The Cleopatra Curse (The Seven Fabulous Wonders) [Paperback]

Katherine Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2006 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: The Seven Fabulous Wonders

The magnificent Seven Fabulous Wonders series concludes with a Romanic chariot race! Historical fiction meets action-packed adventure in this thrilling series for boys. Zeuxis is a "lighthouse boy," whose duties include collecting fuel for the famous Pharos lighthouse of Alexandria and keeping its fire burning. But Zeuxis' dream is to become a charioteer, and he gets his chance when Julius Caesar plans his invasion of Egypt in 48BC to overthrow Queen Cleopatra. Caesar sends his envoys to Alexandria with instructions to create a riot on race day, so that he can invade the palace. To accomplish this, they need an inexperienced charioteer they can bend to their will!

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for 'The Great Pyramid Robbery': 'A grand tale unravels -- ancient curses, magical powers, dangerous forces and spirits make "The Great Pyramid Robbery" a wonderful fantasy-filled read! Unearth this fab book.' Funday Times 'A terrific tale of plots, curses and evil forces set in ancient Egypt.' Sunday Express 'A thrill-a-minute mix of myth, history, excitement and magic. Roberts has thrown lots of gripping ingredients into the first book of The Seven Fabulous Wonders series and it all works to great effect.' Sunday Morning Post Praise for 'The Babylon Game': 'Katherine Roberts is a children's author of genuine skill and imagination, and The Babylon Game is one of her most engaging titles.' Publishing News 'Incredible! adventures that twist and turn and will have you spellbound on every page.' South Wales Evening Post.

About the Author

Katherine Roberts was born in Torquay in 1962 and spent her childhood in Devon and Cornwall. She graduated with a First in Mathematics from Bath University. Since then she has worked with computers, racehorses, and in a pet shop. She now lives in Stroud. She has her own website, katherineroberts.com, and produces her own newsletter, 'Fantasy Fever', for children.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 273 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK (July 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 000711284X
• ISBN-13: 978-0007112845
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,562,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Katherine Roberts (1962 - ) was born in Torbay and lives in the UK. She trained as a mathematician at the University of Bath and worked with racehorses for ten years, before becoming a professional author in 1999 with the publication of "Song Quest", which won the inaugural Branford Boase Award for children's fiction. She is a champion of the fantasy/sf genre and has a unicorn for a muse who blogs at reclusivemuse.blogspot.com.

Katherine's website with competitions and more details about her books can be found at www.katherineroberts.co.uk.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Action-packed Egyptian Mythology, October 31, 2011

By 

anne c muscat - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cleopatra Curse (Seven Fabulous Wonders) (Kindle Edition)

This is a gripping story about the struggle between two characters, one who is on a quest to take over the throne, and another who wants to be free from slavery.

Prince Ptolemy is ruthless, menacing and power-hungry. At the start of the novel, he plants his curses in the Hippodrome to sabotage the queen. He soon begins threatening Zeuxis, the slave lighthouse boy who witnesses this act, in an attempt to keep the secret of what he did and to gain control. Next he kidnaps Zeuxis' ally, Ahwere, in his continual pursuit of power. He is finally captured and killed by the very same Ka demon whom he summoned to kill Cleopatra in his efforts to take over the throne.

Zeuxis is a kind, intelligent, hard-working lighthouse boy. His passion for horses and his hope for freedom get him all mixed up in Ptolemy's affairs. When Zeuxis races in the Hippodrome for the Romans (the White team) and an Egyptian sorceress starts giving him spells to use so that he can achieve his dream of being a chariotier, his life takes a turn for the worse. Will he be able to count on the Romans' help to rescue Ahwere? Will he ever be free?

From the races in the Hippodrome, to the riots in the city, to battles between the prince and the Romans, the tension in this book never stops. The characters are believable, with the exception of the demon. As a reader who knows about Egyptian mythology but doesn't believe in it, the Ka demon is hard for me to take seriously. Overall, though, this story is very well-written.

The action-packed narrative describes the tales of Egyptian mythology in an exciting and riveting way. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves mythology and a good read.