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The Valley of the Kings
It was a time of religious and political upheaval--the heretic Pharaoh Akhenten's religious reforms had been defeated by the power of the Priests of Amun, and the young boy King, Tutankhamun, had been placed on the throne. There was a famine in the land, and ongoing deadly intrigue in the Court as different factions maneuvered to gain control of Egypt. It ended in the mysterious death of the young king, and his hasty, secret burial.
Nearly thirty-five hundred years later, in the 1920s, a young British archaeologist named Howard Carter becomes obsessed with finding Tutankamun's tomb. But he must struggle with more than the secretive nature of the ancient Egyptians--his world cannot go on without the approval of the modern Egyptian bureaucracy or without continued financial support from the British peer who is looking for treasure more than knowledge.
Nearly thirty-five hundred years later, in the 1920s, a young British archaeologist named Howard Carter becomes obsessed with finding Tutankamun's tomb. But he must struggle with more than the secretive nature of the ancient Egyptians--his world cannot go on without the approval of the modern Egyptian bureaucracy or without continued financial support from the British peer who is looking for treasure more than knowledge.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
29 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
About the author
Cecelia Holland
82 books211 followersPen name used by Elizabeth Eliot Carter.
Cecelia Holland is one of the world's most highly acclaimed and respected historical novelists, ranked by many alongside other giants in that field such as Mary Renault and Larry McMurtry. Over the span of her thirty year career, she's written almost thirty historical novels, including The Firedrake, Rakessy, Two Ravens, Ghost on the Steppe, Death of Attila, Hammer For Princes, The King's Road, Pillar of the Sky, The Lords of Vaumartin, Pacific Street, Sea Beggars, The Earl, The King in Winter, The Belt of Gold, The Serpent Dreamer, The High City, Kings of the North, and a series of fantasy novels, including The Soul Thief, The Witches Kitchen, The Serpent Dreamer, and Varanger. She also wrote the well-known science fiction novel Floating Worlds, which was nominated for a Locus Award in 1975. Her most recent book is a new fantasy novel, Dragon Heart.
Cecelia Holland is one of the world's most highly acclaimed and respected historical novelists, ranked by many alongside other giants in that field such as Mary Renault and Larry McMurtry. Over the span of her thirty year career, she's written almost thirty historical novels, including The Firedrake, Rakessy, Two Ravens, Ghost on the Steppe, Death of Attila, Hammer For Princes, The King's Road, Pillar of the Sky, The Lords of Vaumartin, Pacific Street, Sea Beggars, The Earl, The King in Winter, The Belt of Gold, The Serpent Dreamer, The High City, Kings of the North, and a series of fantasy novels, including The Soul Thief, The Witches Kitchen, The Serpent Dreamer, and Varanger. She also wrote the well-known science fiction novel Floating Worlds, which was nominated for a Locus Award in 1975. Her most recent book is a new fantasy novel, Dragon Heart.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 5, 2019
So this basically two novellas. The first, about Carter finding Tut's tomb, is pretty good. It also includes the conflict between Egyptians and those who would steal their heritage.
The second part, set in Tut's time, is really not good. In part, this is because of the change in knowledge about the time period from when the book was first written, but also in part because the plotting is basically a mess there.
The second part, set in Tut's time, is really not good. In part, this is because of the change in knowledge about the time period from when the book was first written, but also in part because the plotting is basically a mess there.
July 22, 2018
Well, that was different. Two stories in one book, with the first about Howard Carter and the second about King Tut and a whole large cast of characters with him. The first part was ok, the second part was a mess. Full review to come.
Originally posted at Small Review
This was such a bizarre book. The first half follows Howard Carter in the years leading up to and through his discovery of King Tut's tomb. This part is ok, and considering its short length I felt it was time well enough spent. Put this in context, though: I'd just come off the high of reading The Visitors and I was desperate to read more about this subject. Had that not been the case, I don't think I would have been very impressed. As it was, the two stars come from this section of the book, and they are a generous two stars.
