It was Christian Jacq who introduced me to historical fiction, mostly I employed a 'just the facts, marm' approach. Yet here was an Egyptologist plucking sequences off the walls of tombs and spinning out a tale that would make these characters come to life for us moderns. Fantastic concept.

However since then we have others who do the same job so much better. A soft spot I retain, yet in the light of honest feedback I cannot recommend The Stone of Light series.

Opening: Around midnight, in the light of the full moon, nine craftsmen left the Place of Truth and began to climb up a narrow path, guided by their overseer.



Summer 2013 Egyptian Encounters:

Cleopatra (1963)
3* The Mummy Curse
2* Alexandria: The Last Nights of Cleopatra
4* The Complete Valley of the Kings
1* Ancient Egypt by George Rawlinson
4* Tutankhamen: Life and death of a Pharoah
2* The Luxor Museum
3* Tutankhamen's Treasure
3* The Black Pharaoh\
3* Nubian Twilight.../ complimentary reading!
CR River God
4* House of Eternity
The Egyptian (1954)
Agora (2009)
TR Justine
Death on the Nile (1978)
2* The Stone of Lightafr-egypt cults-societies-brotherhoods paper-read ...more10 s moi, k.y.a.1,911 360

Böyle kitaplar bana yaram?yor ama okumaktan da kendimi alam?yorum. :(
Çocuklu?umun en büyük hayallerinden biri arkeolog olup M?s?r'a gitmek, o kumtepelerinin aras?nda yükselen ve s?rlar? yüzy?llard?r ke?fedilememi? olan piramitleri gezmek, ke?fetmekti. Elbette zaman geçti, hayaller yön de?i?tirdi ancak M?s?r'a gitme hayalim hiç de?i?medi. Bir gün tüm piramitleri gezmek umuduyla diyorum ve kitaba geçiyorum.

I. Seti zaman?nda firavunlar?n, Krallar Vadisi'ndeki ebedi istirahatgâhlar?n? haz?rlamak üzere bir lonca kurulmu?tur. Piramitlerin yap?m?, süslenmesi ba?ta olmak üzere tüm görevleri üstlenmi? bu loncan?n üyeleri herkese kapal? bir köyde ya?amakta, d??ar?dan kimseyi içeri almamaktad?r.

Toplumun bir kesmi taraf?ndan yük olarak gördü?ü bu köyün ortadan kalmas?n? isteyenler ile tanr?çalar?n ça?r?s?n? duyup köye girmeye çal??anlar?n aras?nda geçen; yeniden kurgulanm?? bir kitap.
Basit, okunmas? kolay olmas?na ra?men pek bir derinli?i yok ne yaz?k ki. Ha, bu okumama engel mi? Elbette hay?r.

Yer yer abart? unsurlar?n?n bulundu?u seride ölen II. Ramses'in yerine tahta ç?kan Merneptah'?n bu köye kar?? tavr? ne olaca?? belirsiz.
Babas? köye her ?eyiyle kalkan olurken yeni firavun bir kesmin iste?ine kar??l?k verecek mi yoksa babas?n?n arzusuna sad?k m? kalacak görece?iz.1-turkce 2-fiction 3-1-roman8 s Mohamed Osman566 456

?? ??? ???? ?????? ? ????? ???? !?

???? ??? ????? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ???? ? ????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ??????? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ??? ?? ?? ????? ??? ???? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ????? ????? ??????? ??????? ? ???? ??? ???? ?? ???? ?? ???? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ? ????? ???? ???????? ????????? ??? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ???????? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ??????? ???? ????? ??????? ???? ??? ??? ?? ???? ????? ? ???? ????? ?? ??????? ???????? ???? ???? ??? ? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ???????? ????? ?? ??? ?? ??? ? ????? ????? ????? ?? ??? ?? ?? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ????? ????? ??? ???????? ? ?????? ??? ??? ?????? ??????? ??? ????? ???????? ????????

