Tag Archives: Ancient Egypt

Book Review

Review: Heart of the Lotus (Children of Stone 4)

Leave a comment

Heart of the Lotus (Children of Stone 4)

by Mary R. Woldering

Reviewed by JMD Reid

At the end of the Fourth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, the Sojourner Marai has been reunited with Naibe and Arriennu. His other woman Deka, however, remains with the violent prince Maatkare who even know makes plans to attack Marai’s new allies.

In Ineb Hedj, the ancient name for Cairo, a new pharaoh makes preparations to ascend the throne while learning just how dangerous the hold priest Hordjedetf can be. The priest Wsekere and his princess consort Khemntie must discover a secret before Hordjedtef can seize the power for himself.

The Children of the Stone shape those they possess towards their own goals. What will happen as the powers of Ancient Egypt clash? What new events will be unleashed? How will new revelations affect the characters in their bid for power, knowledge, and faith?

Woldering’s series continues to show her deep knowledge of Ancient Egyptian, Summerian, and Semetic mythology and history, blending real figures who lived with mystical events. She feels in the gaps left in the recorded history of Ancient Egypt as her character contest with the events that shaped the mythologies for millennia to come.

Heart of the Lotus goes from revelation to tense situations, ending on a powerful moment. Events are moving and the true enemy of all may finally be revealed. Delve into the ancient past, to the beliefs of peoples who, though dead, have shaped our modern world down through the centuries.

A fabulous blend of history and fiction. Lovers of this genre need to check out this indie gem!

You can buy Heart of the Lotus from Amazon!

Book Review

Review: Opener of the Sky

Leave a comment

Opener of the Sky (Children of Stone 3)

by Mary R. Woldering

Reviewed by JMD Reid

b01mcrkejj-01-lzzzzzzzIn the 2500s BC, a Semetic shepherd named Marai living in the Shadow of Mount Sinai discovers the Children of the Stone, consciousness from another world come to our planet to bring enlightenment. Marai, along with three women who become his wives (Ariennu, Naibe, and Deka), has traveled to Ancient Kemet to bring the stones to Hordjedtef, an old priest and son of Pharoah Khufu. But Hordjedtef grew jealous of Marai and poisoned him in a sacred ceremony. Marai survived, though it was two months before he emerged.

Now he has to find his wives. They have been taken south down the River Nile by Maatkare, claimed as his women. He is a cruel warrior, a general of Egypt with ambitions to Pharaoh one day with Deka’s help. Marai will have to find a way to rescue Ariennu, Naibe, and Deka from his cluthces without starting a civil war in the souther lands of Ta-Seti.

And do all of his wives want to be rescued?

Opener of the Sky peaks up right where Go Forth By Day ended. Marai will need new allies to help him on his mission delivered upon him by the Children of the Stone as well as to be reunited with his wives. But the odds are staked against him. He is one man against Maatkare and his army. And Maatkare is priest trained and has powers of his own.

Wills clash in this chapter of Woldering’s story. The stakes are high and tension wracks this book. Her narrative propels you forward as you wonder just how Marai will overcome the odds against him. And woven through it is plenty of Egyptian rituals and beliefs, forming the backdrop for this supernatural, historical fiction that is clearly well researched.

Opener of the Sky is the best of the series so far. It was hard to put down at times as it hurtled towards its ending and left me eager for the next book in the series. If you’re a fan of historical fiction and Egyptian mythology, then you need to read this series. It has such a breadth, covering even the politics surrounding the Pharaohs and their extended family to how the belief in magic pervades so much of their daily lives.

Will Marai triumph from Maatkare, or will he become the Opener of the Sky? Politics, magic, and more permeate this story and leave me waiting for book 4.

You can buy Going Forth by Day from Amazon!

Book Review

Review: Going Forth by Day

Leave a comment

Going Forth by Day (Children of Stone 2)

by Mary R. Woldering

Reviewed by JMD Reid

B00W1TDGJK.01.LZZZZZZZIn the 2500s BC, a Semetic shepherd named Marai living in the Shadow of Mount Sinai discovers the Children of the Stone, consciousness from another world come to our planet to bring enlightenment. Marai, along with three women who become his wives (Ariennu, Naibe, and Deka), has traveled to Ancient Kemet to bring the stones to Hordjedtef, an old priest and son of Pharoah Khufu (the guy who was buried in the Great Pyramid at Giza). But Hordjedtef grew jealous of Marai and poisoned him in a sacred ceremony.

Now Marai lies dying in a crypt and his three wives have been told he is dead. To survive in the politics of Ancient Egypt, Ariennu, Naibe, and Deka must play along with their roles, split apart and given to other princes as maids and concubines not knowing that their husband has survived and slowly recovers in the tomb.

Will they prosper, or will Hordjedtef’s jealousy over the Children of the Stone and the machinations of Prince Meenkaare cause the three women’s downfall?

What follows in an tale of betrayal and sex, interwoven into the life of the royal family of Egypt. Once again, Woldering breathes to life the intricate nature of Ancient Egyptian politics, from the incestuous nature of their marriages to their belief in magic and curses. Her research and knowledge is impeccable and the tension in the story keeps you reading.

Will Marai recover from the poisoning and Go Forth by Day, and if he does, will he find his wives waiting for him or claimed by other, powerful men. Politics, magic, and more permeate this story and leave me waiting for book 3.

You can buy Going Forth by Day from Amazon!

Book Review

Review: Voices in Crystal (Children of Stone 1)

2 Comments

Voices in Crystal (Children of Stone 1)

by Mary R. Woldering

Reviewed by JMD Reid

B00OIYF39M.01.LZZZZZZZIn the 2500s BC, two men of drastically different background, separated by culture and geography, are linked by one event. The arrival of the Children of the Stone. Marai, a Semetic shepherd living in the shadow of Mount Sinai, prays to the Goddess Inanna like he has done every night since the death of his wife in childbirth many years ago. To the west, the the Land of Kemet (Ancient Egypt), Hordjedtef, one of the sons of Pharaoh Khufu (the guy who was buried in the Great Pyramid at Giza) studies with a wise priest, his bid to become the next Pharaoh failed.

Falling from another world, the consciousness of powerful beings arrive to the bronze age Middle East. Though Hordjedtef and his master sense the arrival of the Children, they are not the ones chosen to bear their knowledge. That falls to humble Marai. Called out of his prayers, Marai finds the fallen rock. When he enters it, he will never be the same.

Marai is charged to bring the knowledge to Hordjedtef by the Children. But will Hordjedtef respect the power or will he crave it for himself. Marai, joined by three women each broken in their own way, travels west to Kemet where he hopes he will find his destiny.

Voices in Crystal is a Historical Fantasy. It is set in our world, amid the mythology of the Akkadians, Sumerians, and Ancient Egyptians but with real, supernatural powers. It is well researched, illuminating the often harsh way of life of the bronze age near east along with the esoteric splendor that Kemet (Egypt) achieved. Though the novel took me a while to read (I kept being distracted by other books) the tale of Marai and the three women called me back over and over.

I greatly enjoyed the book, and while it has flaws, it kept me reading to the end, eager to find out more. And the ending left had me on the edge of my seat. I will definitely read book 2. If you’re a fan of mythology, Ancient Egypt, the bronze age, the mystery religions, or looking for a different story then what gluts the fantasy and historical markets, pick up Voice in Crystal.

You can buy Voices in Crystal on Amazon!