25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Three men in a boat . . . to say nothing of the god, May 31, 2004
This review is from: The Buried Pyramid (Hardcover)
(. . . or the three women, or the boy, or the cat . . . .) Sorry, I won't explain the title of my review, but if you're a Jerome K. Jerome fan, you'll find yourself grinning about 3/4 of the way through this terrific story (which you should now purchase and enjoy, by the way). Ms. Klausner and Mr. Jordin have already done a superb job in recounting the essentials of this fun Jane Lindskold story, so I'll try not to repeat what they've already posted.
The Buried Pyramid starts out like a pleasant Victorian historical novel (a la Cecille Holland), incorporates a bit of mystery (with nods to Poe and Doyle), and then roars off into pure Lindskold fantasy country. You can tell Lindskold has a doctorate in English, because it's all done just so . . . and you can tell she has a sense of humor because, well, while it's always a fun read, it's often a funny one. The Buried Pyramid's 399 pages flew by in a couple of days, very much brightening up a vacation weekend. The exciting story was told, as I've said, just so, and the ending could not have been more satisfying . . . however, I'll be very disappointed if I don't see some of these characters again (at least in a short story). While The Buried Pyramid doesn't leave you hanging on the limb for a sequel (remember Dan Simmons' first Hyperion release? Aaargh! I know it wasn't his fault, though.), I really enjoyed its main characters, and I'm not ready to part with them yet.
This is not the darker Lindskold, The Buried Pyramid is more Lord Demon than it is Donnerjack. Frankly, that brighter feel was welcome on my vacation weekend. I eagerly bought Pyramid as soon as it hit the shelf, wanting a fix of this terrific author's work before Wolf Captured (Book 4 in the Firekeeper Saga) is released in Nov 2004, and it was money well-spent. Hopefully it will hold me until November!
It seems evident that Tor is taking good care of their wise investment in Lindskold: I was pleased to see the great cover art for The Buried Pyramid and I felt the title page (I wanted to say "frontispiece," but that wouldn't be correct) and chapter heading illustrations by Edward Murr were breathtaking - much nicer than anything you usually see. The artwork is a wonderful entry into the book - it's nice to see Tor is making sure to draw the public's attention to its excellent authors.
One other thing: I'm a gun nut and my undergrad degree was in history. I am one nit-picky individual when it comes to period pieces!!! I do not recall finding a single firearm or history error (they always drive me nuts - I hate it when ignorant writers have their heros screwing silencers on revolvers, etc.) in The Buried Pyramid. In fact, I was delighted to see that small firearms details were included correctly. Lindskold thanks her archeologist husband for the weaponry advice (I'm sure he assisted on the archeology details, too) - well, she evidently relies on the right guy. Well done!
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Seeking the Good King, May 7, 2004
This review is from: The Buried Pyramid (Hardcover)
The Buried Pyramid is a singleton fantasy novel. In the late 1860's, Egypt under the hegemony of the British Empire had been transformed into an exotic vacation spot for Europeans. First class hotels had been built in Alexandria and Cairo and the Egyptian tombs and monuments had become popular stopping places for Cooks Tours. Archaeologists were still digging in the Valley of Kings and elsewhere, discovering more about the ancient Egyptian civilization.
Captain Neville Hawthorne had served in Egypt and participated in such archaeological expeditions. One such excursion involved a long buried pyramid of the Good King, Pharoah Neferankhotep, beloved of the gods and his people. Neville accompanied the German Alphonse Liebermann into the desert following a journal entry by an explorer who stumbled over a valley in the desert that matched the description of the buried pyramid.
During their trek, they came across the Hawk Rock mentioned in the journal, but were attacked by desert tribesmen. After a forced battle among the old ruins, they frightened away the tribesmen and escaped back to the Nile. Neville tried later to search for the buried pyramid, but was once more attacked by tribesmen and severely injured, resulting in his disability retirement from the service.
In this novel, Neville Hawthorne was added to the honors list upon retirement and is now Sir Neville. He is also a moderately wealthy man, has remained interested in Egyptian affairs, and is acquainted with many of the Egyptologists in England. Sir Neville has put off trying again to discover the buried pyramid, but the death of his sister Alice reminds him not to wait too long.
Sir Neville has just about completed his preparations to leave for Egypt when he finds himself with a newly arrived niece on his hands. Genevieve Benet became an orphan with the death of her mother and father and Sir Neville is now her closest relative and guardian. Upon learning his plans, Jenny becomes determined to accompany him on the expedition.
Jenny Benet is a child of the American frontier, equally proficient with guns and knives as well as the manners of high society. She is also a trained medical assistant, spending many years studying under her father in his practice. She is quite competent at treating gunshot wounds.
In this story, Sir Neville and Jenny travel to Egypt with Steven David Holboe, a noted scholar of Egyptian matters. On the boat, they encounter another party lead by Lady Audrey Cheshire, the widow of one of Sir Neville's Egyptologist friends. Somehow, Lady Cheshire continues to cross their path throughout the journey.
From the beginning of their journey, they have been receiving encoded notes from someone calling themselves the Sphinx. The warnings are rather vague, but ominous. Later, Jenny and Steven begin to think that they are being warned about Lady Cheshire.
In Cairo, Sir Neville contacts Eddie Bryce, one of his former subordinates and a fellow veteran of the Liebermann expedition. Eddie had married Miriam, the young native who saved that expedition. Now he is a converted Muslim with the adopted name of Ibrahim Alhadj ben Josef and the father of three sons and two daughters. With his contacts in the local community, Eddie soon arranges the details of their journey.
Later, the party is attacked in their lodgings by men wearing jackal masks and carrying knives. However, Jenny shoots her assailant and the remainder flee, but not before injuring Sir Neville. Another masked man attacks Eddie near his home, but Eddie is better with a knife. Apparently the men who had attacked Sir Neville long before are aware of their identity and purpose.
When Sir Neville and his party finally reach the desert, they find much more than they expected. The legends of Neferankhotep are much truer than they thought; someone is protecting the tomb of the Good King. Moreover, their European opponents have joined forces with the native protectors. Soon they find themselves in judgment, facing the truth about themselves and their motives.
Highly recommended for Lindskold fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of victorian adventurers, ancient societies and foreign gods.
-Arthur W. Jordin
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Start, an Unfortunate Ending, November 10, 2004
This review is from: The Buried Pyramid (Hardcover)
The first 90% of this book is written in the form of a traditional adventure (ala H. Rider Haggard) and is fairly exciting and interesting.
Unfortunately, the last 10% is a totally different style. It almost seems as if Ms. Lindskold had written a traditional ending, and was then told that it wasn't exciting enough. So she then pasted on a magical ending whose effect is rather jarring and bizarre.
In her attempt to merge history and magic, Ms. Lindskold would have done well to first study the works of Tim Powers, a master of slowing working magic into the story until its presence seems completely natural. Only then does a full-blown magical ending work. To suddenly introduce it forces the reader to shift gears so rapidly that the flow and believability is lost.
This is a noble effort that holds some interest for those with a passion for Egyptology, but due to its weak ending, it ultimately fails.
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