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The Age of Ra (Pantheon series #1)

3.27 of 5 stars 3.27 · rating details · 610 ratings · 87 reviews

An alternate history of the world where the Egyptian gods have defeated all others and have carved up the planet between themselves. Only a band of Freedom Fighters and their enigmatic leader can free the Earth from their divine tyranny....more

Paperback, 448 pages

Published July 28th 2009 by Solaris

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Nov 05, 2012 Cathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: zz-challenge-library-borrowed-2010, zz-challenge-bcc-scifi-2010, zz-challenge-bcc-fantasy-2010, zz-challenge-new-author-2010, fantasy, mythology, read-in-2010, science-fiction

It was good. For the first half I was reading at such a nice pace that I was reluctant to put it down; not an exciting page-turner, but a smooth read that held my attention. Other than skimming some of the military and battle descriptions it was an easy read with a nice flow. I like the parallels between the story of what's happening on Earth and what the gods are up to in their realm. It's an interesting new take on the traditional tale of free will versus divine intervention. It also included...more It was good. For the first half I was reading at such a nice pace that I was reluctant to put it down; not an exciting page-turner, but a smooth read that held my attention. Other than skimming some of the military and battle descriptions it was an easy read with a nice flow. I like the parallels between the story of what's happening on Earth and what the gods are up to in their realm. It's an interesting new take on the traditional tale of free will versus divine intervention. It also included quite a bit of Egyptian mythology that was new to me and very interesting.

There really are only three major human characters. The woman, Zafirah, is barely sketched out; she is given a few points of depth but really is only there as a foil for the men. David, our hero, is relatable and interesting despite is British way of being disengaged, a manner which haunts his ability to relate throughout the book as well as our ability to relate to him. Overall he's a guy most readers will easily recognize but may have different takes on how he should have behaved. The final character, the Lightbringer, llluminates much, sometimes more than expected. The relationship between David and the Lightbringer is the heart of the human level of the novel, just as familial relationships are at the center of every interaction between the gods.

There are some nice ironic political and social parallels drawn to our current world as well, using which god has claimed which earthly territories and how those religious affiliations impact the political and social natures of the subject nations. It was also ironic to see this world's Egypt being a sort-of anti-Israel; it's the birthplace of the worldwide religion yet the one place on the planet that every nation has agreed to leave unreligious and exempt from external military pressures.

What kept tripping me up as it got near the end was that I knew it was the first in a trilogy and I couldn't see how the two books I've seen could fit together. I have The Age Of Zeus here and the are sounds parallel, not sequential. A bit more research revealed this quote from Lovegrove's website, "Together the three will form a kind of trilogy, although none is a sequel or prequel to any of the others. The links will be thematic rather than narrative." (http://www.jameslovegrove.com/news/40...)". So really it seems that the novels are not so much a trilogy as a collection, but either way there doesn't seem to be a need to read all 3 or read them in any particular order. (less)

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Aug 27, 2012 Nesa Sivagnanam rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is quite a departure from my normal reading pattern. I don't usually read books with a military/war sort of setting. But this book had myth in it and that was a hook I could not resist. I will admit that I approached it quite warily since I was afraid that I'd not quite understand the military terminology, etc and that would break the flow of the story while I try and work it all out so it made sense.

The ancient Egyptian gods have defeated all other pantheons, and now rule the Earth,...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Ashuroa rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: modern-fantasy

I gave up on this book halfway through. Which really was a pity. I LOVED the idea. When I stumbled across the description of the book I thought there couldn’t go anything wrong with such a fun idea. But apparently a bad author can ruin even the best of ideas.

I am hard pressed on where to begin with all the faults in this book.

It has little to no plot. When you reach page 160 and STILL nothing has happened you know something is seriously wrong.

