The Oasis

In this hefty volume, the author continues the story already begun with the Hippopatamus Marsh. Prince Kamose Tao of Weset assumes command of the rebel soldiers after his father's death, rallying the native princes to fight under him. Nubian soldiers from Wawat under the command of the General Hor-Aha are allied with the Egyptian soldiers, giving Kamose and his men an edge against the towns and forts they encounter on their trek north. As the campaign draws on, the effects of war leave their mark on Kamose, and he forfeits all else in order to oust the Setiu from beyond Egypt's borders and restore true Ma'at to this ravaged land. 'The Oasis' is a surprising stage for the unpredictable, and the inevitable.

The author's goal was to "rehab" Kamose Tao in history's eyes and she has indeed succeeded. The Lord of the Two Lands trilogy continues with the intensity and determination well established in the first book. Even though the story line is recorded in history, there is no real sense of predictability. Lots of action, repeated demonstrations of survival of the fittest, and treachery abounds. I thank Ms. Gedge for including a map, a bibliography, and for sating my thirst for historical fiction! I'll say a little prayer to Thoth that she continues to create such enjoyable works.

The Oasis, the second volume of Pauline Gegde's Lord of the Two Lands Trilogy, is even more captivating the the first. Following the death of Sequenenra Tao at the hands of feared but brilliant General Pedzeku, the members of the House of Tao are stipped of their titles, nobility and power to rule over their ancestral home of Waset by the Setiu King Apepa. The idea of a foriegn king ruling over Egypt does not sit well with Sequenenra's sons Kamose and Ahmose despite all that they have lost and, with their family's permission, they decide to restore Egypt to the rightful Egyptian rulers, the Taos, or die in the process. At times gruesome and painful, the Oasis details exquistely the price war can exact on those who wage it. The decision to take life, regardless of how noble its reason, is one which weighs heavily on the soul. Gedge's character Kamose Tao, who proclaims himself Pharoah and sets out to purge Egypt of the Setiu who have usurped the country from its rightful citizens, fights many bitter, bloody battles in which innocents are killed to right what the Ancient Egyptians refer to as Ma'at - a sense of law, righteousness and justice. The development of this character from an introspective older brother, favored by his grandmother, to a king who speaks his mind without regard to consequences and who is tormented by the horror of a war of his own making, is indeed compelling.Additionally, as you will always find in the work of Pauline Gedge, Egypt is recreated in intricate detail. The reader is transported to a time when the 17th Dynasty is concluding and the Great 18th Dynasty is about to leave the womb...I can't wait to read The Horus Road (vol 3)!

Ms. Gedge has dedicated The Lord of the Two Lands trilogy to the obscure and misunderstood Egyptian Prince Kamose; and states that she fervantly hopes that in some way it will contribute to his historical rehabilitation. The Oasis is superb, and no one who reads this book will ever think of him again as a bit player in the expulsion of the hated Hyskos from Egypt. However, reader be warned: this book is very different in tenor than anything else Ms. Gedge has written to date. The Oasis is about total war. There are no romantic interludes here to soften the jagged edges, only death, destruction, betrayal and misery. What is most striking about this story, is the author's treatment of the non-military "casualties of war". Ms. Gedge demonstrates in brutal fashion that family, love, honor, and innocence are also the victims of conflict. In The Oasis, nothing and no one is spared the horror of war. In a striking paradox, The Oasis eloquently rehabilitates us, the reader... to a renewed recognition that at least one thing has never and will never change... war is hell.

In this book Pauline Gedge continues her saga of the founders of the New Kingdom in ancient Egypt. Most of the people reading this book already know how this will turn out from reading history books, but that doesn't take the edge off the story at all. We know that Kamose will not live wear the Double crown or to successfully storm the citadel of Hyksos. Pauline Gedge has made Kamose come alive. She has painted the picture of an introspective, intense man who will do anything to accomplish his goal of expelling the Hyksos. It is very hard to say good-bye to him even though we know his brother Ahmose will be a better Pharaoh. Although great military engagements are won, the family of Tao find it is the enemies within that are harder to vanquish in their bid to expell the Hyksos and catapult their house to the status of divine. Altogether enjoyable, inspiring, and sad at the same time.