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La Reine Liberté #1
The Empire of Darkness
Por intermédio da história veridica e emocionante de Ahotep, a Joana d'Arc egípcia, Christian Jacq nos apresenta um Egito fabuloso, prestes a desaparecer, mas que renasce das cinzas, liderado pela coragem e pela paixão dessa jovem mulher. Sem a rainha Ahotep, o Vale dos Reis não teria existido, o Egito não teria conhecido o período de esplendor do Novo Império...nem seus mais gloriosos faraós, como Ramsés, o Grande.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
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About the author
Christian Jacq
227 books945 followersAlso writes under the names Célestin Valois, J.B. Livingstone, and Christopher Carter.
Christian Jacq is a French author and Egyptologist. He has written several novels about ancient Egypt, notably a five book suite about pharaoh Ramses II, a character whom Jacq admires greatly.
Jacq's interest in Egyptology began when he was thirteen, and read History of Ancient Egyptian Civilization by Jacques Pirenne. This inspired him to write his first novel. He first visited Egypt when he was seventeen, went on to study Egyptology and archaeology at the Sorbonne, and is now one of the world's leading Egyptologists.
By the time he was eighteen, he had written eight books. His first commercially successful book was Champollion the Egyptian, published in 1987. As of 2004 he has written over fifty books, including several non-fiction books on the subject of Egyptology.
He and his wife later founded the Ramses Institute, which is dedicated to creating a photographic description of Egypt for the preservation of endangered archaeological sites.
Between 1995-1997, he published his best selling five book suite Ramsès, which is today published in over twenty-five countries. Each volume encompasses one aspect of Ramesses' known historical life, woven into a fictional tapestry of the ancient world for an epic tale of love, life and deceit.
Jacq's series describes a vision of the life of the pharaoh: he has two vile power-hungry siblings, Shanaar, his decadent older brother, and Dolora, his corrupted older sister who married his teacher. In his marital life, he first has Isetnofret (Iset) as a mistress (second Great Wife), meets his true love Nefertari (first Great Wife) and after their death, gets married to Maetnefrure in his old age. Jacq gives Ramesses only three biological children: Kha'emweset, Meritamen (she being the only child of Nefertari, the two others being from Iset) and Merneptah. The other "children" are only young officials trained for government and who are nicknamed "sons of the pharaoh".
Christian Jacq is a French author and Egyptologist. He has written several novels about ancient Egypt, notably a five book suite about pharaoh Ramses II, a character whom Jacq admires greatly.
Jacq's interest in Egyptology began when he was thirteen, and read History of Ancient Egyptian Civilization by Jacques Pirenne. This inspired him to write his first novel. He first visited Egypt when he was seventeen, went on to study Egyptology and archaeology at the Sorbonne, and is now one of the world's leading Egyptologists.
By the time he was eighteen, he had written eight books. His first commercially successful book was Champollion the Egyptian, published in 1987. As of 2004 he has written over fifty books, including several non-fiction books on the subject of Egyptology.
He and his wife later founded the Ramses Institute, which is dedicated to creating a photographic description of Egypt for the preservation of endangered archaeological sites.
Between 1995-1997, he published his best selling five book suite Ramsès, which is today published in over twenty-five countries. Each volume encompasses one aspect of Ramesses' known historical life, woven into a fictional tapestry of the ancient world for an epic tale of love, life and deceit.
Jacq's series describes a vision of the life of the pharaoh: he has two vile power-hungry siblings, Shanaar, his decadent older brother, and Dolora, his corrupted older sister who married his teacher. In his marital life, he first has Isetnofret (Iset) as a mistress (second Great Wife), meets his true love Nefertari (first Great Wife) and after their death, gets married to Maetnefrure in his old age. Jacq gives Ramesses only three biological children: Kha'emweset, Meritamen (she being the only child of Nefertari, the two others being from Iset) and Merneptah. The other "children" are only young officials trained for government and who are nicknamed "sons of the pharaoh".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
February 24, 2011
It was nice to see this period of Egyptian history being tackled as there are very few historical novels set in this period, but that was just about the only good thing about the entire book.
Extremely poor, I hardly know where to begin. This book suffers from the twin demons of exceptionally poor writing and almost total historical inaccuracy. In regards to historical inaccuracy, there are several points. Ahhotep was not the sole child of Teti, but did in fact have two sisters. The idea that the descendant of pharaohs would have married a peasant, furthermore is completely ridiculous and utterly preposterous, not to mention factually entirely wrong - Seqenenra was in fact Ahhotep's brother, and they had a sibling marriage that was quite common in ancient Egypt. Ahhotep also had at least two daughters, of which Jacq makes absolutely no mention. Thebes is also portrayed as an isolated, crumbling city, ridiculously poorly guarded, an island of freedom against Hyksos Egypt. In fact this is completely untrue. The Hyksos controlled all of Egypt including the Theban nome, which was the thriving centre of the south, and whose governors were descended from pharaohs and eventually raised rebellion. I could go on.