The mortal characters range from cardboard boring ste...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Age of Ra begins Lovegrove's Pantheon Trilogy, focusing this novel on the Egyptian deities. The story offers a healthy balance between the mortal realm of Lt. David Westwynter (British soldier in this new world) and the higher plane of the gods (mainly on Ra, the boss in charge). Filling a void in Sci-fi left by the Goa'uld of Stargate, the book does offer a new spin to Egyptian mystery. However, it is difficult to praise this due to poor story-telling on Lovegrove's part. While not a horrib...more The Age of Ra begins Lovegrove's Pantheon Trilogy, focusing this novel on the Egyptian deities. The story offers a healthy balance between the mortal realm of Lt. David Westwynter (British soldier in this new world) and the higher plane of the gods (mainly on Ra, the boss in charge). Filling a void in Sci-fi left by the Goa'uld of Stargate, the book does offer a new spin to Egyptian mystery. However, it is difficult to praise this due to poor story-telling on Lovegrove's part. While not a horrible read, the book does fail in a few key areas.
Lovegrove wastes no time introducing the reader to the rules of this reality: every belief system was correct & after many millenia the Egyptian Gods defeated/destroyed/absorbed the other pantheons before introducing themselves to humanity... to immediately begin squabbling amongst each other. Add some new technology to the mix and Earth has descended into chaos. Each god/goddess controls some land, but Egypt is left a Free Zone as respect for their origins (resulting in a militaristic no-man's land w/ zero economy or wealth).
Sadly, the interesting set-up cannot mask the novel's faults. The plot follows Ra attempting to get the other gods to play nice and Westwynter being caught up in a power play by a mysterious new figure. A plus to Lovegrove, Ra comes out as the strongest, most likeable, and (ironically)the most human character. But this sharply contrasts the gods and (even worse) the dead-pan humans. Westwynter and the others follow a stereotypical line throughout the novel and ultimately are played by the gods in yet another fight between relatives. They accomplish little and leave the reader wondering what the net gain is. Ra has slightly more success, but only so, which leaves the largest fault in the open: nothing is gained. A major resetting of godly alliances, but otherwise it's business as usual; the story could never have happened and everything would have remained the same.
Lovegrove did an excellent job creating the setting & conflict, but drops the ball on the characters & making a worth-while conclusion. He gets an A for effort, but at the end of the day Age of Ra falls short of its potential. It is not a good showcase of Lovegrove's skill, but if you can't get enough of Egypt & sci-fi, give it a read.(less)

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Feb 28, 2011 Bob Milne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Okay, I admit it - I'm a sucker for a pretty face, a hot body, and a flashy book cover. This one caught my eye and, on a whim, I decided to pick it up.

If the cover was the tease, then the premise itself was pure temptation. Imagine a world in which the gods are real, in which they've gone to war, and in which the ancient Egyptian ones have defeated all others. Odin, Zeus, Allah, Jesus . . . all of them, dead and gone.

The major powers of the world are still at war (yeah, like that's a surprise!)...more

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Jan 31, 2010 Steven Darrall rated it 2 of 5 stars

This was one of those books where I liked the idea moreso than the execution. The idea of a world in which the Egyptian gods have destroyed all other beief systems and essentially rule the world is a pretty clever idea. The main thrust of the story, a group of non-believers,led by the faceless 'Lightbringer', attempting to overthrow the gods themselves, is an interesting and engaging story. I foun the main character,David Westwinter, to be a pretty enjoyable, if unoriginal,character. He acts as...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Serena Yates rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mainstream

With the pretty unique premise of looking at a world in which the old Egyptian gods vanquished all the other belief systems and lived into the current day and age, I simply could not resist picking up this book. It is a great example of creating an alternative reality, and the element of adding some interesting perspective from the point of view of the gods as well as contemporary humans who face a very different reality form our own, made this a fascinating, compelling, and very thought-provoki...more With the pretty unique premise of looking at a world in which the old Egyptian gods vanquished all the other belief systems and lived into the current day and age, I simply could not resist picking up this book. It is a great example of creating an alternative reality, and the element of adding some interesting perspective from the point of view of the gods as well as contemporary humans who face a very different reality form our own, made this a fascinating, compelling, and very thought-provoking read for me.

