Review: Dystopian Action Adventure
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 6, 2014
"After the Cataclysm" by Inge H. Borg is her third book with an Egyptian theme, all three belong to the "Legends of the Winged Scarab" series. On this occasion the story is set in a post-apocalyptic / post-cataclysmic world where most of the US is wasteland and power and wealth are now in South America and Venezuela.Art theft, smuggling and material survival form the story of this book that brings back Egyptologist Naunet Klein from the previous book. She finds herself invited together with her husband, to join Egyptian archaeologist Jabari El-Masri and art collector Lorenzo Dominguez on an abandoned cruise ship in the Caribbean to help translate the inscription on Ancient Golden Tablets.Legends around the inscriptions and their threatening nature make this a difficult task for her, as does the entire set up of illegality and bribery and with untrustworthy partners in crime on board.The story is like an adventurous dream, ornate and meticulously set up. It tells with often sarcastic wit and Borg's signature dry sense of humour the motifs and hopes of our characters while checking those ideas constantly against the harsh reality.With her all-knowing point of view Borg let' s us look into all of their minds - a technique that I value.Obviously well researched and knowledgeable about Egypt and its culture Borg’s writing style is full of ornate and beautiful descriptions.Weaving in the ancient Egyptian mythology and legends lends an almost philosophical and moral aspects to some of the writing and plot.The boat that our heroes use is real and, once again, the precise descriptions make it come alive easily.At the same time, the futuristic setting does not distract from the story. What could have been a major component in the plot is merely a writer's tool in my eyes to show once more the enormity of time. Book 1 one (Khamsin, the Devil Wind of the Nile) was set in 3080 B.C, Book 2 (Sirocco, Storm over Land and Sea) in the present, and now Book 3, "After the Cataclysm," takes place only a couple of years into the future. It pays homage to the indestructability of the legends and the artefacts and with that made a lasting impression on this reader’s mind. While dystopian in nature the book spares us distractions that would not befit the story.Naunet and her husband, the art collector and the archaeologist are all excellent characters that make the reading experience a very enjoyable one.