????? ???????? ??????? ???? ??? ????? ?? ??? ?? ????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ?? ?????? ??????? ? ??? ????? ?? ??????? ???????? ?????? ????? ????? ? ????? ???? ??? ? ??????? ?????????? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ?? ???????? ???? ?? ????? ?? ????? ??? ??? ??????? ??????? ??? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ???????? ? ????? ??? ??? ???? ???? ??? ???????? ??? ??? ????? ??????? ???? ????? ???????? ??????? ??????? ??? ???? ????? ????? ??? ??? ????? ????? ???? ??? ????? ????? ?? ??? ?? ?? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? ?? ??? ??????? ????????? ?????? ??? ????? ?????? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ???????? ??? ???? ???? ?? 10 ????? ???? ??? ?????? ? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ????? ?? ?????? ????? ??? ??????? ?? ???????? ??? ?????? ?? ???????? ?? ?????? ??? ???? - ???? ?????? ??? ????????? ?? ????? ??????? ??? ???? - ? ?? ?? ??? ??????? ???? ????? ???? ? ???????? ???? ?????? ?? ?? ????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ?? 4 ?????? ??? ??? ????? ???? ??????? ??? ????

?? ??? ??????? ????? ???? ??????? ?? ?????? ??????? ???? ????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ?????? ????? ??????? ??? ?????? ?????? ???? ??? ???? ???????? ????????? ????????? ??? ???? ? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ????? ???? ???????? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ?????? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ??????? ? ???? ?? ??????? ????? ?? 400 ???? ????? ???? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ??????? ?? ?? ?? ???? ?? ????? ? ?????? ?????? ???? ????? ??? ??? ????? ???? ???? ?? ???????

?????? ??? ?? ????? ??? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????????? ??? ???????? ??????? ? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????? ?? ???????? ???????? ? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ??? ???????? ??????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ????? ? ?? ??? ????? ???????? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ? ??? ?? ?????
??? ???? " ??? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ?????? ??????? "
? ?? ???? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ??????? ?? ??? ????? ??????

?? ??????? ????? ?? ???? ??? ??????? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ??????? 5 s JulieAuthor 5 books223

Christian Jacq evokes a fascinating period in Ancient Egyptian history. As a child I loved reading about the achievements of this civilisation. Christian Jacq goes one step further however, initiating us into the minutiae of everyday life. If you love history or Egypt then you'll love this book. Wonderful setting, superb characters and a real flavour of the time.4 s Thomas84

?????? ??????? #1
Readathon 2017 [1/13]: ??? ?????? ???? ?????? ???????? ? ???????????? ???????.

???????? ?? ?? ??????? ??? Jacq ??? ?? ?????? ??? ??????? ??????????? ?????????? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ???????????. ?? ??? ? ?????????? ????? ??????? ???????????? ???? ????????????? ????? ????????? ??? ?? ?????? ?????????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ?? ???????? ???????????, ?????????????? -?????????? ?? ??????? ????????- ??? ????? ????, ?? ??? ??? ????? ????? ??? ??? ????????? ????????? ???? ?????????? ????????? ??? ??????? ??????????? ?????????. ??????, ???????? ??? ?? ???????? ??? ????? ??? ????? ??? ??????? ?????? ????? ??????? ? ????? ??? Jacq ??? ?? ?????, ??? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ?????????????? ?? ???? ??? ?? ???? ???????? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ??? ? ?????????? ????? ???????? ?? ?????? ??? ?? ????????? ?? ???????? ???????? ???????? ??? ?????? ???.
??4 s Sarah429

I love reading about ancient Egypt, I find that time in history incredibly fascinating. And that's basically the only thing that made this book worth my while.
There is plot, sure, but it's rather slow and the translation is not helping matters.
If I didn't already have all the books in the series (they came in a set), I would probably stop here.ancient-egypt historical religion ...more2 s Alix246 4

A four novel series, I read them from my local library as they came out or were translated. These are wonderful books, well written, historically accurate and immensely entertaining and enthralling. I have been looking for his Ramses series, but no luck. Don't miss these books. If you are a fan of ancient Egypt, fascinated by the pyramids or just want a really really good read, these are the books for you.fantasy favorite-books favorites ...more3 s J. ElseAuthor 7 books111

A solid step up from his other book series I read. His characters are more deeply motivated. The landscape feels very authentic (as did his other, but I feel more historically indulged in this book). I just wanted to sit and read this book all day and night!

Surprisingly, one of the main characters is really hard to get behind, Paneb, but you see development here and there with him. Jacq has the talent to somehow get you interested in him though. He is quick to anger, he does not show appreciate to women, and he even cheats on a wife expecting his baby (granted, she did impose herself on him as basically a servant because she was in love with him, which is, well, demeaning in my opinion). Yet you can see his maturity sprinkle in the mix. I really went back and forth on him. While he seemed to begin to show growth in one chapter, he would revert in the next, and then I would not him as much as the previous chapter. But near the end of this book, he did end up being more thoughtful and a better listener. He had a love of learning. Still, I’m not a huge fan due to his outlook on women.