The second half of the book abruptly throws the reader back in time. We entirely abandon Howard Carter, never to return to his story. Instead, the rest of the book is an incredibly fictionalized and sensationalized account of King Tut's reign. This section is oddly sexual, filled with murder, and, while mildly entertaining due to its sheer absurdity, was largely off putting. I only finished this because it was so short and, honestly, it evoked a morbid curiosity in me to see what in the world the author was going to write next.
Originally posted at Small Review
This was such a bizarre book. The first half follows Howard Carter in the years leading up to and through his discovery of King Tut's tomb. This part is ok, and considering its short length I felt it was time well enough spent. Put this in context, though: I'd just come off the high of reading The Visitors and I was desperate to read more about this subject. Had that not been the case, I don't think I would have been very impressed. As it was, the two stars come from this section of the book, and they are a generous two stars.
The second half of the book abruptly throws the reader back in time. We entirely abandon Howard Carter, never to return to his story. Instead, the rest of the book is an incredibly fictionalized and sensationalized account of King Tut's reign. This section is oddly sexual, filled with murder, and, while mildly entertaining due to its sheer absurdity, was largely off putting. I only finished this because it was so short and, honestly, it evoked a morbid curiosity in me to see what in the world the author was going to write next.
May 6, 2013
While the author's representation of Howard Carter's dig and portrayal of ancient Egypt is solid, the story is simply a mess. The plot for both sections starts strong, but falls apart and limps to a disappointing finish, especially for the Egyptian section.
January 17, 2021
Holland is basically one of my favourite writers of all time. I have had this book on my shelves forever, but only read it now. Ancient Egypt is not my favourite period, but the exhibition of Tut's tomb in the mid-70s was a moment from my childhood. I didn't see the exhibit(my Mum hated lines), but all of a sudden, everything everywhere was Tut-related.
This is two novellas (and would have been better packaged as such), both equally strong. The first is Carter's first-person perspective of the finding of the tomb. The second is about the events leading to the construction of the tomb during the 18th dynasty, and it solves/explains some of the archaeological problems of the first novella (which is interesting). In this section, the character Sennahet is also searching for a tomb, and it's useful and illuminating to line him and Carter up in your head. Sennahet is a bit out-of-his-time, while the character Hapure is a brilliant imagination of what it might have felt like to be an Egyptian and believe and live this religious world in which the pharoah's were gods who controlled on whom the existence and well-being of the world depended.
This is two novellas (and would have been better packaged as such), both equally strong. The first is Carter's first-person perspective of the finding of the tomb. The second is about the events leading to the construction of the tomb during the 18th dynasty, and it solves/explains some of the archaeological problems of the first novella (which is interesting). In this section, the character Sennahet is also searching for a tomb, and it's useful and illuminating to line him and Carter up in your head. Sennahet is a bit out-of-his-time, while the character Hapure is a brilliant imagination of what it might have felt like to be an Egyptian and believe and live this religious world in which the pharoah's were gods who controlled on whom the existence and well-being of the world depended.
May 24, 2018
Because I’m obsessed with ancient Egypt, I spotted this title on Amazon. The author has written an impressive 21 previous titles. I expected an overview historical fiction story, with a plot probably centered on a missing codex, or a newly discovered ancient manuscript. But, what I got was a detailed look at how Howard Carter and how he discovered Tut. Not paper characters amidst the backdrop of the 1920s-30s, no, the author puts the reader in the first person, to allow us the rare opportunity to view the dig through the eyes of Carter himself. This is a daring move, on the author’s part: everything Carter sees or does must be attributable to him, historically. The factual approach, like the road not taken, gives us clues: what does an archeologist do when faced with a treasure buried in the sand? How did Carnarvon really die? These and a stockpile of eyebrow raisers are here, nicely contained in this true story, handed to historical fiction. And, after all the author’s experience, we are in good, solid hands!