As unlikely as the world James Lovegrove created here may be in light of our current reality, it was consistent and had some interesting political and religious points to make. Even science was explained in light of the gods' powers and the focus here was on weapons technology. That was the one message throughout the book: with gods warring amongst themselves for pretty much all of eternity, the result for humans who follow those gods would be the same thing: eternal strife with no way out. Even worse: the reason for the fighting is not even human-made in this world, the factions and what goes on is entirely god-determined. High priests are in charge of reading the gods' will, pass it on to human governments (if you can even call them that), then mindlessly executed.

What a nightmare vision!

The one ray of hope for humans to escape this mess is the faction of the "Lightbringer" that evolves in 'Freegypt' - the only place on Earth that has no gods. I loved the explanation for this: the gods could not agree who should rule over their original place of power on Earth, so none of them got it. Interestingly, the Lightbringer has a whole host of issues himself and as the main character, Lieutenant David Westwynter, gets to know him, the revelations are as fascinating as the whole concept behind this book.

What I liked best was the ending: not a definite answer by any means, it totally fit the question. Human self-determination is a work in progress, and the degree to which we can free ourselves from real or imagined spiritual and religious influences will determine what happens to us - both individually and as a species.

I really liked this book, and recommend it for anyone interested in alternate realities, religious questions of an unusual nature, and a love for the old mythological gods of Egypt.(less)

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Feb 12, 2012 Alayna Anhalt rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Basically the novel equivalent of a summer action movie: a light, scifi tinged militaristic romp. If you aren't looking for anything too serious or groundbreaking, but just a quick read I don't think you will be too disappointed.

Lovegrove is able to build his world in a clever way where details are slipped right into your knowledge of the real world, which makes me wish he had done more of it. As it stands, I can't really believe or understand how the Gods have so much control over the human go...more

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Jun 01, 2011 Aparajitabasu rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, mythology, sci-fi, utopia-vs-dystopia

I'm someone who picks up books 50% on their covers, 25% on the back story and 25% on its reviews. And I have to say The Age of Ra by James Lovegrove was unique. Chose it partly 'cause of the cover and partly cause of the title; I'm a sucker for Mythology and anything related with mythology is good enough for me and then their was the added bonus of the story being of a sci-fi-military-utopia vs. dystopia centered story, my favourite genre. So read on....

Here is how the summary of the book goes...more

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Aug 08, 2010 Edu M. rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of fantasy/science-fiction/egyptian mythology

Shelves: best-ones

The Age of Ra is a novel writtrn by the british writer James Lovegroove. It provides an interesting view of what the world would look like if the Egyptian Gods still existed. The answer is world war. The story divides in two threads: the Human Thread, which follows Liutenant David Westwynter, a British soldier who serves Osiris and Isis, Europe's guardians, when he rebels against the control of the gods and allies himself with the mysterious Lightbringer, a freedom fighter whith a dark past. The...more

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Aug 09, 2009 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, review-copy, alternate-history, 2009

A hundred years ago the Egyptian gods defeated all other gods and now reign supreme over the earth. Dividing the land up amongst themselves, their feuds and squabbles and hatreds reflect on earth amongst the mortals. Thousands of men and women join their deities' armies and navies, their service and sacrifice the ultimate worship.

Lieutenant David Westwynter is a British soldier of Osiris. Having barely escaped with his life from a trap in Petra, Jordan, he knows his only hope is reaching Freegy...more A hundred years ago the Egyptian gods defeated all other gods and now reign supreme over the earth. Dividing the land up amongst themselves, their feuds and squabbles and hatreds reflect on earth amongst the mortals. Thousands of men and women join their deities' armies and navies, their service and sacrifice the ultimate worship.

Lieutenant David Westwynter is a British soldier of Osiris. Having barely escaped with his life from a trap in Petra, Jordan, he knows his only hope is reaching Freegypt, what was once Egypt, ironically the only country in the world the gods haven't laid claim to. Once home to all, none of them want to fight over it, and it is the only independent, non-religious land left.

There David falls in with a beautiful aloof woman called Zafirah and her Liberators, freedom fighters who are part of a larger movement within Freegypt. Their leader is a masked man called the Lightbringer, who turns out to be more than he seems in more than one way.

As the Lightbringer's vision of freedom from the warring gods and a plan to fight back brings unity to Freegypt's people, so Ra, the sun god, seeks to unify his squabbling descendants on the godly plane. With so much history and hatred between them, he despairs of helping them change and forgive, and stop the wars among their human followers on earth. But as with Freegypt, the one person who can unify the gods against a common cause is the Lightbringer, and only David is in any position to speak reason to this revered human seeking to bring a new age to the world - and discover who he truly is.

At its heart, this is a simple story, simply told. The prose was refreshingly unpretentious (I confess, I do expect some pretension from sci-fi), without the superficial need to clutter its sentences with techno-gabble or other made-up words. I loved the ending too, the scene in England, which neatly summed up the "message", if you will, of the story.

Now, I decided not to spoil the first revelation, simply so I could discuss things more openly, but I will say this: the first revelation is very predictable, and you'll guess it early on because it's quite obvious. That's mostly because the story's so neatly laid out, and things that need to be prefaced, are. I don't hold that against it though. In a way, it read like one of those satisfying Hollywood movies, and indeed is structured much the same way, with the exception of the scenes amongst the gods, which added another, intriguing layer.

While David doesn't narrate, his is the only human perspective we get, and the style is noticeably different from how the Lightbringer talks to him in private - it's a nice display of inflection and syntax, showing skill and craftsmanship at work. There's more to Lovegrove than "meets the eye", so to speak. The simplicity of the prose and the neatness of the story work because the author is skilled, but it's like this iMac I'm typing on: the clean, smooth, almost featureless exterior hides a great deal of clockwork inside. (Not literal clockwork - you get me.)

I was intrigued by the premise, and I would have liked to understand how it works more. The gods are very very real, here. But how humans got caught up in obeying their dictates, doing their will, was never quite clear. And the world beyond the wars - that I would have liked to have seen. I guess it's no different than ours, really, aside from the different way countries are aligned.

At the end of the day, The Age of Ra is deceptively simple, and has a gentle yet poignant message about power and religion that is easily heard because it is not preachy or moralising. This isn't a story about religion, or who is right. I won't try to sum it up. I'm still pondering.(less)

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Jun 23, 2012 Nenia Campbell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: x-2009s, x-series-bk-1, chubby-chunksters

the age of ra takes place in an alternate universe where the egyptian pantheon has killed off all the other gods in the world and split up the earth into factions that they control as they see fit. the one place that doesn't fall under their domain is egypt (called 'freegypt'), since they were all born there and decided that it should be considered neutral territory out of respect.

and oh, those egyptian gods. they're even more incestuous and rapey than the greek gods. and whereas the greek panth...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Lianne Burwell rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf, alt-history

This is the first book of a series for which I've already read book two. Unlike most series, this is not a problem, since the books in the series aren't connected by story, world, or characters, but instead by theme. What if a pantheon of gods take control of the world.

Where Age of Zeus went the sf route, this one is a little more fantasy, with the pantheon (Egyptian in this book) being actual gods that have killed off all other gods to seize control of the planet.

But one man has a vision of jus...more

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Aug 10, 2009 Reed rated it 4 of 5 stars

Age of Ra by James Lovegrove is a bit of a mishmash, but in a good way. You have two stories being told in the novel, the main storyline being the tale of David Westwynter, a soldier. He fights for Osiris, the ruling god of Britain.

The novel begins as a relatively standard military sf thriller, but it doesn't stay that way for long. Through a series of events that I will not spoil, David is separated from his military brethren and left to fend on his own, injured and lost in the Middle East. He...more Age of Ra by James Lovegrove is a bit of a mishmash, but in a good way. You have two stories being told in the novel, the main storyline being the tale of David Westwynter, a soldier. He fights for Osiris, the ruling god of Britain.

The novel begins as a relatively standard military sf thriller, but it doesn't stay that way for long. Through a series of events that I will not spoil, David is separated from his military brethren and left to fend on his own, injured and lost in the Middle East. He bounces about from one disaster to another until encountering the Lightbringer, a mysterious almost evangelical leader in Freegypt, a heretical leader that encourages his people to live without the gods.