In the Queen of Freedom (QoF) series, most characters had names that were a personality or facial tribute versus an actual Egyptian name. This story combines both an Egyptian name and a descriptive name, which makes more sense than the former. Having someone go by the name “the Arab” and “Moustache,” while they were great characters, felt a bit a give up to me on the author’s part. In this story, characters are given names as they enter the Brotherhood.

As I mentioned before, the characters in this book have deep feelings. They are motivated by internal desires. You can really feel the emotion in this story. Most of the characters of the QoF series were pretty shallow and showed almost no emotional depth until the end. Strong men and women do not have to be devoid of emotions! This book seemed to get that. While many different characters can take the stage in this novel, their personalities really define them and make you want to keep reading (even if you don’t them!). I seriously did not want to stop reading this book! I was a little disappointed that Nefer the Silent’s development seemed to stop after his got his name Nefer. He became a stoic side character to Paneb’s more dominating personality. I wanted more from Nefer after he began advancing up the ranks of craftsmen, not Paneb’s observations of his ascent.

The landscape felt more authentic in this story. Jacq put in a great blend of mystical and realism. People were inspired and driven by their beliefs, but they had to work hard, show dedication, lead an honest life, and were masters of their own fate. They did not rely on signs from the gods before taking action.

What I do find interesting is that Jacq emphasizes the one God who gave birth to many. He hardly mentions the rest of the multitude of gods by name except for a few Thoth, Hathor, and Sekhmet. The emphasis is on one all-powerful God. This seems a rather Christian emphasis, especially after the hearsay of Akhenaten’s one god. Historically speaking, there were many different versions of the creation story for the Egyptians. So I would conclude this use of “God” versus god could be because Jacq kept the story in Thebes, and Thebes’ patron god is Amon. The other cities would have their worship and prayers centered on other gods. I can say that I d the way it was handled. Jacq had some beautiful allegories with it too. His language and expressed enlightened thoughts were a delight in this book, which all stemmed from the religious beliefs. This belief also was the foundation for the Brotherhood and guided their methods and rituals. There were so many layers to the culture through the religious belief system. Everything branches out from this strong foundation. I just ate it up the way Jacq used it in the story.

As with QoF, the time period is hard to follow. Jacq will occasionally throw in a “for 10 years now” statement, but overall, the passage of time is difficult to tell. I did not find it a deterrent though as the characters and storyline were so strong.

But what I most loved was the details and the way life was carried out in this village. Their work has survived thousands of years. They created and decorated the tombs, and we still adore them today. This story really expands on life. Its not just throwing an ancient world on us to show it off. Its about how the pigments of colors were made, the division of work groups and how they functioned together, the way things were measured, how grids were used and the proportions of drawings on these grids, their mathematics, the way a stone was checked to be level, rituals of purification, how medicines were created and used, etc. The culture is so thick, and the storyline is made so much richer with these added details of life. It highlighted how people behaved and what was important to them. I loved learning the trade of these tomb builders along with the characters’ experiences.

The book wow’d me. It had great respect for the people of this time period. I’m glad I read this after QoF, otherwise that series would have seriously disappointed me after the dazzling depth of this story. I can’t wait to keep going into book 2!
ancient-egypt1 carpe librorum :)753 55 Read

Foi-me emprestado por uma colega e eu demorei imenso tempo a começar e ainda mais a terminar. Gosto do tema, sempre achei a civilização egípcia fascinante, mas o livro perde-se muito em pormenores acessórios que não me interessam e tornou-se demasiado longo.franceses historia1 Katka Olajcová478 6