November 21, 2024
This is actually two novelettes grafted together: the first deals with Howard Carter's discovery of the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, and the second set in ancient Egypt at the time of King Tut. Cecelia Holland's Valley of the Kings: A Novel of Tutankhamun is another of the author's excellent historical novels of which I have read some ten titles to date -- all with great enjoyment.
I liked the first story about Howard Carter's difficulties in locating the tomb while faced with numerous problems regarding funding, following the terms of his archeological license, and dealing with modern-day tomb robbers.
I liked the first story about Howard Carter's difficulties in locating the tomb while faced with numerous problems regarding funding, following the terms of his archeological license, and dealing with modern-day tomb robbers.
February 11, 2020
So I'm not exactly sure what to think of this book. From a literary criticism point of view, the author's themes of imperfection of humanity, even the beautiful ones we dig up in the desert, is interesting, as is the theme of greed that runs through the book. But the pacing was off, as one other reviewer suggested, and its take on humanity is just a little too pessimistic for me. I also didn't quite see the connection between the first half and the second half, other than the aforementioned idea that what might seem beautiful in a tomb wasn't run real life and that in the first half, the main character is searching for King Tut, but in the second the lives of all the characters are affected by King Tut. I just kind of expected more interweaving of the stories.
June 16, 2017
This is really two novellas related only in that they both deal with King Tut. The first is recounting of the partnership between Howard Carter and Lord Carnavon and the discovery of Tut's tomb. The second is a historical novel set in the Egypt of Tut's day and concerns his palace intrigues, death, and burial. I found the modern part more interesting and compelling.
June 22, 2022
interesting premise
Without giving away spoilers, I will say I really enjoyed the premise of this book… especially how the author tied in the first and second half. However, honestly, I just was either sad or disgusted by the vast majority of the characters… not the fault of the author… just the fault of flawed, unlikable humans existing throughout history
Without giving away spoilers, I will say I really enjoyed the premise of this book… especially how the author tied in the first and second half. However, honestly, I just was either sad or disgusted by the vast majority of the characters… not the fault of the author… just the fault of flawed, unlikable humans existing throughout history
August 19, 2018
Disappointing
There are actually two distinct stories under one title. Neither of them comes to an actual end. It was as if the author didn't know what to do from that point so it was an abrupt ending.
There are actually two distinct stories under one title. Neither of them comes to an actual end. It was as if the author didn't know what to do from that point so it was an abrupt ending.
September 19, 2020
As archeologist Howard Carter and his patron Lord Carnarvon seach for Tutankhamon's tomb in early 20th century Egypt, 3500 years earlier the Dowager Queen Nefertiti, her daughter Ankesenpaamon, and the Pharaoh Tutankhamon vie for royal power.
July 11, 2025
I read this as a kid. The ancient Egyptian era setting had awful characters, I was not impressed and do t subscribe for one second king tut any of the people close to king Tut were like these awful characters
June 21, 2021
The legend of Tutankhamun is beautifully explored in this novel.
January 5, 2023
Thoroughly enjoyed this book re the finding of Tutankhamun's tomb by Howard Carter.
December 5, 2017
Plot: 5 (both sections suffer from pacing problems)
Characters: 3 (distinct yet thoroughly unlikable)
Accuracy: 8 (generally accurate with somewhat extreme viewpoints)
A very odd book. It’s essentially two novels in one. One tells the story of Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb. The other tells the story of Tutankhamen’s brief rule and burial. Connected obviously, but narratively they are completely separate. And the split is complete as well. Halfway though, once Carter has found the tomb, his story ends. Then begins the unconnected Ancient Egypt story.
Carter is not very sympathetic. The man comes off as an obsessive, someone who's driven to complete his goal but capable of not much else. Carter basically spends all his time manipulating people to get what he wants. He’s good at it, but he doesn’t seem capable of any connection beyond that. Essentially he's a sociopath. He uses people rather than establishing relationships with them, and his personal life is entirely empty. He also tends to stick with his first impression, regardless of whether that jives with reality or not.