The vast historical inaccuracy is matched only by the appalling quality of writing. Description and explanation is extremely poor. It got hugely annoying every time Ahhotep wanted to take a risk, every other character would always tell her that it was impossible and that her whole campaign was doomed to failure, and then she would always do it anyway, and always survive unscathed. It was just the same situation and conversations rehashed over and over and over again. It seems like virtually everyone is a corrupt/traitor/spy/Hyksos sympathiser, which certainly was not the case. Apophis and the ruling regime are cartoon stereotype evil villains, which Jacq painfully hams up so much that they become grotesque, wince-inducing caricatures. Over and over again Jacq interjects scenes of Apophis and his minions engaging in some sort of horrific/unfeeling/depraved/perverse form of blood-letting and/or sexual activity. As if we the readers need to be reminded every five minutes that Apophis and the Hyksos are meant to be pure evil.
As if this all weren't enough, all remaining scraps of plausibility and believability were totally destroyed when the characters started using MAGIC. Yes, that's right. In a book that purports to be a historical fiction, closely based on factual events with the gaps filled in by the author's vision of what might have plausibly happened... the book descends into utter fantasy, totally jarring the reader out of the story and the most ridiculous thing I have ever read. Statues of gods start moving and shooting out light, staffs and jugs start displaying powers of good and evil... I'm fine with the appearance of magic in fantasy, or divine powers in myth, but in historical fiction it has no place, where events should at least remain realistic even if certain scenes are conjecture. This is not historical fiction, it's historical fantasy.
I would give this book zero stars if I could. If you want to read it, please take it out from the library before deciding whether or not you want to spend money on it.
Extremely poor, I hardly know where to begin. This book suffers from the twin demons of exceptionally poor writing and almost total historical inaccuracy. In regards to historical inaccuracy, there are several points. Ahhotep was not the sole child of Teti, but did in fact have two sisters. The idea that the descendant of pharaohs would have married a peasant, furthermore is completely ridiculous and utterly preposterous, not to mention factually entirely wrong - Seqenenra was in fact Ahhotep's brother, and they had a sibling marriage that was quite common in ancient Egypt. Ahhotep also had at least two daughters, of which Jacq makes absolutely no mention. Thebes is also portrayed as an isolated, crumbling city, ridiculously poorly guarded, an island of freedom against Hyksos Egypt. In fact this is completely untrue. The Hyksos controlled all of Egypt including the Theban nome, which was the thriving centre of the south, and whose governors were descended from pharaohs and eventually raised rebellion. I could go on.
The vast historical inaccuracy is matched only by the appalling quality of writing. Description and explanation is extremely poor. It got hugely annoying every time Ahhotep wanted to take a risk, every other character would always tell her that it was impossible and that her whole campaign was doomed to failure, and then she would always do it anyway, and always survive unscathed. It was just the same situation and conversations rehashed over and over and over again. It seems like virtually everyone is a corrupt/traitor/spy/Hyksos sympathiser, which certainly was not the case. Apophis and the ruling regime are cartoon stereotype evil villains, which Jacq painfully hams up so much that they become grotesque, wince-inducing caricatures. Over and over again Jacq interjects scenes of Apophis and his minions engaging in some sort of horrific/unfeeling/depraved/perverse form of blood-letting and/or sexual activity. As if we the readers need to be reminded every five minutes that Apophis and the Hyksos are meant to be pure evil.
As if this all weren't enough, all remaining scraps of plausibility and believability were totally destroyed when the characters started using MAGIC. Yes, that's right. In a book that purports to be a historical fiction, closely based on factual events with the gaps filled in by the author's vision of what might have plausibly happened... the book descends into utter fantasy, totally jarring the reader out of the story and the most ridiculous thing I have ever read. Statues of gods start moving and shooting out light, staffs and jugs start displaying powers of good and evil... I'm fine with the appearance of magic in fantasy, or divine powers in myth, but in historical fiction it has no place, where events should at least remain realistic even if certain scenes are conjecture. This is not historical fiction, it's historical fantasy.
I would give this book zero stars if I could. If you want to read it, please take it out from the library before deciding whether or not you want to spend money on it.
February 14, 2021
It's a rare thing that I don't read reviews of the book after finishing it. Because I loved the book when I first read it a few years ago and I still do today and I didn't want to compromise that by seeing the faults of the book, not this time. I love the strong female characters in this and the historical setting, but I'm not sure if it's accurate but it's very engaging and entertaining. One of my top books of all time.
December 6, 2020
Primer libro que leo de Jacq y no ha estado mal, es algo introductorio, pero es ameno, se deja leer. Seguiré con la serie.
April 26, 2016
There are things I really like about this book and things I really do not like. Let’s get the “not like” category out of the way:
Jacq acknowledges ancient Egyptian terms for items and places in his book, but he does not use them in the text. He introduces us to the fact that Thebes was called Waset before the story begins, but then he uses Thebes in his narrative. He says the ancient Egyptians thought of crocodiles as fish as a starred notation during the narrative, but then he uses the term ‘reptile’ when the character is describing it. I was a little disappointed that he modernized the terms for the reader. It did not feel as authentic as it could have been.
Jacq also seems to use terms unknown to an Egyptian of that time period. He relates that someone died of a blood clot. He talks about the evil being a cancer. Both of these conditions were unknown to the ancient society. He uses wonderful illusions in other places, so I was confused why he mixed in so many other modern terms.