Na ?ítanie tejto tetralógie som ?akala celý svoj život (no, možno nie celý život, ale odkedy ma za?al zaujíma? Egypt, zistila som, že existuje Christian Jacq).
Hlavný dej sa odohráva v Meste Pravda alias Deir el-Medine. Sledujeme osudy troch postáv.
Nefer Ml?anlivý sa v dedine narodil, odišiel odtia?, aby za?ul volanie a š?astne sa vrátil naspä?. Na cestách získal ve?a skúseností a navyše aj manželku Kláru. Spolu vstúpili do dediny a žili tu pod?a princípov spolo?enstva a Maat.
Ardent (a.k.a. Ohnivý) je ro?níkom, ktorého životným snom je vstúpi? do Mesta Pravdy a sta? sa kresli?om. Jeho cesta je dlhá a komplikovaná. Raz stretne Nefera a zachráni mu život. Odvtedy sú z nich priatelia. Ardentovi sa nakoniec jeho sen splní a prijíma meno Paneb (Paneb Ohnivý).
Mehy. Hlavný záporák celého príbehu. Tiež sa snažil dosta? do dediny, ale jeho žiados? bola zamietnutá. Jednu noc sledoval spolo?enstvo remeselníkov a uvidel kame?, ktorý svietil. Rozhodol sa, že získa tajomstvá dedina za každú cenu. Uzatvára rôzne dohody s ?alšími významnými obyvate?mi Vesetu, aby intrigami získal, ?o chce.
Opä?, typický Christian Jacq. Dej je jednozna?ný, postavy majú nemenné morálne zásady, ale nie je tu tak ve?a re?níckych otázok, na ktoré som u?ho zvyknutá (asi sa pou?il z jeho pentalógie Ramzes, kde ich bolo sná? milión).
Pred o?ami nám ožíva svet starovekého Egypta s jeho tajomstvami a pravidlami. Dokonca zahliadneme aj samotného Ramzesa a jeho tajomníka Ameniho (na tomto mieste musím zdôrazni?, že bolo milé, ako sa autor odvoláva na niektoré postavy z jeho pentalógie Ramzes, okrem Ameniho je spomenutá aj lekárka Neferet a logicky, jeho synovia Ach a Merenptah).
Mierne nechápem, pre?o sa tento diel volá Nefer Ml?anlivý, ke? hlavný dôraz je na Paneba a jeho cestu do spolo?enstva. Uvidíme, ako to bude v tre?om diele, ktorý nesie podnázov po tejto postave.
Mínusové body dávam slovenskej korektúre, ktorá po sebe zanechala štylistické chyby.egypt1 Hypatia1,164 4

Read this ages ago in French, now finally re-reading it (and soon the rest of the series) in English. I honestly don't think it's a great translation - it seems it's a lot of short simple sentences, which I don't remember finding in French. But maybe that says more about my French skills than the translation. Still interesting, despite the detestability of many of the characters. I'm hoping the rest of the series is better on that score.historical1 Lauren White536 4

Set myself a challenge to read our ‘old books’ bookshelf and this was first on the list. It was a decidedly battered paperback and I was convinced it would be joining the charity pile, but it’s actually fantastic! Will definitely be surviving for another day. Loved the intrigue of the ancient egyptians, and the individual characters. 1 Godiva54 26

Christian Jacq is an established Egyptologist, but while he is able to communicate his knowledge in written form, he hasn't entirely succeeded in stepping away from an essay- writing style. The events in this book series are based on historical events and on primary sources from the New Kingdom workman's village of Deir el-Medina, lifting certain character(name)s directly from those sources. Paneb, one of the main characters, is one of the most notorious inhabitants of the village. Among others, we have ostraca accusing him of theft, assault and rape, though it's not clear whether these accusations were factual or slanderous.

Stone of Light presents Paneb as a protagonist - if an impatient, belligerent and aggressive one. His personality, the personalities of every character in this book, is despite this flat. There's no unexpectedness; every character acts precisely in the way they are required to act in order for the linear plot to move forward. Combined with large time skips and plot points that are resolved quickly (often in one or two pages) this makes the story feel bland and more reading a paper than actual, suspenseful fiction.

Antagonist Mehy's scheming is so incredibly transparent that it requires a serious amount of suspension of disbelief to even start entertaining the thought that his success might be credible - the entire Theban administration under Ramses II must consist of complete incompetents! It would have taken only a single official to actually act according to his station for the conspiracy to come crashing down, but because the plot has been predetermined, there is no room to make it quite that hard for the antagonist.

There is also a clear division between The Good and The Bad, both in terms of their looks (The Bad are often ugly, fat, or both; The Good handsome or pretty), but also in their motivation and character arcs. There is on the whole nothing good about bad characters, and nothing bad about good characters. Even Paneb's insistence to jump to conclusions and use violence to solve his problems is mostly presented as a good quality. Disappointing, because even the Egyptians knew that it wasn't that simple.

What bothers me on a personal level is the sexism; sexism that isn't inherent in the treatment of women in pharaonic Egypt (which wasn't quite as bad as the treatment of women in contemporary neighbouring countries, which the book ironically mentions), but the kind that comes from the author's - subconscious or not - perception of women. The highly stereotypical presentations and descriptions of women are embarassing. Only two types of women are described with any kind of positivity: the docile and the lascivious - and the latter only in the case of one particular character. Not a good look.

