Napoleon's Pyramids | William Dietrich | A blend of Fiction and Fact.

Napoleon's Pyramids | William Dietrich | A fun novel in the grand tradition of H. Rider Haggard and Edgar Rice Burroughs!

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Napoleon's Pyramids

	Napoleon's Pyramids William Dietrich Harper, 2008 - 416 pages average customer review:based on 40 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

What mystical secrets lie beneath the Great Pyramids?

The world changes for Ethan Gage?one-time assistant to the renowned Ben Franklin?on a night in post-revolutionary Paris, when he wins a mysterious medallion in a card game. Framed soon after for the murder of a prostitute and facing the grim prospect of either prison or death, the young expatriate American barely escapes France with his life?choosing instead to accompany the new emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, on his glorious mission to conquer Egypt. With Lord Nelson's fleet following close behind, Gage sets out on the adventure of a lifetime. And in a land of ancient wonder and mystery, with the help of a beautiful Macedonian slave, he will come to realize that the unusual prize he won at the gaming table may be the key to solving one of history's greatest and most perilous riddles: who built the Great Pyramids . . . and why?

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A blend of Fiction and Fact.

A very good blend of fiction and fact that makes this a type of National Treasure/Nicholas Cage set to movie type of story. I thought this kept my interest all the way thru and it made me more interested in reading about Napolean and Nelson more.

A fun novel in the grand tradition of H. Rider Haggard and Edgar Rice Burroughs!

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 and intrigue also gives you a stark look at what Napoleon's campaign in Egypt was like and the hardships that were faced by his troops and commanding officers. The desert definitely took its toll on all involved.

Napoleon's Pyramids is a novel for those of you who enjoy the magic of adventures to far-distant lands with dangers lurking around every corner and a hero who's flawed, but manages to come out ahead at every turn of the dice. An excellent summer read!

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Outstanding Read

I throughly enjoyed this novel. So long as you don't demand too much reality from your works of fiction you will like it too. The main character, Ethan Gage, is a entertaining good Indiana Jones wannabe. In a genre as competitive as the one known as "historical fiction" (pioneered by Umberto Eco and Dan Brown), this book (and its sequel, "The Rosetta Key" are definite standouts. The author has the ability to mix oft-used themes such as masons and templars and fit them both nicely with the history of up and coming dictator Napoleon Bonaparte and his famous Egyptian campaign. The historical and scientific facts mixed into the whole thing are accurate and relevant. I'm looking forward to Gage's return in "The Dakota Cipher", to be released on March 2009.

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Great for what it is.

I just finished reading this book last week on vacation. After reading two very disappointing books in the genre (basically the DaVinci Code knockoff) I was quite pleased with this one.

Other reviewers have pointed out the book's flaws and I have to agree with many of their points, but overall I found this a very enjoyable book for those who can't get enough of the historical thriller genre.

No one's going to suggest a pulitzer or Nobel Prize for Literature, but this is a great, fun book and I'll definitely be reading the sequel.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

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