Napoleon's Pyramids

It was actually William Dietrich's newest historical novel, The Rosetta Key, which caught my attention and caused me to buy the prequel, Napoleon's Pyramids. I love the Indiana Jones movies and the old serials from the forties and fifties, so a story that deals with an adventurer in search for the Egyptian Book of Thoth and the Ark of the Covenant in Israel during Napoleon's invasion of 1799 was right up my ally, but first I needed to read Napoleon's Pyramids. I picked up a copy of it and found myself quickly immersed in an adventure that was written in the style of H. Rider Haggard and Edgar Rice Burroughs. What flaws the novel may have had didn't concern me as long as my interest was held, and it was straight to the last page. Napoleon's Pyramids opens up with Ethan Gage living in Paris in 1798 after the death of his mentor, Benjamin Franklin, and the aftermath of the French Revolution. He wins an old, strange-looking Egyptian medallion in a card game and soon discovers that it's cursed. In less than twenty-four hours, he's beaten and his room is trashed, he's accused of murdering a prostitute, he finds himself hiding in a horse drawn carriage on its way to the French coast where Napoleon's army is being boarded onto ships for the planned invasion of Egypt, and the villains are still hot on his trail. The person who truly desires the medallion is the evil Count Silano, and he has a following of thugs who are led by a cold-hearted killer who worships and handles poisonous snakes. Managing to squeeze his way into Napoleon's good graces, Gage soon finds himself in the land of the ancient pyramids fighting in hand-to-hand combat with the invading French army. It isn't long before he's acquired a fierce Arab warrior as his slave and a beautiful, alluring priestess, who knows more about the secrets of the medallion than she lets on. Through one peril after another, Gage is eventually led to the Great Pyramid of Giza and finds his way inside to the hidden tomb of the Pharaoh and the ancient mysteries of Egyptian magic and the medallion and perhaps a power strong enough to enable a human being to rule the world. Because of the book's sequel, we know going in that Gage survives the countless dangers of Napoleon's Pyramids. This, however, didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story. While filled with tons of interesting historical information and anecdotes, what makes this novel so good is the character of Ethan Gage and his rogue-type personality. You have our hero, plus the evil villains who are bigger than life, the beautiful female that the hero falls in love with, but doesn't know if he can really trust her, the constant dangers that arise and which he barely survives, and the array of actual historical figures that color this vast canvas. I found Dietrich's writing to be excellent and his story-telling reminiscent of past times, bringing back the pleasures of reading such wonderful stories from my earlier years. This tale of action a

This seemed to be one of those books that stay with you after you've read it. Not only was I fascinated by it's history, which includes Masonic lore, biblical scholarship, Bonaparte's Egytian battles, and more, but to put an 'Indiana Jones' type character as the focal point, made this one great entertainment to read This was one exciting thriller that I did not want to end. Now that I know there is a sequel coming out, I'll be sure to read it too. Highly recommended.

This here is a very entertaining men's pulp adventure. Nice clean and clear prose, tight plotting, good characters and a dash of history. Some plots lines left hanging for a sequel and am looking forward to reading more adventures of Ethan Gage and his friends. Recommended.

Imagine a young man who had worked with Benjamin Franklin - a hero who found notoriety in Paris. Ethan Gage, living in Post Revolution Paris, won a mysterious medallion during a poker game. Others in the game tried to get the medallion from Gage, but he keeps it in his possession. He's framed for a murder he didn't commit, and he runs. Ultimately to Napoleon Bonaparte's Egyptian campaign. Bonaparte is not only bringing troops to conquer the ancient land, but savants to learn and glean the knowledge of this once formidable country. Soon Gage is up to his eyeballs in danger and intruige in Egypt. He has a great sense of humor and even in the midst of danger, he says something to make you laugh. The action is amazing - vibrant accounts of naval battles with Nelson - literally puts you there on the ship, as well as land battles. Gage seeks knowledge about the medallion and finds scholars that start him on a path that the medallion is more than a pendant, but perhaps a key to a lost society and greater knowledge. Along the way, he falls in love. The action in this book is nonstop - there is romance, historical figures vividly shown, ancient cities explored. Ethan soon finds himself in constant danger from the men who want that medallion - possibly the key to powers so great, the owner could literally rule the world. The end seems open to a sequel, and I hope it does - this is a wonderfully presented historical, action book that you'll be begging for more after you read it. You will enjoy Napoleon's Pyramids.

Bill Dietrich is a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist whose fiction books have thus far taken his readers from the Roman Empire (Hadrian's Wall, The Scourge of God) to futuristic Australia (Getting Back) and Antarctica (Ice Reich). In his novel, Napolean's Pyramids, Bill combines Napoleanic history and Egyptology with a fictional American adventurer (and assistant to Ben Franklin) named Ethan Gage. The result of this combination is a fast-paced action and fact filled novel paralleling and involving Napolean's invasion of Egypt in the 1790's. I read this novel in three consecutive nights. It is one of those "difficult to put down" reads. Ethan Gage wins a mysterious medallion in a card game in Paris just after the revolution. Many people covet it, and one thinks it worth murder, as Ethan gets framed for the murder of a call girl. Forcibly enlisted into Napolean's army of savants heading to Egypt, Ethan and his fellow Mason's embarq on a quest to help Napolean unlock the power of the pyramids, to aid in his quest for global domination. Ethan, who has until this point meandered aimlessly through life, is forced to decide what he believes in, and if he discovered the secrets of the Pyramids (with the help of a mysterious woman, the savants and Egyptian sages), will he hand over the secrets to Napolean for his uses, or keep them safe from the hands of men? My favorite parts of this novel are the historical descriptions: the filth and beauty of Paris of that time; the terror of the sea journey with Napolean across the Mediterranean; the annihilation of the French fleet docked near Alexandria by British Admiral Nelson; and the well written mathematical decriptions of the pyramids and the puzzles surrounding them (Fibonacci number sequences in an action novel? you bet!). Napolean, Nelson and other historical figures are woven into the story seamlessly, breathing them to life through their interactions with Gage. Highly recommended.