The Stone of Light series spans four books, and this first book already spans 10 years. Because of this, the book doesn't manage to do anything but feel a prologue, a 336-page background exposition to prepare for the events to come in the other three books. I can't help but feel this whole first book could have been scrapped and its background information seeded throughout the other three.

But in all fairness, those who read this book will inevitably learn something about New Kingdom Egypt; a few Egyptian words, the purpose of Deir el-Medina, New Kingdom administrative structure, even a few pharmaceutical treatments for various ailments. It's still unfortunate that this information is presented in either dry info dumps or stilted, overly explanatory dialogue, rather than organically throughout the narrative. The historical fiction author's pitfall: wanting to present all their information to the tiniest detail, whether it has any bearing on or importance for the story they're telling or not.

Still, Jacq knows his New Kingdom Egypt and the story is reasonably amusing for those who care more for learning-through-fiction than a perfect narrative. Because of that, three stars instead of two. Socrate6,700 218

C?tre miezul nop?ii, nou? artizani, cu ?eful de echip? în frunte, au ie?it din Loca?ul Adev?rului ?i au început s? urce un drumeag îngust în lumina lunii pline.

În vârful unui deal ce str?juia de?ertul luase na?tere satul unde locuiau constructorii faraonului, ale c?ror secrete erau ocrotite de ziduri de nep?truns. Ascuns în spatele unui bloc de calcar, Mehy abia î?i putu st?pâni un strig?t de bucurie.

Conduc?torul carelor încerca de luni de zile s? culeag? informa?ii despre aceast? confrerie menit? s? ciopleasc? ?i s? decoreze mormintele din Valea Regilor ?i a Reginelor.

Dar nimeni nu ?tia nimic, cu excep?ia lui Ramses cel Mare, protectorul locului în care mae?tri în ale artei, cioplitori, sculptori ?i pictori erau ini?ia?i în principalele lor îndeletniciri prin care asigurau supravie?uirea statului. Satul artizanilor avea propriul guvern, propria justi?ie ?i depindea direct de rege ?i de prim-ministrul s?u.

Mehy n-ar fi trebuit s? se ocupe decât de cariera sa militar?, care se anun?a str?lucit?; dar cum ar fi putut s? uite c?, solicitând admiterea sa în confrerie, aceast? candidatur? îi fusese refuzat?? Un nobil ca el nu putea fi înjosit astfel. Dezgustat, Mehy s-a orientat c?tre o armat? de elit?, a carelor, în cadrul c?reia talentul s?u f?cuse minuni. Mai mult chiar, urma s? primeasc? un loc important în ierarhie.

În inima sa a luat na?tere îns?, crescând cu fiecare zi ce trecea, ura împotriva acestei confrerii blestemate, care îl umilise ?i a c?rei existen?? îl împiedica s? cunoasc? fericirea deplin?.

Ofi?erul din el a luat o hot?râre: ori s? descopere toate secretele satului, pe care apoi s? le foloseasc? în avantajul s?u, ori s? distrug? aceast? insuli?? aparent inaccesibil? ?i atât de mândr? de privilegiile sale.

Pentru a-?i atinge scopul, Mehy nu-?i putea permite s? fac? vreo gre?eal? sau s? trezeasc? vreo b?nuial?. Dar în ultimele zile a îndr?znit. Ace?ti slujitori ai Adev?rului, dup? cum erau numi?i oficial, nu erau oare ni?te simpli l?ud?ro?i demni de dispre?, ale c?ror pretinse puteri erau doar iluzii? Prea bine p?zita Vale a Regilor p?stra ea oare altceva decât trupurile monarhilor în?epenite în moarte?

Ascunzându-se printre dealurile din preajma satului interzis, Mehy sperase s? surprind? riturile despre care nu vorbea nimeni; decep?ia i-a fost îns? pe m?sura eforturilor.

Dar iat? c?, în aceast? noapte, visul i se împlinea! Jade200 16

The story revolves around the Place of Truth, a mysterious village around Thebes, where many secrets are held, and very few allowed to access them. There are 3 "main" protagonists : Ardent, a sixteen years old boy who wants to get in the Place of Truth and become a painter, Silent, who was born in the Place of Truth and left it to hear 'The call" of art that will let him come back to the village, and Mehy, a curious counsellor, who wants nothing more than to acess the Place of Truth's secrets and destroy the village along.