Depth of emotion, character, and action sequences in the book is lacking. When Ahhotep is revitalized by the sun, it just kind of happens. One minute she’s on death’s door, and the next she is vibrant and healthy. She said it was Apophis who was causing the disease, but this was never fleshed out on his side. I could see how his “magic” would cause him to attempt to reach out to harm the princess, but this was never truly explored. It was a great idea, but it was just told to the reader without much explanation.
Along the lines of the above topic, the characters are not very fleshed out. They just kind of are. Not a lot of backstory is given to each character including the princess and why she is so fiercely devoted to free her lands. She’s grown up her whole lives under the boot of the Hyksos, so I would have liked a little more background on her character before being thrust into the rebellion. Seqen, too, I would have liked a little more on him observing and loving the princess from afar. I cannot say it’s a deterrent to the storyline as it flowed rather well, I just would have liked more! Their is little character empathy or even understandable reason for their actions
Things I really liked:
Some of Jacq’s illusions are lovely to read! The ancient world is beautiful through his character’s eyes.
Jacq includes some excellent facts in his story which really enliven the characters and their lives: i.e., details about their beliefs and rituals regarding their gods, how to make bread, the use of weights in the markets, etc.
The crafting of the rebellion is done very carefully. There were many sub-plots within the overall plotline, and the execution of the plot was excellent. There are lots of things that I would not have considered in preparing for a rebellion. It surprised me when I was done that the book covered approximately 15 years. While there was not a lot of action, it was still a very compelling story that kept you intrigued.
I can understand why Jacq used characteristics to name certain characters (Moustache, Mouse Face, etc.) because the Egyptian names can be quite confusing. There are lots of characters at play too, so I think this decision made sense. I never got confused by the amount of characters and their independent pieces of the story.
Jacq is very good at spinning a tale through time. The pace was very good. While it would have been nice to include the year in the chapters, it did not deter from the plot. He has the talent and knowledge to bring the ancient world to life. The ending was powerful. I can’t wait to dive into book two. I think it took me a bit of time to get into Jacq’s writing style, but I did really enjoy the book. My criticisms are not huge enough gripes to make me not want to pick up another of his books, just some things I noticed as an Ancient Egyptian buff myself. Its great to see this period of Egyptian history being tackled as there are very few historical novels set in this period. To bring this princess to life does a service to highlight the roles of women in history. Nefertiti seems a bit of a mouse compared to this lioness queen! Ahhotep was a name I never knew before this book. Her life was a “bit” idealized in the story, I realize, (Ahhotep had two sisters, Seqen was Ahhotep's brother, Ahhotep had at least two daughters), but what an intriguing story it made. To be honest, the entire novel is screenplay in its effort and depth. But as I have a theater background, perhaps that is why I enjoyed it as much as I did!
Jacq acknowledges ancient Egyptian terms for items and places in his book, but he does not use them in the text. He introduces us to the fact that Thebes was called Waset before the story begins, but then he uses Thebes in his narrative. He says the ancient Egyptians thought of crocodiles as fish as a starred notation during the narrative, but then he uses the term ‘reptile’ when the character is describing it. I was a little disappointed that he modernized the terms for the reader. It did not feel as authentic as it could have been.
Jacq also seems to use terms unknown to an Egyptian of that time period. He relates that someone died of a blood clot. He talks about the evil being a cancer. Both of these conditions were unknown to the ancient society. He uses wonderful illusions in other places, so I was confused why he mixed in so many other modern terms.
Depth of emotion, character, and action sequences in the book is lacking. When Ahhotep is revitalized by the sun, it just kind of happens. One minute she’s on death’s door, and the next she is vibrant and healthy. She said it was Apophis who was causing the disease, but this was never fleshed out on his side. I could see how his “magic” would cause him to attempt to reach out to harm the princess, but this was never truly explored. It was a great idea, but it was just told to the reader without much explanation.
Along the lines of the above topic, the characters are not very fleshed out. They just kind of are. Not a lot of backstory is given to each character including the princess and why she is so fiercely devoted to free her lands. She’s grown up her whole lives under the boot of the Hyksos, so I would have liked a little more background on her character before being thrust into the rebellion. Seqen, too, I would have liked a little more on him observing and loving the princess from afar. I cannot say it’s a deterrent to the storyline as it flowed rather well, I just would have liked more! Their is little character empathy or even understandable reason for their actions
Things I really liked:
Some of Jacq’s illusions are lovely to read! The ancient world is beautiful through his character’s eyes.
Jacq includes some excellent facts in his story which really enliven the characters and their lives: i.e., details about their beliefs and rituals regarding their gods, how to make bread, the use of weights in the markets, etc.
The crafting of the rebellion is done very carefully. There were many sub-plots within the overall plotline, and the execution of the plot was excellent. There are lots of things that I would not have considered in preparing for a rebellion. It surprised me when I was done that the book covered approximately 15 years. While there was not a lot of action, it was still a very compelling story that kept you intrigued.
I can understand why Jacq used characteristics to name certain characters (Moustache, Mouse Face, etc.) because the Egyptian names can be quite confusing. There are lots of characters at play too, so I think this decision made sense. I never got confused by the amount of characters and their independent pieces of the story.
Jacq is very good at spinning a tale through time. The pace was very good. While it would have been nice to include the year in the chapters, it did not deter from the plot. He has the talent and knowledge to bring the ancient world to life. The ending was powerful. I can’t wait to dive into book two. I think it took me a bit of time to get into Jacq’s writing style, but I did really enjoy the book. My criticisms are not huge enough gripes to make me not want to pick up another of his books, just some things I noticed as an Ancient Egyptian buff myself. Its great to see this period of Egyptian history being tackled as there are very few historical novels set in this period. To bring this princess to life does a service to highlight the roles of women in history. Nefertiti seems a bit of a mouse compared to this lioness queen! Ahhotep was a name I never knew before this book. Her life was a “bit” idealized in the story, I realize, (Ahhotep had two sisters, Seqen was Ahhotep's brother, Ahhotep had at least two daughters), but what an intriguing story it made. To be honest, the entire novel is screenplay in its effort and depth. But as I have a theater background, perhaps that is why I enjoyed it as much as I did!
October 28, 2024
Primera parte de una trilogía ambientada en el Egipto ocupado por los hicsos. En esta primera parte se prepara la resistencia. Me ha enganchado desde el principio. A ver qué tal las dos partes que faltan.
January 5, 2025
J'ai été ravie de lire l'histoire d'Ahotep, cette reine égyptienne qui a construit et guidé la résistance face aux envahisseurs de l'époque, les Hyksos. Dans le récit, on ne s'attarde pas tellement sur les personnages, c'est plutôt l'enchaînement des évènements qui m'a fait continuer la lecture.
May 22, 2018
Historical fiction set in Hyksos Egypt - excellent. And Christian Jacq wrote it - even better.
Unfortunately, the enthusiasm I had at the thought of reading this book did not last much past the first 70 pages. It then became a chore to finish as the errors and cliches built.
The rituals and religious beliefs are interesting but then Jacq introduces glowing eyes, moving limbs and Ahhotep's "magical" healing by the sun. Wait, when did it become a historical fantasy novel? Then there was the superstitions and fear of the 'monsters' in the desert to keep spies away from the soldiers camp while the soldiers - from the same towns and villages - were unafraid.
Historically, a general or a high-ranking minister could marry a Pharaoh's daughter and take over the dynasty or form a new one. General Horemheb marrying the daughter of Pharaoh Ay who was King Tut's advisor and eventual successor, for example. It was unreasonable for a daughter of Pharaoh to marry a lowly commoner, a peasant, even a soldier of low rank. Take as a lover, possibly. A husband and father of her children, unlikely.
Overall, there were too many characters that were a cliche. Apophis as well his supporters were barbaric, cruel, deprived and focused on crushing the Eqyptian culture and people as harshly and in as brutally a manner as possible. Thankfully, Jacq didn't go in much gory detail.
The Theban royal family were all positive - concerned for their people, friendly, clever. On the other hand, the heroine, Ahhotep, doesn't heed anyone but herself and she rushes off to perform whatever action she deems necessary without any consequences.
Many characters - mostly the rebels - had descriptive names like Mustache; Plump Cheeks, Afghan which helped keep them clear in the readers mind because there was no other way to keep who was a rebel and who was a collaborator straight. Especially since both masqueraded as the other.
There are two more books in the series and I just can't find the interest to continue. It is rare that I read a book and once I get to the end, I want my hours back. But this is certainly one case.
Unfortunately, the enthusiasm I had at the thought of reading this book did not last much past the first 70 pages. It then became a chore to finish as the errors and cliches built.
The rituals and religious beliefs are interesting but then Jacq introduces glowing eyes, moving limbs and Ahhotep's "magical" healing by the sun. Wait, when did it become a historical fantasy novel? Then there was the superstitions and fear of the 'monsters' in the desert to keep spies away from the soldiers camp while the soldiers - from the same towns and villages - were unafraid.
Historically, a general or a high-ranking minister could marry a Pharaoh's daughter and take over the dynasty or form a new one. General Horemheb marrying the daughter of Pharaoh Ay who was King Tut's advisor and eventual successor, for example. It was unreasonable for a daughter of Pharaoh to marry a lowly commoner, a peasant, even a soldier of low rank. Take as a lover, possibly. A husband and father of her children, unlikely.
Overall, there were too many characters that were a cliche. Apophis as well his supporters were barbaric, cruel, deprived and focused on crushing the Eqyptian culture and people as harshly and in as brutally a manner as possible. Thankfully, Jacq didn't go in much gory detail.
The Theban royal family were all positive - concerned for their people, friendly, clever. On the other hand, the heroine, Ahhotep, doesn't heed anyone but herself and she rushes off to perform whatever action she deems necessary without any consequences.
Many characters - mostly the rebels - had descriptive names like Mustache; Plump Cheeks, Afghan which helped keep them clear in the readers mind because there was no other way to keep who was a rebel and who was a collaborator straight. Especially since both masqueraded as the other.
