Customer Reviews

HIPPOPOTAMUS MARSH-C (Lords of the Two Lands)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Pauline Gedge has been granted a gift. She has the ability to bring civilizations, long dead, to life through her words. Imagine that you are the ruler of a specific region of a country and that you receive a letter from your king, who lives several hundred miles away, which states that the noise made by the Hippopotami who inhabit your marsh are keeping him awake at night. What a ridiculous notion! Yet Seqenenra Tao must deal with a king who is just this irrational. Add to this mixture the fact that the king is a foriegner, a Setui or Hyksos as we know them today, and that in Seqenenra Tao flows the blood of the rightful pharoahic line of Egypt and The Hippopotamus Marsh, Gedge's masterful tale of revolt in Ancient Egypt, is begins. Truly, I couldn't put this book down until I finished it and I am finding the same thing to be true of the Oasis, which I am reading now. These characters are so well developed that the reader invests much in their lives.

Once again, Ms. Gedge uses her papyrus time-machine to transport us back to a vivid and living ancient Egypt. We find ourselves walking among the sands of time as it slowly drifts between the late Seventeenth and early Eighteenth Dynasties. Egypt at this time has been occupied for nearly two hundred years by the Hyksos, foreign Asiatics who rule from the Delta city of Avaris. Apophis, the Hyksos king, delights in imposing ridiculous demands on the semi-autonomous Egyptian princes of the South. The straw that breaks the camels back, is an edict to kill every hippopotamus in the Nile marshes around the city of Thebes. This terrible task the Theban prince cannot bear, nor will he do. The prince is Sequenenre Tao II. This book is the first in a trilogy about the expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt by the House of Tao. It is a compelling and imaginative saga, with brilliant twists and turns of historical fiction. Ms. Gedge lays a feast of alternative history on the palate that is sumptious and exotic. Enjoy! Book two of this trilogy "The Oasis", is scheduled for release in October of 2000.

I liked the first two books of the new series Hippopotamus Marsh and Oasis)- they are well researched and touch upon the least known period of the Egyptian history. This series may seem a little dry (no romance whatsoever) than Ms. Gedge's other books (Child of the Morning, Lady of the Reeds). But for those who are more into history and less into romance, this would be a treat! Can't wait for the conclusion

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL THREE BOOKS BEFORE YOU BEGIN!!

If you love historical fiction with its intrigues, plots, regal characters, and faraway times, get ready for a fabulous reading experience. And if Egyptian history is your thing, you'll be pleased with this investment.

This is the first book I have read by Pauline Gedge, and what a find. It certainly will not be the last. She has a wonderfully fluid writing style and the ability to breath life into her characters. You can't help but feel the intensity of their convictions.

Very entertaining and fast-paced. I have no need to retell the story...just make the time and soar into ancient times.

I love reading historical fiction because, when it's done correctly, we can live in a time that has past. "The Hippopotamus Marsh" is the first book by Pauline Gedge that I have read, and I will probably read some of her others. She writes so descriptively that you really feel like you are in the story. I will admit that the book is a little hard to get into. There are so many characters that a list and descriptions are at the front of the book, and I used it frequently at the beginning! Once I got into the story though, I was hooked! You feel for Sequenenra and his family and you want them to overthrow the King Apepa. I won't give anything away, I hate it when people do that, just read this book. If you enjoy historical fiction, Ancient Egypt, or a story about a family that loves each other, you'll like "The Hippopotamus Marsh."

This book is a must for any Egpyptophile. Thoroughly researched, in this book Pauline Gedge brings to life the architechs of the the New Kingdom. Starting with the historically documented demand of Aposis to silence the loud hippotami at Thebes, the story moves rapidly into into the series of events that lead to rebellion of the native Egyptians against the foreign opressors of the Hyksos dynasty. There is the high drama of Sequenenere Tao hacked to death by the Hyksos on the battle field as his mummy testifies to when discovered in modern times and the pathos of the homecoming of his body to his family in Weset (Thebes). I can't wait for Volume 2.

The three volumes of Gedge's latest series are all equally delightful. Set at the end of the 17th dynasty, and the beginning of the glorious 18th, Gedge's well-informed prose illuminates another era of Ancient Egyptian history. Her characters are always believable, and fully-fashioned.

There is a lot of fiction written about this fascinating ancient civilization, but it is rare for the reader who is informed about the actual history to feel comfortable. Gedge never fails to create an authentic atmosphere. There is never total agreement among Egyptologists about specific events and the time is so remote as to be almost incomprehensible to a modern person, Gedge is seldom criticized for historical inaccuracy. I have always felt comfortable in her Egypt.

The Hyksos (interlopers from Asia Minor with Creton and Minoan trading connections) ruled Egypt for over two hundred years at the end of the "Middle Kingdom" era. Theirs was a gradual and almost bloodless seizure of power, but once ensconced in their Delta strongholds they sacked Memphis and plundered Egypt. Their archers and horse drawn chariots give them military superiority over the Egyptians. But in the middle of the Seventeenth Dynasty the native princes of Upper Egypt rebelled against the foreigners, their alien gods and ways. Seqenenra Tao, Prince of West, lead the revolt against the Hyksos. His provincial aristocratic family are accustomed to a life of impoverished gentility on their estate, far removed from the center of power and commerce in the Delta and the influence of the Hyksos. But when the Prince decides to through off the shackles of subservience, their lives change as each family member must risk everything, including their lives, to restore Egyptians and their gods to glory. Highly recommended for historical fiction enthusiasts, The Hippopotamus Marsh is a thrilling novel of epic proportions and the first of a planned trilogy. Author Pauline Gedge brings the antiquarian Egypt vividly to life with her engaging and thoroughly entertaining story of passion, intrigue, and the ushering in of the downfall of the Hyksos and the emergence of Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty.

Pauline Gedge's books are like time machines that transport the reader back to a very exciting time in History. You can feel, taste and hear the very sounds of ancient Egypt as no other (or very few)authors have been able to achieve in other books. Her characters are real people but the dialogue never lapses into a "B Movie" mentality. I eagerly await the next installment of this historic based family in the sequel.

This first volume of a trilogy about the liberation of Egypt from the Hyksos tells the story of Seqenenra Tao, Prince of Weset, who disapproves of the Hyksos King, Apepa. It all starts when the King sends a message to Seqenenra, asking to kill the hippopotamus for they keep him awake at night. At the King's next request, that of building a temple to the foreign god Sutekh, Seqenenra starts a revolt to reclaim all of Egypt and musters an army, with the help of his wife, sons, daughters and mother. Based on historical facts, the author describes in accurate details the lives led by the Egyptians during the Seventeenth Dynasty. Filled with nasty politics, intrigue, passion and conspiracy, everyone will enjoy this novel.