes, beliefs and how their actions are circumscribed by them, and then show how they can solve a mystery. Great stuff, often, for one or two books, but then the need to continue the saga causes writers to lose their way. 'Modernization' of relationships and actions kill the magic and the anachronisms appear. This is what has happened in Slayer of Gods. Robinson started off her series with originality and charm, combining a compelling hero, Lord Meren, with an almost unimaginably exotic setting, ancient Egypt, and brought them alive, deftly making both character and place seem authentic--while plotting a good mystery. She never lost sight of the fact, however, light though her touch was, that she was writing about a time, place and people as foreign to us as aliens from another world. Human beings, sure, ancient empire, ok, but outright similarities to modern behavior and actions were few and far between so one never felt that Meren and co. were just westerners of the past century dressed up in wigs and pleated kilts. There's not even a melting incense cone in sight. It's all a great disappointment, and I hope Ms. Robinson can find her way back to her earlier style. Lord Meren deserves more respect.
Rating:  Summary: deteriorating Review: I agree with both the reviewer from Guatemala and the reviewer from Georgetown Texas. The series started out splendidly, but the modernization of the characters (particularly the Nancy Drewization of Bener) leaves a great deal to be desired. The reason I read historical mysteries is to immerse myself in a culture that is as alien to contemporary life as any Star Trek episode. I also would give it a 3.5 were that possible-it's better than a 3, but doesn't deserve a 4. Ms. Robinson, please return to the cultural norms of 1300 B.C!!
Rating:  Summary: A return to form Review: I didn't like "Drinker of Blood" at all, so bought this one with trepidation. Fortunately it marks an improvement, although there is still too much modern-style agonizing and not enough plot and detection. Who needs to suffer vicariously through fictional characters? The Meren-Anath resolution was disappointing; I wish this could have had more of a happy ending. But all in all the book was a pleasant read, and with luck we can forget about this Nefertiti stuff. Less psychology, more detection.
Rating:  Summary: A return to form Review: I didn't like "Drinker of Blood" at all, so bought this one with trepidation. Fortunately it marks an improvement, although there is still too much modern-style agonizing and not enough plot and detection. Who needs to suffer vicariously through fictional characters? The Meren-Anath resolution was disappointing; I wish this could have had more of a happy ending. But all in all the book was a pleasant read, and with luck we can forget about this Nefertiti stuff. Less psychology, more detection.
Rating:  Summary: A return to form Review: I didn't like "Drinker of Blood" at all, so bought this one with trepidation. Fortunately it marks an improvement, although there is still too much modern-style agonizing and not enough plot and detection. Who needs to suffer vicariously through fictional characters? The Meren-Anath resolution was disappointing; I wish this could have had more of a happy ending. But all in all the book was a pleasant read, and with luck we can forget about this Nefertiti stuff. Less psychology, more detection.
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