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The Hippopotamus Marsh by Pauline Gedge

June 11, 2011
By CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
More by this author
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.&quot; --Douglas Adams<br /> <br /> &quot;The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.&quot; --Marcus Aurelius

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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.’

Image Credit: Amazon.com

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The author's comments:
This is a series I just started and I love it so much, I just had to write a review.
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This article has 34 comments.

CarrieAnn13 GOLD said...
on Jul. 18 2011 at 10:28 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.&quot; --Douglas Adams<br /> <br /> &quot;The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.&quot; --Marcus Aurelius

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Thank you! :)
whitstar27 GOLD said...
on Jul. 18 2011 at 10:26 pm
whitstar27 GOLD, Edison, New Jersey
15 articles 0 photos 38 comments

Favorite Quote:
when life gives you lemons, make grape juice. Then step back and let the world wonder how you did it<br /> and <br /> when life gives you lemon, throw them back at life

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Good job reviewing this book
musicispassion PLATINUM said...
on Jul. 17 2011 at 11:14 pm
musicispassion PLATINUM, Perris, California
35 articles 0 photos 733 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot; Life is never easy for those who dream.&quot;<br /> There are so many other quotes i need pages to write them

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really i actually find it less annoying than being at home i'm surronded my friens and my fav subjects and i get to have alot of fun at school
CarrieAnn13 GOLD said...
on Jul. 17 2011 at 11:10 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.&quot; --Douglas Adams<br /> <br /> &quot;The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.&quot; --Marcus Aurelius

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I really like English.  But other than that, school is the bane of my existence.
musicispassion PLATINUM said...
on Jul. 17 2011 at 11:09 pm
musicispassion PLATINUM, Perris, California
35 articles 0 photos 733 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot; Life is never easy for those who dream.&quot;<br /> There are so many other quotes i need pages to write them

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i like english, band and p.e  good job on the review
CarrieAnn13 GOLD said...
on Jul. 17 2011 at 11:06 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.&quot; --Douglas Adams<br /> <br /> &quot;The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.&quot; --Marcus Aurelius

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I like history a lot, yeah.  I'm not sure if it's my favourite subject, though.
musicispassion PLATINUM said...
on Jul. 17 2011 at 11:05 pm
musicispassion PLATINUM, Perris, California
35 articles 0 photos 733 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot; Life is never easy for those who dream.&quot;<br /> There are so many other quotes i need pages to write them

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is history ur fav subject? great review
CarrieAnn13 GOLD said...
on Jul. 8 2011 at 7:18 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.&quot; --Douglas Adams<br /> <br /> &quot;The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.&quot; --Marcus Aurelius

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Thanks! :)
MidnightFire PLATINUM said...
on Jul. 8 2011 at 1:54 pm
MidnightFire PLATINUM, Lincoln, Illinois
40 articles 6 photos 239 comments

Favorite Quote:
&#039;Dream as if you will live forever, live as if you&#039;ll die tomorrow.&#039;<br /> for my sister: &#039;when life gives me lemons ... i eat them&#039;<br /> &#039;do not be afraid, be faithful&#039;<br /> &#039;God is not safe, but He&#039;s good&#039;

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It sounds like an okay book ... Im not much for history but this summary really showed what happened and left you wondering who will triumph, good job
CarrieAnn13 GOLD said...
on Jul. 4 2011 at 12:14 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.&quot; --Douglas Adams<br /> <br /> &quot;The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.&quot; --Marcus Aurelius

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Thanks!  I submitted some new reviews and they're full of opinion, since everyone complains about my lack of opinion.
ShyWriting42 BRONZE said...
on Jul. 3 2011 at 8:50 pm
ShyWriting42 BRONZE, Mesquite, Texas
3 articles 0 photos 41 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure...We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.&quot;

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Your summary of the book helps clarify the story, a good aid since you both enjoy the book and seem to like Egyptian history. I think a little more about your own opinion of the book would make this complete. Even so, you did a really good job with this.
CarrieAnn13 GOLD said...
on Jul. 2 2011 at 3:13 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.&quot; --Douglas Adams<br /> <br /> &quot;The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.&quot; --Marcus Aurelius

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Thanks for the feedback!
lilmartz PLATINUM said...
on Jul. 2 2011 at 10:01 am
lilmartz PLATINUM, Perrysburg, Ohio
40 articles 5 photos 163 comments

Favorite Quote:
Live Life Like A Party That Never Ends

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I've never written a book review before so I don't know how much significance my comment has. Nevertheless, I thought it was short and sweet! You gave a brief summary of the book and also stated your opinion on the book. Nice job :)
CarrieAnn13 GOLD said...
on Jun. 30 2011 at 11:35 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.&quot; --Douglas Adams<br /> <br /> &quot;The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.&quot; --Marcus Aurelius

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Thanks for the comment, owkey!  And yeah, like everyone says, I'll work on the opinion part of my review. :)
owkey BRONZE said...
on Jun. 30 2011 at 11:34 pm
owkey BRONZE, Markham, Other
4 articles 0 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
Hey <br /> <br /> -Owkey

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I love your review :) As everyone else stated your opening line was great. I think the last little blurb could have been longer. Personaly I felt that there was a lot of building up in the first sections, but you don't deliver on it in the last little bit. Good job overall :)
CarrieAnn13 GOLD said...
on Jun. 29 2011 at 8:52 am
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.&quot; --Douglas Adams<br /> <br /> &quot;The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.&quot; --Marcus Aurelius

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Thanks so much for the comment!  I'll definitely keep that in mind next time I write a review. :)
AvengedJasonfoldForever BRONZE said...
on Jun. 29 2011 at 12:06 am
AvengedJasonfoldForever BRONZE, Middletown, Delaware
3 articles 0 photos 39 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;You are about to die. Scream if you Must.&quot; -Fire Emblem character

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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?

CarrieAnn13 GOLD said...
on Jun. 28 2011 at 9:10 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.&quot; --Douglas Adams<br /> <br /> &quot;The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.&quot; --Marcus Aurelius

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Thanks for the comment.  I like Egypt, but I'm not about to become a cultural anthropologist.  It's just one of my many interests.  Being a lawyer pays way better. :)
FizzingWhizbees27 BRONZE said...
on Jun. 28 2011 at 9:09 pm
FizzingWhizbees27 BRONZE, Davis, California
4 articles 0 photos 18 comments
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Could have a bit more opinion but it is well written.
Dudeee, become a cultural anthropologist if you like Egypt
CarrieAnn13 GOLD said...
on Jun. 28 2011 at 9:02 am
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.&quot; --Douglas Adams<br /> <br /> &quot;The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.&quot; --Marcus Aurelius

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Thanks, Writomania!  It's a good book, rich with historical details and well-developed characters.  Thanks for taking the time to read my review. :)