Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Heretic Queen

I just finished reading Michelle Moran's sequel to Nefertiti, The Heretic Queen.  Here is what I wrote about it on Goodreads:

This was an enjoyable sequel to Moran's "Nefertiti." I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Ramasses and Nefertari develop as well as the repercussions of Akhenaten that Nefer must overcome. Moran writes intelligent, enjoyable historical fiction - something that is hard to do when writing about Egypt.


Moran does good work but there's always something about her writing that leaves me unfulfilled.  Her descriptions are good but too infrequent, I think.  The reader wants to learn about ancient Egypt, most likely, and Moran stubbornly refuses to give us descriptions that would make that time come alive.  Instead, she plows ahead in to the narrative.  I'd like for Moran to Steven Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa series.  Ancient Rome comes alive under Saylor's meticulous hand.  


The Heretic Queen made me yearn to re-read Reflections in the Nile by J. Suzanne Frank.  This one of my favorite novels of all time.  This may be the motivation I've needed to pick it up again!

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