There are two more books in the series and I just can't find the interest to continue. It is rare that I read a book and once I get to the end, I want my hours back. But this is certainly one case.
June 19, 2019
My co-worker recommended this book based on the fact that I love to read, and I enjoy historical fiction. Well, at least this was somewhat historical in that it takes place in ancient Egypt, and there was a Ahhotep. The rest is definitely creative license and not all that accurate at all. I won't get into the historical inaccuracies, but would like to mention that while this book is historical, I would definitely label it as historical fantasy. This book lost all credibility as soon as the characters started using magic. Do not get me wrong; I really did enjoy this book despite my background with Egyptian history.
This was an entertaining story and I felt myself drawn into it from the very first chapter. The world building was extremely sparse, and if you are not familiar with that country's landscaping, then you may be at a loss of visualization. The characters are very two dimensional as well, and no matter what they do, no matter how many people tell Ahhotep that she should not do something, you can guarantee that she will do it anyways. The ease in which she accomplishes her goals in her youth despite warning of all the dangers involved is almost laughable. Do not even get me started on the strange names such as Long Ears (donkey), Mustache (because, well, he has a mustache), and Afghan (because he is from, you guessed it, Afghanistan).
While some parts of this book made me cross my eyes, I am looking forward to continuing the series and see what happens to Ahhotep and her family and how the author takes on the rest of her journey and that of her people.
This was an entertaining story and I felt myself drawn into it from the very first chapter. The world building was extremely sparse, and if you are not familiar with that country's landscaping, then you may be at a loss of visualization. The characters are very two dimensional as well, and no matter what they do, no matter how many people tell Ahhotep that she should not do something, you can guarantee that she will do it anyways. The ease in which she accomplishes her goals in her youth despite warning of all the dangers involved is almost laughable. Do not even get me started on the strange names such as Long Ears (donkey), Mustache (because, well, he has a mustache), and Afghan (because he is from, you guessed it, Afghanistan).
While some parts of this book made me cross my eyes, I am looking forward to continuing the series and see what happens to Ahhotep and her family and how the author takes on the rest of her journey and that of her people.
January 3, 2017
Bola som na strednej skole, ked to u nas vychadzalo a bola to dlho moja najoblubenejsia seria od Jacqa a obecne historicka romanova seria, ktoru som citala.
Pribeh o prechodnom obdobi, ked Egyptu panovali Hyksosi a kralovska egyptska dcera chcela prinavratit lesk svojmu domu...
Inak je to typicke Jacqovo dielo, jeho romany maju vzdy podobnu schemu. Niekolko vernych priatelov, niekolko tazkych nepriatelov, veci medzi nebom a zemou, jeden "prekvapivy" zradca spomedzi vernych a nasledne vitazstvo za cenu istych strat. Ale v spojeni s magiou Egypta a jacqovym zaujmom o vec sa z toho stava nadherny zazitok.
Ahotep bola dlhe roky mojou hrdinkou :-)
Pribeh o prechodnom obdobi, ked Egyptu panovali Hyksosi a kralovska egyptska dcera chcela prinavratit lesk svojmu domu...
Inak je to typicke Jacqovo dielo, jeho romany maju vzdy podobnu schemu. Niekolko vernych priatelov, niekolko tazkych nepriatelov, veci medzi nebom a zemou, jeden "prekvapivy" zradca spomedzi vernych a nasledne vitazstvo za cenu istych strat. Ale v spojeni s magiou Egypta a jacqovym zaujmom o vec sa z toho stava nadherny zazitok.
Ahotep bola dlhe roky mojou hrdinkou :-)
February 26, 2017
C'etait telement bien !
Tout d'abord l'objet livre est exellent. Des pages douces, une mise en page aerienne.
J'aime l'egypte et je suis bien servie avec ce livre ! Des personnages attachant, une histoire bien mené.
On a pas l'impression de s'encrouter, il y a un bon tempo et une periode de temp assez grande et agreable. Tout n'arrive pas en 1 mois, ça change.
Le contexte est génial, il etait telement bien a lire !
Tout d'abord l'objet livre est exellent. Des pages douces, une mise en page aerienne.
J'aime l'egypte et je suis bien servie avec ce livre ! Des personnages attachant, une histoire bien mené.
On a pas l'impression de s'encrouter, il y a un bon tempo et une periode de temp assez grande et agreable. Tout n'arrive pas en 1 mois, ça change.
Le contexte est génial, il etait telement bien a lire !
September 7, 2019
I enjoyed the history and how the author has made the little knowledge we have of the 17th Century BC into a novel. I did however find the story a little slow and predictable.
I likely will read the next book in the series for the historical content.
I likely will read the next book in the series for the historical content.
January 2, 2020
I first read this book when it came out, I was barely 10 years old at the time. I was obsessed with reading and Egyptology so I borrowed it from my mom and I basically grew up with this series.
I grew up with Ahhotep and she left a very lasting memory in my pre-teen brain which caused me to want to re read the series at the ripe old age of 27.
Despite its flaws regarding historical accuracy, which I can only imagine are voluntary given Jacq’s background, it remains a good story. I found the style rather heavy-handed at times but I am happy that I chose to re-read the whole series to kick off 2020 the right way. It’s a book I would advise to someone who likes Egypt and who likes stories over style.
I grew up with Ahhotep and she left a very lasting memory in my pre-teen brain which caused me to want to re read the series at the ripe old age of 27.
Despite its flaws regarding historical accuracy, which I can only imagine are voluntary given Jacq’s background, it remains a good story. I found the style rather heavy-handed at times but I am happy that I chose to re-read the whole series to kick off 2020 the right way. It’s a book I would advise to someone who likes Egypt and who likes stories over style.
January 20, 2022
The first book in a trilogy carries a heavy load.
Empire of Darkness is a fantastic fictional account of the Hyksos invasion and occupation of Egypt. There is plenty of familiar historical references throughout that give you the context and curiosity to see how things play out.
The pace of the story is constant with contextual references and character set ups explored along the way with little or no back tracking. The heroes, the villains and the many contributing characters grow on you as the tale is told.
With twists and reveals so brilliantly weaved in, Christian Jacques has you binge reading to see what happens next.
Empire of Darkness is a fantastic fictional account of the Hyksos invasion and occupation of Egypt. There is plenty of familiar historical references throughout that give you the context and curiosity to see how things play out.
The pace of the story is constant with contextual references and character set ups explored along the way with little or no back tracking. The heroes, the villains and the many contributing characters grow on you as the tale is told.
With twists and reveals so brilliantly weaved in, Christian Jacques has you binge reading to see what happens next.
April 6, 2025
J'adore Christian Jacq pour sa capacité à faire vivre l'Égypte ancienne dans ses livres.
Mais celui-ci...on se croirait dans la transposition écrite d'un film disney, avec les gentils très gentils et heroiques et les méchants très méchants et bêtes. Je suis aussi gênée par les touches de magie apportées au récit car le style est tellement historiographique que ces fantaisies jurent avec le reste.
Enfin, le pire défaut du livre : les ellipses. Tout est elliptique, on passe d'un lieu à un autre en un paragraphe. C'est très confus et presque brouillon.
Je ne lirai pas les autres de la trilogie, malgré mon amour pour cet auteur.
Mais celui-ci...on se croirait dans la transposition écrite d'un film disney, avec les gentils très gentils et heroiques et les méchants très méchants et bêtes. Je suis aussi gênée par les touches de magie apportées au récit car le style est tellement historiographique que ces fantaisies jurent avec le reste.
Enfin, le pire défaut du livre : les ellipses. Tout est elliptique, on passe d'un lieu à un autre en un paragraphe. C'est très confus et presque brouillon.
Je ne lirai pas les autres de la trilogie, malgré mon amour pour cet auteur.
March 27, 2023
I loved this book and looking forward to the rest of the series. I've learnt more about Egypt and the Egyptian history. The author seems to be able to put me in that time and place and I can see the characters clearly and the roles they played. Whenever I look at the world now and the cruelty etc that exists in society now it is no different than 17th century. More shame on us . I am looking forward to reading the next in the series.
February 28, 2024
Primer libro de la trilogía "La reina Libertad" y primera vez que leo al autor; buenas sensaciones aunque estando catalogado como novela histórica, esperaba más documentación sobre los hechos y no que dejase muchos sucesos al libre albedrío de los dioses
Nos vamos al año 1690 a.c. los hicsos son dueños y señores del imperio egipcio, unos bárbaros a los que solo les falta hacerse con la ciudad de Tebas, allí la princesa Ahotep hija del último faraón, comenzará a sembrar el espíritu de lucha por la ansiada libertad
"Sin la reina Ahotep, el Valle de los Reyes nunca habría existido, Egipto no hubiera conocido el período de esplendor del Imperio Nuevo ni a los más gloriosos de sus faraones, entre ellos Ramsés el Grande."
Nos vamos al año 1690 a.c. los hicsos son dueños y señores del imperio egipcio, unos bárbaros a los que solo les falta hacerse con la ciudad de Tebas, allí la princesa Ahotep hija del último faraón, comenzará a sembrar el espíritu de lucha por la ansiada libertad
"Sin la reina Ahotep, el Valle de los Reyes nunca habría existido, Egipto no hubiera conocido el período de esplendor del Imperio Nuevo ni a los más gloriosos de sus faraones, entre ellos Ramsés el Grande."
April 2, 2022
This was a fast, enjoyable read-the story quickly moved around with several years going by without affecting the flow of the book, the strong, female character 0f Queen Ahhotep was great to see. I wasn't as impressed with the cliched characters of the Hyksos. It felt Naziesque. However, I will be reading the second book in the series.
January 28, 2023
Nuova serie egizia di Jacq. La storia, ambientata durante l'attacco Hyksos, vede l'Egitto tremare di fronte all'invasore. Molto bello, e la storia tra i protagonisti è a sua volta molto carina, ma sviluppata un po’ rapidamente all'inizio e per questo sembra poco credibile e poco "sentita" dal lettore.
January 2, 2021
Written as though by a preteen. Spoiled by unbelievable “ magic” and plagues caused by spells.
March 26, 2021
3.5 stars
Read
August 20, 2021Very good read
November 4, 2021
Posee una gran exactitud histórica, pero en algunas ocasiones la trama se desarrolla de forma lenta.