Earth is controlled by the gods of Egypt, following a centuries long war of all the gods on Earth. The victorious Egyptian pantheon split up the Earth into sections, with each major god controlling a large chunk of the planet. Egypt itself is left alone--honoring the source of their creation.

The novel's second storyline details the doings of Ra, the head of the gods, and his weariness with the continual fighting amongst his family. He seeks to end the familial war, though his family resists. This is a secondary storyline, popping up ever 5 chapters or so, and give the book a nice change of pace. They also give insight into the actions of the countries on earth, as the moods of the fighting gods inspire and control the leaders on earth. The gods, created by us, are spiteful, petty, lazy, vengeful, as well as every other aspect of man. The reader begins to realize that the Earth is in turmoil, because the gods are like spoiled rotten children with immense power, and that power affects the realm of man.

The two tales to weave together in a satisfying way by the end of the novel, as the war on Earth and the war of the gods come to their natural conclusions. Lovegrove is the author of many previous works and it shows. His plotting is rock solid, his characters are well crafted, and his style is controlled and confident. (less)

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Dec 12, 2012 James rated it 3 of 5 stars

Okay, I will not lie about this: the book kept me turning the pages, if only to see what happened. I guessed, and was right, about 75-80% of the events that happened. It wasn't a big shocker because the author kept leaving little bits and pieces about what was going to happen next: Set saying he is what he is, and if you look at the god Set, he's a duplicitous bugger. So him turning out to do all this to his advantage was just normal in my eyes.

This was a decent book, with me needing to read mos...more

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Aug 13, 2012 James rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I read Lovegrove's Age of Zeus, I was an instant convert. His writing is clear, exciting, and fluent, and he has a great understanding of what good sci-fi is supposed to do: use technology to highlight stories about the human condition.
This book had a promising premise: the Egyptian pantheon has defeated the world's other gods, and now reigns supreme across the Earth. Only the region of Freegypt is sacred and untouched by the control of the gods. But a war is brewing...

I have to say, this b...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Matt D rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternative-history, godpunk

I can't even begin to say how much I love this book. I initially came across it at the bookstore and didn't pick it up; while the concept was interesting, the cover art made me wary that it would be a typical war/adventure novel wrapped in a fun concept that would disappoint me. I ended up picking up another book, which I later found out that I already had; I returned to the book store, got a credit, and decided why not, I'd give this a chance.

I'm very glad that I did.

The gods of ancient Egypt h...more I can't even begin to say how much I love this book. I initially came across it at the bookstore and didn't pick it up; while the concept was interesting, the cover art made me wary that it would be a typical war/adventure novel wrapped in a fun concept that would disappoint me. I ended up picking up another book, which I later found out that I already had; I returned to the book store, got a credit, and decided why not, I'd give this a chance.

I'm very glad that I did.

The gods of ancient Egypt have returned to earth, defeated every other pantheon, and asserted themselves as ultimate deities of the world. They assert their will on the hapless mortals below, who must obey their whimsy. There is one place in the world spared their influence, Freegypt; and from Freegypt springs a leader who promises to lead the world out of the influence of the gods. I can't truly say much more without giving away too much of the plot.

I read over some of the other reviews for this book, and I truly can't fathom a few of the complaints. I'm not sure what book they read, but it apparently wasn't this one. It's a well crafted story, blending action, mythos, a bit of mystery, and a tiny splash of romance into one exceptionally entertaining story.

I love the way that the author portrays the gods. Anybody who has studied the pantheons of the ancient world will understand why, when reading this book. Unlike the modern monotheistic faiths, the gods of yesteryear were more human-like, and thus relateable to their believers. They had strengths and weaknesses, personalities, desires, whims, and just about anything that a normal person would have had. Lovegrove does all of this justice when he writes the segments about the gods, truly highlighting the complex relationships that each deity had with one another. I don't know about you, but I like my gods as relatable and understandable, instead of some aloof guy on a cloud somewhere.

