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The Hippopotamus Marsh by Pauline Gedge
All rebellions have to begin somewhere, so why not begin with a proud Egyptian Prince, a Setiu Pharaoh, a letter and a hippopotamus marsh? Okay, an explanation is definitely in order.
Seqenenra Tao is a proud Egyptian Prince, furious at the Setiu (Hyksos, to modern readers) occupation of Egypt. The Setiu are an old enemy of Egypt and took over in a slow, bloodless invasion that ended with a Setiu becoming Pharaoh. Pharaoh Awoserra Aqenenra Apepa takes great delight in humiliating the proud Tao family, the rightful rulers of Egypt. Seqenenra Tao decides that enough is enough when Apepa ‘requests’ that he drain the marsh near his home where the hippopotami live because they were disturbing his sleep.
Disaster strikes just before Seqenenra leaves with his army to march on Apepa. The attack leaves him lame and grossly disfigured, but he is still determined to regain the Horus Throne for his family. But forces beyond his control are conspiring to make sure the Taos never defeat Apepa. Intrigue, love and betrayal are powerful things and in ‘The Hippopotamus Marsh’, we see just how powerful they really can be.
While ‘The Hippopotamus Marsh’ can be confusing for readers unfamiliar with Egyptian history, they will quickly catch on. Pauline Gedge is a skilled writer who uses vivid imagery and has well-developed, believable characters. ‘The Hippopotamus Marsh’ is an amazing start to the Lord of Two Lands trilogy and leaves readers anxious for the next book, ‘The Oasis.’
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This article has 34 comments.
Everything was perfect until the last paragraph. It makes the book seem average because you're just saying "oh yah... great book."
I do not want to read this book. You're not telling me to read this book. You're telling me it's average. Maybe that was your intention. If so, you delivered it perfectly.
But I'm not sure if "readers unfamiliar..." is proper english. I could be wrong but it seems awkward to me. Maybe you'd say "those with little knowledge of Egyptology" or something.
But for teeink it works. Perfect length and detail and chunked into solid paragraphs...
But I have to agree that maybe it could use some more opinion in the last paragraph--should we read it or not?
Dudeee, become a cultural anthropologist if you like Egypt