September 29, 2022
wonderful story telling.
July 18, 2025
Muy interesante y se nota que domina la materia
January 26, 2022
Cuando comencé este libro, esperaba encontrar una historia de fantasía épica ambientada en el Antiguo Egipto, pero terminé encontrando un documental. Creo que el autor no logró desprenderse de su papel de egiptólogo ya que todo se enfoca en los hechos históricos y casi nada en los personajes. Pensé en abandonar este libro más veces de las que quisiera admitir, pero siempre quise darle el beneficio de la duda... y fue una decepción.
No creo continuar la saga.
No creo continuar la saga.
July 14, 2018
I have confessed before that I love reading historical fiction about Ancient Egypt. I’m certain that repeated viewing of The Ten Commandments starring a ripped Charleton Heston and a buff Yul Brenner are the cause of this fascination. I am drawn to these types of novels over and over again and years ago I encountered The Stone of Light series by Christian Jacq. He wove wonderful stories and I actively started seeking out his novels about Ancient Egypt which are difficult to find because they are in translation.
I acquired by first copy of The Empire of Darkness years ago and recall falling in love with the story. I was determined to finish the series, but it took some time to find the other two books in the series. Once I had The War of Crowns and The Flaming Sword the set languished on my shelves. In the past, I have been reluctant to re-read and I knew in order to get through books two and three, I would need a refresher by re-reading book 1.
In July, I found out that Fantasy is More Fun and Because Reading were hosting a “Can You Read a Series in a Month?” Challenge and I thought that The Queen of Freedom Trilogy would be the perfect candidate for the Challenge. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
What is hard about reading books in translation is that it is hard to determine if the weakness you observe in the novel were in the original text or a due to poor translation to English or due, in this case, to a part of history where little is known about the cast of characters.
The entire time I read The Empire of Darkness I felt as though I was just skimming the surface. The characters were one-dimensional caricatures. The tropes in this novel are strong.
I did make it through book 1 and in an effort to try and participate in the challenge, I dived right into book 2, The War of Crowns. I didn’t even make it through 50 pages before I started to suspect that perhaps this book was subject to a poor translation instead of being just poorly written in its native language.
You see in book one, Sequen (the poor boy) has a faithful pet sidekick, his donkey Long Ears. (Yeah, I know the characters are not well named. One of the rebels known solely as Mustache because well, he has a mustache.). And then on page 12 of The War of the Crowns, the donkey’s name is Way-Finder. There were also some plot elements that didn’t seem to quite match up between book one two. As a result, I dropped book 2 like a hot potato and marked it and book 3 as abandoned on GoodReads.
I honestly have no clue what I saw in The Empire of Darkness all those years ago. I can only assume that I have grown in my reading since this initial read through and expect a bit more from my picks than I did in the past.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews
I acquired by first copy of The Empire of Darkness years ago and recall falling in love with the story. I was determined to finish the series, but it took some time to find the other two books in the series. Once I had The War of Crowns and The Flaming Sword the set languished on my shelves. In the past, I have been reluctant to re-read and I knew in order to get through books two and three, I would need a refresher by re-reading book 1.
In July, I found out that Fantasy is More Fun and Because Reading were hosting a “Can You Read a Series in a Month?” Challenge and I thought that The Queen of Freedom Trilogy would be the perfect candidate for the Challenge. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
What is hard about reading books in translation is that it is hard to determine if the weakness you observe in the novel were in the original text or a due to poor translation to English or due, in this case, to a part of history where little is known about the cast of characters.
The entire time I read The Empire of Darkness I felt as though I was just skimming the surface. The characters were one-dimensional caricatures. The tropes in this novel are strong.
I did make it through book 1 and in an effort to try and participate in the challenge, I dived right into book 2, The War of Crowns. I didn’t even make it through 50 pages before I started to suspect that perhaps this book was subject to a poor translation instead of being just poorly written in its native language.
You see in book one, Sequen (the poor boy) has a faithful pet sidekick, his donkey Long Ears. (Yeah, I know the characters are not well named. One of the rebels known solely as Mustache because well, he has a mustache.). And then on page 12 of The War of the Crowns, the donkey’s name is Way-Finder. There were also some plot elements that didn’t seem to quite match up between book one two. As a result, I dropped book 2 like a hot potato and marked it and book 3 as abandoned on GoodReads.
I honestly have no clue what I saw in The Empire of Darkness all those years ago. I can only assume that I have grown in my reading since this initial read through and expect a bit more from my picks than I did in the past.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews
January 13, 2017
Egypt is controlled by the Hyksos, who have turned Egyptians into their slaves. Only Ahhotep, her husband Seqen and a few trusted comrades in the city of Thebes are willing to stand against the Hyksos and fight for Egypt's freedom. But the Hyksos are everywhere, will their plight be successful?
I admit I have a soft spot for ancient Egypt. The culture, the beliefs, I find it incredibly fascinating, so I was looking forward to reading a story that was based on real people and real events. The book had three main points of view, that of the Hyksos, that of Ahhotep and her loyal followers, and that of the rebel gang. The story itself, that was proposed by the synopsis, was a really interesting one and had so much potentially...