The second story was more interesting to me because it was intent on recapturing life in the truly foreign land of Ancient Egypt. The problem is that we all know how it’s going to end, and the characters are all self-obsessed and unpleasant. Particularly the boy king, who thinks himself a god and is obsessed with maintaining his purity to the point where he doesn’t even like to speak lest it diminish his divinity. His niece/wife Ankhsanamen seems better at first, but she ends up being as spoiled and shortsighted as him. I’d love to have seen Holland write an entire novel in this setting because she expresses it very well, but this half-novel didn’t warm my heart.
Holland has stated how a chance encounter with the current Lord Carnarvon led to the writing of this book, and I have to wonder which of these stories did he inspire? Was this supposed to be a novel of Tutankhamen with Carter discovering the tomb grown out of it, or was it about Carter and the ancient Egyptian elements were the afterthought? Either way, this would have been better split off into independent novels or novellas.
Characters: 3 (distinct yet thoroughly unlikable)
Accuracy: 8 (generally accurate with somewhat extreme viewpoints)
A very odd book. It’s essentially two novels in one. One tells the story of Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb. The other tells the story of Tutankhamen’s brief rule and burial. Connected obviously, but narratively they are completely separate. And the split is complete as well. Halfway though, once Carter has found the tomb, his story ends. Then begins the unconnected Ancient Egypt story.
Carter is not very sympathetic. The man comes off as an obsessive, someone who's driven to complete his goal but capable of not much else. Carter basically spends all his time manipulating people to get what he wants. He’s good at it, but he doesn’t seem capable of any connection beyond that. Essentially he's a sociopath. He uses people rather than establishing relationships with them, and his personal life is entirely empty. He also tends to stick with his first impression, regardless of whether that jives with reality or not.
The second story was more interesting to me because it was intent on recapturing life in the truly foreign land of Ancient Egypt. The problem is that we all know how it’s going to end, and the characters are all self-obsessed and unpleasant. Particularly the boy king, who thinks himself a god and is obsessed with maintaining his purity to the point where he doesn’t even like to speak lest it diminish his divinity. His niece/wife Ankhsanamen seems better at first, but she ends up being as spoiled and shortsighted as him. I’d love to have seen Holland write an entire novel in this setting because she expresses it very well, but this half-novel didn’t warm my heart.
Holland has stated how a chance encounter with the current Lord Carnarvon led to the writing of this book, and I have to wonder which of these stories did he inspire? Was this supposed to be a novel of Tutankhamen with Carter discovering the tomb grown out of it, or was it about Carter and the ancient Egyptian elements were the afterthought? Either way, this would have been better split off into independent novels or novellas.
July 8, 2011
This book was split into two halves: the first is the modern discovery of the tomb on Tutankhamen by Howard Carter, and the second half goes to ancient Egypt, to Tutankhamen's final year. The Carter story ended abruptly, and the second part bears no resemblance to actual history (as presented and documented on wikipedia). Even allowing for a scrundle of discoveries and scientific advancement from 1977 to today, the book wasn't very accurate.
There was one concept that I found useful and likely true. In the first half of the book, the archaeologist Carter has developed an attraction to his noble sponsor's daughter (in real life, a pretty nauseating span of time separates them. He'd have been nearly 50 by the time she was 20). As they talk about the find of Tutankhamun's tomb, Evelyn says, "It seems to me that the only reality about any time in history is the sort that never leaves a trace. I mean the way people felt about their lives."
Carter responds, "The trained mind can infer something of people's attitudes from the evidence. . .we piece together this idea and that one -"
Evelyn interrupts: "The trained mind interprets. In the end one can interpret only by reference to one's own experience. It's a circle, isn't it? You may look into the past, but it's only a mirror, it can show you only yourself."
