Review: A fascinating read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 8, 2014
The most striking aspect of this novel is the author’s incredible passion and knowledge of her subject matter. I personally found it highly infectious. Every chapter we find ourselves learning something new about this ancient Egyptian period, one set after the golden age of the Old Kingdom and now a divided country where “darkness” shrouds much of land and “bands and robbers and lawless tribes” crawl through “the region like grain beetles.” The author brings alive a world four millennia ago with countless pieces of information about the roles of the various gods, ceremonial items, cycles of the Nile and the journey of the soul after death.There is a clear juxtaposition between good and evil in this tale and the author deals with each of these differently. Khu, like his adopted father, Mentuhotep, is an idealised character, one “completely without guile,” with “jewelled eyes” showing “nothing but sincerity.”In contrast however the author allows herself far more creative freedom for her villains. Khety, the rival ruler, is a fascinating character study. Whilst we see him at first as a traditional Machiavellian; ruthless, scheming and bent on power, we are soon given glimpses into his soul and find him to be a tortured individual motivated by jealousy “heartache, pain and misery.” There are several villainous characters in the tale and the author seems to delight in writing about each one. The most truly terrifying of all is Ankhtifi, Khety’s enforcer, a psychopath devoid of warmth and humour and a man whose reputation “preceded him with the stench of death.”Overall, I found Khu: A Tale of Ancient Egypt a most enjoyable and informative read, so much so I plan to read more by this author.