Horus Road: Lord of the Two Lands: Volume III

Very impressed with Pauline Gedge's vision of this troubled period in Egypt's history. Both characterization and scene setting are sensitive and, I believe, very authentic. The 3rd book fulfils the expectation created in the previous volumes, in a very memorable way, of a land at last freed from a foreign tyranny.

Pauline Gedge is an excellent and imaginative writer and a great storyteller. I read the trilogy in a week, and this book in two sittings. I was captivated by the fast-moving story. What a fabulous reading experience.I am usually totally lost when any author tries to describe multi-focal battle scenes, but I found her descriptions easy to envision. I thank Ms. Gedge for including a map, creating a cast of memorable characters, and illustrating many aspects of everyday life in "royal" Egypt. Her descriptive talents allow one to visualize meals, dress, the struggles of daily life, human frailties, and even complex religious customs and rituals. It's ending was a little anticlimactic...perhaps a sequel? Ahmose's second son, Amunhotep, becomes the next pharaoh. It made me wonder what happened to his first stepson, or even if he was an historical figure. I'm definitely adding Ahmose to my Historical Hunks and Heroes list. I am pleased to add this trilogy to my library.

In the last book of this trilogy, the all important question is answered about the Tao's fate. The war continues with Apepa, with Ahmose at the helm for the family now. Friendships and family members from the previous two books in this series are all there, right behind him. The ending to the trilogy is pure literary genius - while not necessarily precise in its historic accuracy, it is brilliantly thought out, and entirely plausible. The book does not fail to enthrall and thrill - and it is everything I have come to expect from this wonderful author.

The Horus Road is the third and last book that comprises the "Lords of the Two Lands" trilogy about the expulsion of the Hyskos from Egypt by the House of Tao. Although this book at times goes into literally too much detail, it is still an exemplar of the brilliance of the author. Ms. Gedge is well known for her lush and picturesque fictional ancient Egypt novels that are tightly bound with meticulous historical and period research. This novel does indeed carry on that tradition. In this third installment, Ahmose Tao fulfills the destiny of his deceased older brother Kamose, and succeeds in expelling the hated Hyskos usurpers from Egypt's Delta region. This final victory marks the beginning of Egypt's glorious Eighteenth Dynasty. In The Lords of the Two Lands trilogy, Ms. Gedge succeeds in her stated desire to rehabilitate Kamose Tao in the eyes of Pharaonic Egyptian history. Every succeeding pharoah owes to him a great debt of gratitude for his vision, dedication, and self-sacrifice. Something else also occurs in this brilliant trilogy, that being the acknowledgement of the courage of the three Queens who contributed greatly to the expulsion. Although arbitrarily placed by historians in the Seventeenth Dynasty, Queen Tetisheri can rightly be thought of as the birth mother of the golden Eighteenth Dynasty. The success of the Hyskos expulsion could not have been accomplished without the great contributions of Queens Aahotep and Aahmes-Nefertari. These two brave and courageous women contributed greatly to overall battle strategy, and from the extant written records we come to the conclusion that they also commanded soldiers in battle. From this triad of queens sprang the unique qualities that would mark many of the powerful queens that followed them... Hatshepsut, Tiye, Nefertiti, and Ankhesenamun. On balance, I highly recommend not only this book, but the complete Lords of the Two Lands trilogy and indeed every novel authored by the master of this genre, Pauline Gedge.

The house of Tao has long waited for the god Amun to end his demands of personal loss and sacrifice for the return of the rule of Ma'at (rightful law & justice by the true Egyptian Pharoah of royal blood)to Egypt. After living through his father Seqenenra's slaughter, his brother Si-Amun's suicide, his brother Kamose's murder and his sister Tani's marraige to a traitor, Ahmose Tao may finally see the unification of Upper and Lower of Egypt and feel the weight of the Double Crown of the Pharoah rest upon his brow. Still, there remain so many obstacles to overcome if peace and prosperity are to reign. The Setiu usurper, Apepa, once Pharoah of the whole land, still lives and controls the northern capital of Het-Uart. The trade routes along the Horus Road, necessary for Egypt to thrive, remain out of Ahmose Tao's control. Furthermore, there is the business of the government itself. As Ahmose will learn, it is one thing to build, motivate and lead an army during a time of war, but quite another to create a government to rule a country that has been devastated by the scars of battles. Ahmes-Nefertari, Ahmose's wife, grows skilled in the arts of politics and diplomacy but will her ability to rule, the joy she takes with her accomplishments and her new found independence tear her marriage apart? Can Ahmose and Ahmes-Nefertari hold Egypt and their family togther?The Horus Road is the conclusion to the Gedge's trilogy which depicts the events that usher in the great 18th Dynsaty. It is fitting for Gedge to have focused such attention on Ahmes-Nefertari as well as Tetisheri and Aahotep (her grandmother and mother, respectively) in this final volume as these three women are the ancestors of the only woman to rule as Pharaoh, Hatshepsut (Gedge's Child of the Morning is an incredible book if you would like to learn more about this amazing woman!). As always, the attention to detail is precise and the amount of research done by the author shines through each sentence. Egypt comes alive once again in a Pauline Gedge novel and I have had the pleasure of visiting, if only for a little while...