It's this last idea that I found interesting. I think that there is a great element of truth in that. In any book, in any work, the nature and character of the creator are revealed. Holland's portrayal of murder and betrayal -which are now demonstrated to be inaccurate, and even in the time that Tut was discovered, murder theories proposed included a blow to the head, not poisoning- reveals more about the author than Tutankhamen or Carter.
There was one concept that I found useful and likely true. In the first half of the book, the archaeologist Carter has developed an attraction to his noble sponsor's daughter (in real life, a pretty nauseating span of time separates them. He'd have been nearly 50 by the time she was 20). As they talk about the find of Tutankhamun's tomb, Evelyn says, "It seems to me that the only reality about any time in history is the sort that never leaves a trace. I mean the way people felt about their lives."
Carter responds, "The trained mind can infer something of people's attitudes from the evidence. . .we piece together this idea and that one -"
Evelyn interrupts: "The trained mind interprets. In the end one can interpret only by reference to one's own experience. It's a circle, isn't it? You may look into the past, but it's only a mirror, it can show you only yourself."
It's this last idea that I found interesting. I think that there is a great element of truth in that. In any book, in any work, the nature and character of the creator are revealed. Holland's portrayal of murder and betrayal -which are now demonstrated to be inaccurate, and even in the time that Tut was discovered, murder theories proposed included a blow to the head, not poisoning- reveals more about the author than Tutankhamen or Carter.
April 21, 2013
I liked this book for the two different story lines and the description of Egypt during two different time periods, but not necessarily for historical accuracy. This book was written in two halves. The first half is the story of archaeologist Howard Carter's search for the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings. The second half is Cecelia Holland's version of what kind of a person King Tutankhamun might have been and how he may have died. What ties the two halves together is how King Tut came to be in that particular tomb and Howard Carter's chance discovery of it. Both halves did have somewhat of an abrupt ending, especially the half dealing with Howard Carter.
April 28, 2022
2.5 Stars
I'm going straight up the middle for the rating as this is one book with two different stories. The first part tells of how Howard Carter and the Earl of Carnarvon became partners and the discovery of the Boy King's tomb. This part I enjoyed. Holland managed to portray Carter as a much more interesting fellow than I believe he truly was in real life.
But then we go back to Ancient Egypt and the goings-on around the living King Tut. All these characters were unappealing. Yep, even Tut was doofus. If I had to recommend this book I would advise the reader to stick with the first 50% and then just end it. The Ancient Egypt part really pulls the book down.
I'm going straight up the middle for the rating as this is one book with two different stories. The first part tells of how Howard Carter and the Earl of Carnarvon became partners and the discovery of the Boy King's tomb. This part I enjoyed. Holland managed to portray Carter as a much more interesting fellow than I believe he truly was in real life.
But then we go back to Ancient Egypt and the goings-on around the living King Tut. All these characters were unappealing. Yep, even Tut was doofus. If I had to recommend this book I would advise the reader to stick with the first 50% and then just end it. The Ancient Egypt part really pulls the book down.
August 3, 2011
It's probably because I'm biased, but I really hated this book. I had been looking for fiction based on Tutankhamen’s life, so the first half of the book annoyed me as it was about Howard Carter (had enough of that with Sleeper in the Sands, thank you very much). The second half was what I was looking for, but I didn't take to her presentation of him. He may well have been a spoiled brat, but I prefer to live out the romanticised idea of him I had when I was a child - that of a decent boy who tried to restore order as much as he could with his own limited power.
July 18, 2008
Great fun. The first half is Howard Carter's search for King Tut's tomb. The second half is in Egyptian time with Tut, his wife,and mother. This book really makes the reader wonder what we actually know about life in Egyptian times!
August 28, 2011
Novelization of Howard Carter's discovery of King Tut's tomb and speculation about Tut's death.
April 24, 2017
my lovely country <3
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews