The City of Refuge

Rating:
Summary: A Fascinating time and place
Review: The City of Refuge is an interesting story of betrayal, retribution and of a people (the Egyptians) trying to recover from the disasterous reign of a ruler who tried to turn their traditions and their religions inside out. I found the book to be well paced and well crafted and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys true historical fiction and mystery (and not what is called Historical Fiction now).

Rating:
Summary: A Fascinating time and place
Review: The opening chapter of this book takes place in Akhnaton's abandoned city of Amarna. The former Vizier of Egypt has chosen death as a way to save his son from ruin, and he dies watching the sun rise through the surrounding hills, happy in the thought that his son will be safe. The thread of the story picks up 25 years later when the temple of Ptah mounts an expedition to the ruined capitol city - now rumored to be haunted - to inspect the quarries still there. Threads of greed, of past murder, of impending vengeance all converge in this well-written tale. Over all of the action, in the present, and remembered from the past, looms the memory of the enigmatic man who was Akhnaton.

Rating:
Summary: A Fascinating Tale of Intrigue and Vengeance
Review: The opening chapter of this book takes place in Akhnaton's abandoned city of Amarna. The former Vizier of Egypt has chosen death as a way to save his son from ruin, and he dies watching the sun rise through the surrounding hills, happy in the thought that his son will be safe. The thread of the story picks up 25 years later when the temple of Ptah mounts an expedition to the ruined capitol city - now rumored to be haunted - to inspect the quarries still there. Threads of greed, of past murder, of impending vengeance all converge in this well-written tale. Over all of the action, in the present, and remembered from the past, looms the memory of the enigmatic man who was Akhnaton.