What I adore about this book, and I haven't seen anybody else mention so far (though I could just have skimmed over it) is that the author seems to be using this context to bring to light how religion dominates our world just the same way that it does in this one. Replace Horus with Yahweh and Osiris with Allah and you still have the same story of god commanding his followers to go blast the crap out of the followers of a different god. What I think is brilliant about this is that to most readers, the idea of Osiris, Isis, Anubus, Set, etc sending mortals into a never ending war to satisfy their needs to force their worship on the world seems silly and far fetched to most readers, yet if you turn on the news a good chunk of what you'll see in international affairs is Christians killing Muslims, Muslims killing Jews, Jews killing Muslims and so on, so forth. This book seems like a brilliant way of highlighting that no matter what god you follow, it all boils down to the same thing in the end. And, for this, I commend the author greatly.

The only complaint I can fathom to come up with about this book is that I wish he'd gone into more detail on the backstory. He establishes that the Egyptian pantheon overtook the other pantheons, but doesn't really go into how they did it. I feel that could have made this story a whole lot richer. It would, likely, have effectively doubled the length of the book, but I wouldn't have minded reading how each god took influence over a segment of the world, or how they actually defeated the other gods. If there is one thing about the world that we know for sure, people don't give up on their beliefs easily. I'd liked to have seen how the gods made the people switch from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and all of the other faiths to belief in just them.

Even with this minor fault, I highly recommend this book. It was a great read, and I was able to fly through a hundred or more pages in one sitting by how engrossed I was in it.(less)

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Dec 24, 2009 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

I randomly saw this at a bookstore, and decided to get it. I was pleasantly surprised (perhaps because I came in with pretty low expectations). I had been complaining recently that a lot of the more "out there" fiction often had a lot of the same themes - either very sci fi, or very fantasy like. This one seemed to be fairly different, hence the purchase. The overview is that it takes place in present time, but it turns out that all of the gods of every religion (Egyptian, Greek, roman, Christia...more

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Aug 23, 2009 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, fantasy

This turned out to be a pretty good book. At first, it seemed like a typical military sci-fi book, which typically I don't like, but the setting and the plot were both compelling and it turned out to be fairly original. Plus, I stuck with it because other reviews I read said that this was not the typical military sci-fi book.

I originally picked this up because the setting seemed so interesting to me. The book takes place in a world where the Egyptian gods have managed to defeat all the other com...more This turned out to be a pretty good book. At first, it seemed like a typical military sci-fi book, which typically I don't like, but the setting and the plot were both compelling and it turned out to be fairly original. Plus, I stuck with it because other reviews I read said that this was not the typical military sci-fi book.

I originally picked this up because the setting seemed so interesting to me. The book takes place in a world where the Egyptian gods have managed to defeat all the other competing gods from other religions, and now the world is devided up between some of the major Egyptian gods, who rule the people in their jurisdiction, causing the world to be in continual warfare (because the Egyptian gods are not known for getting along). A common theme in the book is the fact that what happens in the heavens is necessarily mirrored on earth--or is it the other way around?

The plot follows a soldier, David, who winds up in the only country of the world, ironically, which is not ruled by one of the gods--Egypt, now called Freegypt. He meets a myseterious man who hides his face who calls himself the Lightbringer and says he has plans to free the world of the gods. David becomes entangled in the proceedings, which turned out to be original and not as predictable as I had guessed they would be.

I thought I had it all figured out 5 chapters into the book--that there would be a big (supposedly) dramatic reveal at the end about the identity of the Lightbringer, and I was pleasantly surprised that the reveal happened much sooner, and that the story turned out to be about much more, much of which kept me guessing until the end.

Some language, probably because the author is British :), and because this is a militaristic novel, as well as some talk about things the gods had done (apparently in Egyptian mythology) that I felt was unnecessary and crude, though the author was probably trying to show that he has read up on his mythological history.