Unfortunately, the best way to describe this book is that it was written like a dry, boring textbook. It was matter of fact, there was no eloquence, nothing to get the reader excited. Such potential, and just wasted by terrible writing. One thing that didn't gel for me was the use of magic. When that popped up I was a bit like "huh?" because I was reading this like a historical story, based on actual fact, and I didn't think actual fact included magic. I understand that perhaps certain events may have played out a particular way to make the characters believe magic happened, but when we're talking a staff with glowing eyes, or a rod growing hot and burning someone's hand, it didn't quite sit right. That could have entirely been because of the way the book was written, like a textbook. If it had been more eloquent and exciting then magic may well have fit right in.
This book is the first book in a series called Queen of Freedom. Honestly, as much as I don't like leaving things unfinished, I don't think I will continue this series.
Read more on my blog.
I admit I have a soft spot for ancient Egypt. The culture, the beliefs, I find it incredibly fascinating, so I was looking forward to reading a story that was based on real people and real events. The book had three main points of view, that of the Hyksos, that of Ahhotep and her loyal followers, and that of the rebel gang. The story itself, that was proposed by the synopsis, was a really interesting one and had so much potentially...
Unfortunately, the best way to describe this book is that it was written like a dry, boring textbook. It was matter of fact, there was no eloquence, nothing to get the reader excited. Such potential, and just wasted by terrible writing. One thing that didn't gel for me was the use of magic. When that popped up I was a bit like "huh?" because I was reading this like a historical story, based on actual fact, and I didn't think actual fact included magic. I understand that perhaps certain events may have played out a particular way to make the characters believe magic happened, but when we're talking a staff with glowing eyes, or a rod growing hot and burning someone's hand, it didn't quite sit right. That could have entirely been because of the way the book was written, like a textbook. If it had been more eloquent and exciting then magic may well have fit right in.
This book is the first book in a series called Queen of Freedom. Honestly, as much as I don't like leaving things unfinished, I don't think I will continue this series.
Read more on my blog.
August 5, 2016
This was an odd book. I thought it was going to be historical fiction for adults, but it was really a YA fantasy/romance with a veneer of historical fiction.
Written by "an Egyptologist" and described as a fictionalized account of an actual Egyptian princess, I expected just that. I was looking forward to learning about this princess and about ancient Egyptian culture. I think the author delivered some of that. But every now and then, something was mixed in that was fantasy rather than fictionalized history or extrapolation. Magic weapons. A magic vase with things that glowed based on distant events and people. People somehow knowing (or knowing how to do) things they shouldn't have. Pigeons that could deliver messages between cities without apparently having been to one of the cities before.
Could have done without quite so many comments (they were vague, not specific, thankfully) about the princess's beauty and amazing body or the semi-lascivious allusions to physical and sexual abuse of teen (and sometimes younger?) sex slaves - those are particularly creepy when about teens and coming from an adult male writer.
Wasn't thrilled. Maybe if I'd been a teen and hadn't expected actual historical fiction, I might have enjoyed it more.
PS - start date is approximate - I don't remember exactly which day it was.
Written by "an Egyptologist" and described as a fictionalized account of an actual Egyptian princess, I expected just that. I was looking forward to learning about this princess and about ancient Egyptian culture. I think the author delivered some of that. But every now and then, something was mixed in that was fantasy rather than fictionalized history or extrapolation. Magic weapons. A magic vase with things that glowed based on distant events and people. People somehow knowing (or knowing how to do) things they shouldn't have. Pigeons that could deliver messages between cities without apparently having been to one of the cities before.
Could have done without quite so many comments (they were vague, not specific, thankfully) about the princess's beauty and amazing body or the semi-lascivious allusions to physical and sexual abuse of teen (and sometimes younger?) sex slaves - those are particularly creepy when about teens and coming from an adult male writer.
Wasn't thrilled. Maybe if I'd been a teen and hadn't expected actual historical fiction, I might have enjoyed it more.
PS - start date is approximate - I don't remember exactly which day it was.
February 15, 2013
This book is about the time when Egypt was invaded by the Hyksos who reigned for nearly two hundred years before the Egyptians rose up again, regained their power and greatness. During this time, Princes Ahhotep decided to rescue her people. This is the story of their secret efforts to defeat the Hyksos. This book is the first of a series of the Queen Of Freedom trilogy.
However Wilbur Smith writes of the same era and I found his titles far more exciting and adventurous than this book. I have not finished Mr. smith's series but I would rather read his than this series which was to me very boring and devoid of much excitement. Certainly the romance in here was very light, did end HEF and left me disappointed.
If you wish to read of how Egypt defeated the Hyksos regained her power and created her great civilization, I highly recommend Wilbur Smith's titles!
However Wilbur Smith writes of the same era and I found his titles far more exciting and adventurous than this book. I have not finished Mr. smith's series but I would rather read his than this series which was to me very boring and devoid of much excitement. Certainly the romance in here was very light, did end HEF and left me disappointed.
If you wish to read of how Egypt defeated the Hyksos regained her power and created her great civilization, I highly recommend Wilbur Smith's titles!
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