This is my first Christian Jacq book and I'm delighted by it. As a big history and ancient Egypt lover, I was excited to dive into this story, set in one of my favorites era ! I was not disappointed. I'm still surprised by the speed with which I read. It took me less than a week to read, when I thought it would take me twice that time. However, I was a little scared about all the historical references I might find and the difficulty of it. Thankfully, everything that needed explaining was explained easily, in a few line. No page long footnote !

The writing style is fast paced, I never got bored, and the change of character's "POVs" is very coherent within the story, which is not the case in all books. I'm glad I never felt I was reading too much or too few about anyone. The balance was perfect, and it makes a good chunk of why I enjoyed this so much.

Not only that, but the characters are really able. From the beginning. They all evolve throughout the story, and yet, I loved them since the beginning, which is exceptionnal for me, as I usually have a hard time getting into books. Even Mehy is one of those "love to hate" villains, and I'm really curious about his plans in the next book (which I already have and plan to read next month)

I really felt I was in the Place of Truth with the characters, I was living in that era and was interacting with everyone. Somehow, that book is truly alive, and captivated me as I had not been in a while (since Skyward in February/March, I think). Christian Jacq was a hit a few years ago and was kind of forgotten since. Terrible mistake ! I hope his books get rediscovered soon, because they're really worth it if you're a historical fiction fan. Even if you're not, it's still pretty enjoyable. Calensûl103 6

Sin duda alguna lo más destacado de este libro son el mundo y los escenarios. El autor, ayudado por su profesión, los trae a la vida con un detalle pasmoso que hace que el lector se sumerja en un mundo antiguo y sorprendentemente moderno. Sin embargo, a veces describía con excesiva meticulosidad los objetos, especificando los centímetros de todas sus dimensiones o dando detalles superfluos y, en una instancia, refiriendo a una excavación en la que se habrían encontrado dichos objetos. También encontré algunas de las notas aclaratorias al pie aleatorias.

De no haber sido por el mundo y el objetivo de terminar, no habría encontrado nada que me motivase a continuar. Los personajes principales, buenos o malos, obtenían todo lo que se proponían con una facilidad pasmosa y sus personalidades llenas de defectos, como excesiva violencia o pasividad, no parecían afectar en absoluto a su éxito. El único personaje con el que conseguí conectar fue el jefe de policía, un hombre noble y astuto que aprende de sus errores. Y dada la facilidad con que conseguían sus objetivos, la trama parecía carente de estructura, siendo una simple sucesión de hechos.

Miscelánea: los malos son feos y los buenos guapos, los saltos temporales no se explican.

¡Muchas gracias por leer! Giuliana51 1 follower

No se me ocurre otra manera de describirlo más que INTERESANTE.

Lo bueno: Está escrito de tal manera que te sentís leyendo Gamo of Thrones versión Egipto y verídico, lo cual me pareció super atrapante. Es la historia de Nefer, quien nació dentro del Lugar de Verdad, y sale en busca de la "llamada", Paneb y su incansable lucha por ser dibujante, Sobek y su rectitud como policía y Méhy y su juego de poder para destruir el Lugar de Verdad. Los personajes, aunque me parecieron medio insulsos, por sí solos no cuentan nada, pero en conjunto cuentan una historia que nos enseña sobre derecho, economía, arte y política en el antiguo Egipto.

Lo malo: le encontré un poco de fallas en la narrativa, como que iba a una velocidad que no se notaba en los personajes, pasaban 5 años pero no te dabas cuenta hasta que algún personaje lo decía. Otra cosa que no me agradó, aunque entiendo que fue porque es un libro en varias partes, es que este no tiene un cierre, el final es tan abierto debido a que el principal hecho todavía no pasó que me dejó un poco desilusionada. Tom Jackson199 1 follower

it’s kind of incredible how bad this book manages to be. i first read it when i was quite young, maybe 13, and i remember being absolutely enchanted by it. now being 30 i figured i’d revisit and hoo boy, it does not hold up to what i remember.

i’m not sure if it’s an artefact of the translation from french to english, but the prose is woefully utilitarian. characters will be described in the bluntest terms, explicitly saying everything they want to do and why, as though you’re reading a summary of a different story. the events of the story appear rapidly and are equally as rapidly dealt with, nothing seems to last more than 30 pages before being completely resolved. it’s almost comical looking back and seeing how often the characters just perfectly resolved everything they ran up against without ever failing.