Overall, very good, although definitely not for anyone to whom a militaristic, sci-fi novel centered around Egyptian mythology doesn't sound appealing. If that tweaks your interest, you'll probably enjoy it.(less)

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Dec 21, 2012 Mirrani rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished-and-reviewed

Here's a book that crosses all sorts of lines. The Age of Ra is, as the name suggests, a book that deals with the gods of the Ancient Egyptians, but it is also a book that deals with a contemporary timeline, as the cover image suggests. Just the concept of the ancient gods being worshiped in modern times will be enough of a draw to make many pick up the book and start reading, but this story goes far beyond that. It is an alternate era, where ALL the gods are real and those from Egypt have beate...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting book I enjoyed the concept of the Egyptian Pantheon in charge of the modern world. All the petty fights between Gods controlling world politics. It was better than expected and I overall enjoyed it.

There were a couple graphic scenes that weren't expected nor needed. I didn't care for the language of those scenes anyway. They were particularly crude and distasteful. It was only a page or so but it lent an ickiness to the book that I could have done without.

I enjoyed the book overall...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Andrew rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow. I am impressed with this novel. I picked it up because a later in the "series" caught my eye and I decided to start with this one.

The premise is that the in an alternate universe the gods of Egypt vanquished all the other pantheons, mono-and polytheistic, sometime in the early 20th century and have divided the world amongst themselves. But there are squabbles in the heavens and those are reflected on Earth.

The book is about what happens when a man decides to go against the gods.

This could...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Tanya Augustine rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I was honestly surprised by this book. At first, I thought it was just a pretty cover, with an interesting premise. Egyptian gods ruling the earth, the planet divided up between the deities, a country seeking to spread its ideology of non-belief...it's all a pretty good idea.

And thought-provoking.

Throughout the book, the protagonist follows a bunch of rebels who are trying to defy the gods. I'm not talking riots in the streets or protests; I'm talking about a militia group going out and destro...more I was honestly surprised by this book. At first, I thought it was just a pretty cover, with an interesting premise. Egyptian gods ruling the earth, the planet divided up between the deities, a country seeking to spread its ideology of non-belief...it's all a pretty good idea.

And thought-provoking.

Throughout the book, the protagonist follows a bunch of rebels who are trying to defy the gods. I'm not talking riots in the streets or protests; I'm talking about a militia group going out and destroying temples, and killing people who get in their way. Basically, it's terrorism. Compare it to any terrorist organization you know. Guerilla-style attacks? Check. An invincible leader, who is seen as a god, and whose every word is taken for gospel? Check. People willing to die to spread their way of life, or to change the status quo? Check, and check. It's the non-believers in this book that are the terrorists here, and who are portrayed as the heroes. Did anyone think what they were doing was wrong? Not because they defied the gods...but because they were trying to force their way of life on others? It might have been a worthy cause - trying to rid of the gods - but was invading and attacking countries really the way to do it?

An interesting thing about this is that terrorism is sometimes associated with religious extremism. Here, in Age of Ra however, it's the non-believers who come off as the terrorists. Interesting effect.

There's also another important theme in the book: can humans live without gods? Everyone besides the non-believers don't think that's possible. Serving the gods is completely ingrained into them. Yet, the gods are childish, selfish, lazy, lustful...you know, typical gods. Still, the humans of the world support them, and do their bidding. Still, they rule. Blind faith? Why? Why do humans so need the gods - because they are powerful, or because they crave subjugation? I felt this point could have been explored more. Maybe David could have had more of a religious crisis when joining the rebels, other then just for protecting his brother.

Which brings me to the last point.

Brothers.

In the end of the day, this is what the story's about. Brothers. Family. It was David's competing emotions of affection and irritation that added depth to his character, and made the book more interesting. He was a typical older brother; loving and protective of Steven, but still expecting him to grow up and take responsibility. Steven's obvious adoration, and seeking of approval from his brother made me sympathise with him more, especially at the end. It was their relationship, I felt, that really held the book together. Without the conflicts between the brothers, the book would have just been a war fiction, with awkward lines here and there.
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Nov 27, 2012 Jim rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is a combination of military action & fantasy. Lt. David Westwynter is a British soldier in a world controlled by Ra and the other gods of the Egyptian pantheon. The gods war among themselves, using humans as pawns in their unending conflicts. Westwynter escapes from a battle to "Free Egypt," which is neutral territory, and learns about " the Lightbringer", a mysterious leader who promises to free humanity from the control of the gods.
A well-written action-packed story,it was a f...more

