Orphan of the Sun

by Gill Harvey

Thirteen-year-old orphan Meryt-Re lives with her aunt's family in the ancient Egyptian village of Set Maat, home of the pharaohs' tomb builders. When her uncle pressurises her to marry a dull stonecutter, she resists, and begs for guidance from the gods - but she's unable to decipher the message behind her vivid dreams. Then her cousin falls gravely ill, and Meryt's uncle, believing her to have turned the gods against him, banishes her from his house. Other strange and suspicious activities are going on in the village, and there is unrest among the tomb workers. But it is not until she meets the village wise woman that Meryt can begin to unravel the meaning of her dreams and solve the mysteries surrounding her. A romantic and pacy thriller that brings ancient Egypt to life.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Egypt, Young Adult, Mystery, Middle Grade

310 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Helena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I took one look at all the gold on this book and knew i had to read it. Sadly, the writing inside wasn't nearly as good as the outward appearance suggests. Very, very dull. I'm surprised it got published as there isn't much of a story (at least one worth reading) and i felt very much the same ending it as i did when i started. If this book was a rollercoaster, it'd be like a Sunday drive.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mystery set against a backdrop of the daily life of ancient Egypt, this is definitely middle school fare.

[Aruyu · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plotting at the beginning of the story kinda long, which I feel bored.
I find the book start to became interesting after half of the book, which is when Meryt-Re was officially chased out from her uncle's house.

The story is about accepting your true self as a whole, as the "God" will lead your path. When meryt accept her ability and facing her fear and problem, everything started to go smooth.

The biggest turning point in the story might be the person that Ramose actually love is Meryt father LMAO, it was so funny

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a teenager and it had such a great impact on me. I lived Merry-Re and seeing her navigate life in ancient Egypt. Learning about her daily life/chores and the ancient Egyptian was amazing and I truly felt immersed in Meryt-Res world. To this day I can *feel* this book and Meryt-Res life, even though I do not remember all of the storylines anymore. I love this book and I’ll definitely read it again

[Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant read but not challenging. Needs acceptance of the possibility of a child with the power of foresight through dreams.

[Ezza Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never knew what living was like in a small village for the Ancient Egyptians. The book open a new perspective for me. However it was too repetitive and slow, hence the 2 stars.

[Flint Lockwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Orphan of the Sun by Gill Harvey takes place under the sweltering sun in the civilization of Ancient Egypt. It is a historical fiction book with a mix of adventure and mystery. This is a book about Meryt-Re, a girl who had been asked to marry by Senmut. She really has no interest in marrying him and has her eyes on someone else. Meryt-Re has lived with her uncle’s family ever since her parents died when she was young. When her step-brother, Baki, becomes ill she is blamed and released from the household. She goes to stay with someone who helps her discover her powers. Meryt-Re uses these powers to solve a mystery and restore order in her town.

I’m not quite sure what I thought about this book. My dream job is to study Egyptian history so you can see why I would pick this book. I defiantly felt like it was more informative than story-like. I learned a lot of new things about the daily life of the Egyptians that I never knew before. It informed me of rituals, gods, culture, and everyday life of ancient Egypt. It was very interesting for me, but I’m not sure I would read a book like this about a topic I don’t enjoy.

It would’ve been better if Gill Harvey used more of the context the Egyptians would’ve used. I felt he was very modern when he put the words in the character’s mouth. For example Baki says on page 101, “I’ll soon make it my business to know where you go.” There wasn’t necessarily ‘business’…but I’m just picky. The author wrote like this so he could relate with a younger audience.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Egypt, but not someone who is looking for a really exciting thriller.

[Daisy Honeywell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not finish to read this book and, if you follow my reviews, you'll notice that this happens quite a lot. I love to read good books, well written and with strong main characters! I tried with Orphan of the Sun. Maybe Meryt could have been a nice character but the story was not intriguing for me. The book is set in Egypt and this is fascinating, but it talks too much about God and Goddesses. Everyone in Meryt's village think she is evil and that can predict death, so people are scared. I think that the book could have been A LOT better if it only focused on the forced married that Meryt should have. But talking too much about Gods the story takes another road, a road of "Fantasy" and I was not interested about it.
This is an easy to read book.I tried to read it at the beach and I almost falled a sleep. I was like okay, maybe this doesn't interest me.
I don't suggest it too much, I only suggest it to Young Readers that want to discover more about Egypt, that are fascinated about Gods and Goddesses and that are ready to take an adventure. ( But I have not read the part dedicated to the adventure, so I can not tell if this is well written and well thought or not).

[Phoebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This atmospheric and detail-packed novel is refreshing, since there are few historical fiction books set during this time period. Meryt, an orphan, is suffered to live with her aunt and uncle, and when a good marriage offer comes forth for her, she is pressured by her uncle to accept. Their small village exists because of the nearby building works for the Pharaoh's tomb; the whole village is employed by the project. Superstition and reverence for the gods guide daily life, and Meryt, with her rumored ability to foresee death, is already looked upon with some trepidation. When her cousin Baki undergoes the ritual for manhood and then becomes gravely ill, Meryt's uncle kicks her out, on suspicion that she is somehow responsible. Meryt takes refuge with the village wise-woman, or rekhet, and learns more of her own unusual powers. She will use them to save the village from a corrupt plot. Well written and researched with fascinating details and an appealing main character. Junior high, up.

[Riya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for a book club at my school and to be honest, didn't really enter it with high expectations. Historical fiction has never been my thing so I wasn't surprised when the Ancient Egyptian setting failed to interest me. Along with that, though, I wasn't interested in the characters; to me they felt wooden and boring. Meryt-Re is a thirteen year old girl and although she would have been considered of marriageable age in the past, she seems to act as if she is far more knowledgeable than the adults in the village. She has no respect for the family that took her in and frequently disappears with no regard for them. Her relationships with her friends Kenna and Dedi are under-developed and I feel like the author could have made so much more of it. The concept of her dreams was interesting, but again, it felt like it had a lot of wasted potential. I found that Meryt's story was more about the lives of her fellow villagers rather than herself and I would have liked to have known more about the protagonist of this book.

[Kell · Rating 4 out of 5]

*REVIEWED FOR PUBLISHER*

Meryt-Re is a very likeable character and it’s very easy to identify with the troubling times she faces. Being solely dependent on the good will of her uncle, she struggles to stay in his good graces in a time when superstition is rife, especially as she has a rather troubling gift is one she would prefer not to have and this has made him wary of his niece. This makes for an interesting study in family dynamics; an excellent backdrop against which the mystery unfolds as Meryt-Re uses her unusual abilities to determine the truth in some disturbing events in her life.

The historical aspect of this novel is intriguing in itself and the rich world of ancient Egypt has new life breathed into it through Gill Harvey’s writing and the sights and sounds of ancient Egyptian are vividly drawn, so that the reader really feels a part of that era.

This book is a treasure not to be missed!

[A.M. Kuska · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could have been better. I grabbed this book at random from my library, and checked it out because it has a great cover and the egyptian theme sounded interesting. The writing just didn't hold up.

The plot line is good. The mystery is complete all the way to the end, but I felt the characters were stiff and stilted. Meryt spent all her time escaping from various houses, only to want to be let back in.

[SEMI PRECIOUS JADE · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good! it was well set out and it really showed each characters individuality. I learnt some things in this book too. It was a great read and it showed how life was back in that time really well. At first I thought it might be boring and that I was going to take ages to finish but I ended up finishing it sooner than i thought.

[Isana Skeete · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice story. It's not the most sophisticated but it's cute. Meryt is a nice character. It's interesting to read about her taking on such adult problems like marriage and children because that was how the culture was. The light magical aspect was also nice and all-in-all it was nice to read something historical based not set in Europe.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It not only gave a good mystery but it taught me a lot about ancient Egypt. The only part I didn't like was the facts about the punishments they had in ancient Egypt. It was true, but sad.

[Brenda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing. Being a lover of all things pertaining to Egyptology, this was a very boring book. I did however read it to the end as a precursor to falling asleep which is why it took ages to get through.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really awsome book!

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for school. It had some good parts but not my faveorite book ever.

[hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It's a great book if you want to learn a little about egypt and have an adventure at the same time!

[Knautika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good. I didn't think I would liked it but I enjoyed it. Though the ending wasn't what I expected. I would really reccomend this book.

[Noshin Choudhury · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read this a while back but i have a thing for ancient egypt so its very much stuck in my memory as an amazing read i enjoyed.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anything having to do with ancient Egypt. So, I might not be the most unbiased source.

[Afeefa Namreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great book...
I learned something really important,that bad days are not forever...
There is light at every end of the tunnel...
If you want rainbow,you have to deal with rain

[Linda Amos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it. A fun YA read.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty close to a 4, though just not quite. Reminded me a lot of Pauline Gedge's work, as well as Christian Jacq's.