i think the nostalgia is what pulled me through, and that’s enough to make me want to read the next one. i can only hope that it has a little more actual book rather than being a first draft outline of a storydisappointing fantasy Cheryl Campbell112 3

While the writing seemed rather "wooden" at the start, the story line became so very interesting, that I became quite involved in the lives of the characters in Thebes. Perhaps some of the awkwardness at the beginning came from its translation (from the French), but the author and translator clearly found their stride in the second half of the book. As others have said, the author is a renowned Egyptologist, and it clearly shows in the descriptions of the town layouts, roles of political and economic figures, means of holding power, religious beliefs, and artworks - including how such works are made and the symbolic importance of certain motifs. I am eagerly looking forward to the next book,. Max Jones2

Although the book is interesting and follows a history and culture I've little knowledge of, the translated books I've read are seriously lacking in depth and quality. To the extent that it appears written by a child. There is a serious lack of detail in characters, environments and actions. Parts of the story seem abrupt and tenuously linked due to this lack of flourish, which I accredit to the poor translation, rather than Jacq's own abilities as an author.

I'd hope to possibly find another English translation of this series and hopefully I'd be able to give more credit to this series. Because, as I've said, the story is genuinely interesting and despite the lack of quality in the writing, I still found myself reading this book with interest Brandon125

Despite the simple nature of the writing, I enjoyed this novel. It was a very easy read, and the plot was very basic. The characters were, for the most part, very one dimensional. Nevertheless, I thought that the novel gave a good look at Egypt during the time of Ramses the Great. The plot follows the craftsman of the Place of Truth and the trials they must go through to build and maintain the tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

The novel does a good job showing the history of the period, and is very informative. I think it is an accurate summation of what happened inside the Place of Truth.historical-fiction Cesar11

Ambientado en el antiguo Egipto por uno de los mejores arqueólogos egipcios que existen, si bien, a mi juicio no es una novela histórica ya que la trama del libro no está basada en hechos reales. Libro de fácil lectura y más que correcta traducción. Le pongo dos estrellas porque esperaba algún elemento más histórico y porque considero que la trama es bastante simple y monótona, una historia sencilla e incluso absurda estirada hasta la saciedad. Pocos, por no decir ningún momento de “nervios” por ver qué ocurre a continuación. Nuria Pascual57 3

Primera parte de la serie titulada "La piedra de luz", no solamente es una novela sobre el antiguo Egipto. Junto a una trama de suspense, nos muestra un mundo en donde lo espiritual es lo que sustenta su pervivencia. También este libro nos habla de la amistad, la lealtad, el amor y el deseo de conocimiento, de los sueños que se cumplen si se persevera lo suficiente, de las elecciones que marcan nuestro destino y de las sombras que se ciernen detrás de cada esquina. Jan14

I enjoyed this and it clearly is based on historical knowledge. My one criticism is that the characters are quite one-dimensional and nothing out of the ordinary really happens to them. I am going to read the rest of the series, however.historical-fiction Ashwin50 3

d reading this.
Was delighted to meet one of my favorite Christian Jacq's character, Ramses, make special appearance. Was happy to see mention of one of Ramses's best friend, with inexhaustible energy, Ahmeni too getting mentioned :-)
Now starting with next book in series. Mariana15 9

Me esperaba una novela diferente, le tira más al epicismo. Trata de enseñar mucho el lado histórico, no centrándose tanto en el desarrollo de los personajes. Fue una lectura entretenida y diferente, si.
Aunque no creo que vaya a leer los demás tomos, al menos por el momento.ficcion prestados Lauren-Jane77 2

DNF I’m afraid. To be fair, I’m probably not the target audience. I bought this years ago when I wasn’t miles away from having read middle grade fiction. Perhaps having read it then I’d have received it better. As it stands I found it very thin. Alex Banner35 12

Les personnages de Christian Jacq sont toujours aussi caricaturaux et ses personnages féminins encore plus...

Si je n'avais pas le reste de la série sous la main, j'aurais sûrement abandonné après celui-ci tellement c'était long. Mina S237 10

Konusu ve anlatimi itibariyle cok sakin olmasina ragmen dusundugumden daha akiciydi. Tina Chandler198 1 follower

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