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Aug 18, 2009 Andrew rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: myth geeks

Recommended to Andrew by: FBC

Shelves: action-adventure, fantasy, neof

I admit blame - I got this book from the title, not the cover (well that too) but mostly from the word RA

I am a sucker for mythologies being used in a book, thus this book recieves a good rating just for that

This book does for Egyptian myth, what Norse code did for norse myth, it makes it more awsome

The story focuses on two plot lines, that of James, a soldier in the british army, and RA the leader of the egyptian gods

Oh and by the way Egyptian gods took over evrything a hundred years ago, abd s...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Brian Steele rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, dark-fantasy, scifi, alt-history

I really wanted to love this book. Everything about it made me think that I should love it, but... I just didn't it. It wasn't "bad," per say, just "not great." It opens on a military mission, but given that this universe is so drastically different from our own, it took quite a while for me to figure out exactly what was going on. Even then, things were never explained too terribly well.

The characters had a certain "larger-than-life" quality to them that you find in comic books sometimes. That...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Eirian Phillips rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I picked up The Age of Ra it appealed to me because of the blending of ancient Egyptian mythology with modern concepts. It falls into the genre, I suppose, of 'Alternate History' novels, and as such does so in a very effective way. They gods of Egypt have defeated the gods of all other pantheons, and now are the only spiritual power governing the Earth, and govern they do - including war between the various nations, who each worship a different member of the ancient Egyptian 'first family.'...more

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Dec 22, 2010 Kendra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: z-added-in-dec-2010, sci-fi-fantasy, z-read-in-dec-2010

I have to say I was seriously impressed with the book. It was a bit slow and much confusing to start, but when I stopped worrying about feeling like I was missing something, it rolled in to a rather interesting story line.

Alternate time, the Eqyptian Pantheon has taken control of the world and divided it up. A few non-believers of Freegypt attempt to overthrow the Egyptian Gods. Various twists and turns. The book starts with the reader and the story smack in the middle of the new order, and doe...more

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May 21, 2009 Liviu rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009_release_read, genre-sf, read_2009, t1_recommended_2009, series_dropped

Age of Ra turned out to be very good, much better than what I expected based on the blurb which is so misleading, true but way misleading...

Because Age of Ra is not exactly mil-sf - it definitely has armies, an officer as main character but much, much more: mythology, "Englishness", philosophy, very good prose

Mr. Lovegrove is one of the best writers out there as style and he could write literary stuff easily and maybe that's why his genre novels are quirky and not that well known

Excellent novel...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Guillaume Jay rated it 3 of 5 stars

Après que les Dieux égyptiens aient vaincus tous les autres panthéons, ils se sont divisés le monde entre eux. Horus règne sur le continent nord américain, Isis et Orisis gouvernent l’Europe, Set l'Asie, Netphtys l’Afrique, Anubis s'est établi au Japon, et ainsi de suite... Comme c'est une famille éminemment dysfonctionnelle (et c'est un euphémisme), il règne une guerre constante, mais limitée entre ces différents blocs. David Westwynter, officier des forces spéciales de sa majesté pharaonique e...more

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About James Lovegrove

James Lovegrove is the author of several acclaimed novels and books for children.

James was born on Christmas Eve 1965 and, having dabbled in writing at school, first took to it seriously while at university. A short story of his won a college competition. The prize was £15, and it had cost £18 to get the story professionally typed. This taught him a hard but necessary lesson in the harsh economic...more

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Quotes from The Age of Ra

“I will endure until the stars wink out & the very last trace of heat ebbs from the cosmos & there is nothing but eternal icy nothingness” — 3 people liked it

“Hierarchy and discipline gave shape to the world;that was what he had always believed.Life was made easy by adherence toa rigid structure.But maybe that only really worked when you were at the top of the ladder,when you were doing well.The further down the rungs you went,the more of a victim of circumstances you became and the less it mattered whether or not you were in control.” — 1 person liked it

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The Age of Ra (Pantheon series #1)

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