In this, the last book of the trilogy, the youngest son of Seqenenra Tao assumes command of the native armies rebelling against the Pharaoh Apepa, whose alien dynasty has ruled Egypt for two hundred years. When his dedicated but ascetic older brother, Kamose, was assassinated by his own allies, Ahmose was seriously wounded. The women of the family must hold the native forces together until Ahmose can recover and develop a strategy that will bring about the downfall of the "rulers of the uplands," whom we know today as the Hyksos.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Chronicling the struggle between Egypt's native kings and the foreign Setiu rulers during the 12th dynasty, Gedge's Lords of the Two Lands trilogy sweeps to completion in this hefty final volume (following The Hippopotamus March and The Oasis). Although readers unfamiliar with the previous novels may peruse the helpful foreword, a list of 62 characters featuring such confusingly similar names as Ahmose, Ahmose-onkh, Ahmose Abana and Ankhmahor may daunt newcomers. Ahmose Tao, youngest son of the first rebel pharaoh, takes up the reins of power against Setiu King Apepa, who has claimed the uplands and caused the death of Ahmose's father and brother. Upon crowning himself King, Ahmose leaves the village of Weset and his sister/wife, Aahmes-nefertari, to lead the army toward Het-Uart, the Setiu royal home. They plan to storm the walled city and seize control of the crucial Horus Road. When Apepa's greatest general dies in battle, he closes the city, and Ahmose's army must hold vigil until Het-Uart crumbles. Back in Weset, Queen Aahmes-nefertari is lavishly rebuilding her family's empire and enjoying the authority accorded her by her husband's absence. When Ahmose returns, their growing coolness toward each other is exacerbated by the death of their daughter and another ill-fated birth. Ahmose leaves again for battle, where Apepa escapes his army and flees to Rethennu. As the Egyptians continue their march after Apepa, Ahmose endeavors to oust the Setiu, unite the realm and restore glory to his gods, whatever the price. Gedge's meticulous research is rendered in able prose; unfortunately, the novel often sinks under the weight of historical detail and long, drawn-out battle scenes. More fictionalizing and a few editorial cuts would have made the going less laborious.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-This concludes Gedge's stunning trilogy, in which the royal Tao family reunites Upper and Lower Egypt, drives out the land's foreign Hyksos rulers, and establishes ancient Egypt's 18th Dynasty. The Hippopotamus Marsh (2001) told of the origins of the war, in which the Egyptian patriarch Sequenra led an ill-fated rebellion. In The Oasis (2000, both Soho), his older son Kamose carried on the fight in a ruthless-but ultimately inconclusive-drive northward down the Nile. In this volume, Ahmose, the last surviving Tao male, finally takes the walled Hyksos fortress in the Delta, pursues the foreign king to his desert stronghold beyond the Horus Road, and reclaims the greatest royal treasures. As he and Egypt's other hereditary princes wage their war against the "Desert Princes," the genial and moderate Ahmose grows into a strong and innovative military leader. Meanwhile, back home in Westet, the remarkable women of the Tao family-Ahmose's grandmother, his mother, and his sister-wife-maintain order and prepare for peace, revealing a genius for designing and administering governmental systems that will guide the new Egypt in its future prosperity. This is not just a tale of war but also a compelling family saga and a moving story of personal challenge, growth, and responsibility, and readers who get caught up in it will find an ancient time brought vividly to life. Although The Horus Road can be read independently, it is best enjoyed as the final chapters in a single, memorable work.
Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unification and redemption,
This review is from: The Horus Road (Lords of the Two Lands) (Hardcover)
The Horus Road is the third and last book that comprises the "Lords of the Two Lands" trilogy about the expulsion of the Hyskos from Egypt by the House of Tao. Although this book at times goes into literally too much detail, it is still an exemplar of the brilliance of the author. Ms. Gedge is well known for her lush and picturesque fictional ancient Egypt novels that are tightly bound with meticulous historical and period research. This novel does indeed carry on that tradition. In this third installment, Ahmose Tao fulfills the destiny of his deceased older brother Kamose, and succeeds in expelling the hated Hyskos usurpers from Egypt's Delta region. This final victory marks the beginning of Egypt's glorious Eighteenth Dynasty. In The Lords of the Two Lands trilogy, Ms. Gedge succeeds in her stated desire to rehabilitate Kamose Tao in the eyes of Pharaonic Egyptian history. Every succeeding pharoah owes to him a great debt of gratitude for his vision, dedication, and self-sacrifice. Something else also occurs in this brilliant trilogy, that being the acknowledgement of the courage of the three Queens who contributed greatly to the expulsion. Although arbitrarily placed by historians in the Seventeenth Dynasty, Queen Tetisheri can rightly be thought of as the birth mother of the golden Eighteenth Dynasty. The success of the Hyskos expulsion could not have been accomplished without the great contributions of Queens Aahotep and Aahmes-Nefertari. These two brave and courageous women contributed greatly to overall battle strategy, and from the extant written records we come to the conclusion that they also commanded soldiers in battle. From this triad of queens sprang the unique qualities that would mark many of the powerful queens that followed them... Hatshepsut, Tiye, Nefertiti, and Ankhesenamun. On balance, I highly recommend not only this book, but the complete Lords of the Two Lands trilogy and indeed every novel authored by the master of this genre, Pauline Gedge.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a fabulous epic series!!,
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This review is from: The Horus Road (Lords of the Two Lands) (Hardcover)
Pauline Gedge is an excellent and imaginative writer and a great storyteller. I read the trilogy in a week, and this book in two sittings. I was captivated by the fast-moving story. What a fabulous reading experience.I am usually totally lost when any author tries to describe multi-focal battle scenes, but I found her descriptions easy to envision. I thank Ms. Gedge for including a map, creating a cast of memorable characters, and illustrating many aspects of everyday life in "royal" Egypt. Her descriptive talents allow one to visualize meals, dress, the struggles of daily life, human frailties, and even complex religious customs and rituals. It's ending was a little anticlimactic...perhaps a sequel? Ahmose's second son, Amunhotep, becomes the next pharaoh. It made me wonder what happened to his first stepson, or even if he was an historical figure. I'm definitely adding Ahmose to my Historical Hunks and Heroes list. I am pleased to add this trilogy to my library.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amun is Satisfied...but has the cost been too great?,
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This review is from: The Horus Road (Lords of the Two Lands) (Hardcover)
The house of Tao has long waited for the god Amun to end his demands of personal loss and sacrifice for the return of the rule of Ma'at (rightful law & justice by the true Egyptian Pharoah of royal blood)to Egypt. After living through his father Seqenenra's slaughter, his brother Si-Amun's suicide, his brother Kamose's murder and his sister Tani's marraige to a traitor, Ahmose Tao may finally see the unification of Upper and Lower of Egypt and feel the weight of the Double Crown of the Pharoah rest upon his brow. Still, there remain so many obstacles to overcome if peace and prosperity are to reign. The Setiu usurper, Apepa, once Pharoah of the whole land, still lives and controls the northern capital of Het-Uart. The trade routes along the Horus Road, necessary for Egypt to thrive, remain out of Ahmose Tao's control. Furthermore, there is the business of the government itself. As Ahmose will learn, it is one thing to build, motivate and lead an army during a time of war, but quite another to create a government to rule a country that has been devastated by the scars of battles. Ahmes-Nefertari, Ahmose's wife, grows skilled in the arts of politics and diplomacy but will her ability to rule, the joy she takes with her accomplishments and her new found independence tear her marriage apart? Can Ahmose and Ahmes-Nefertari hold Egypt and their family togther? The Horus Road is the conclusion to the Gedge's trilogy which depicts the events that usher in the great 18th Dynsaty. It is fitting for Gedge to have focused such attention on Ahmes-Nefertari as well as Tetisheri and Aahotep (her grandmother and mother, respectively) in this final volume as these three women are the ancestors of the only woman to rule as Pharaoh, Hatshepsut (Gedge's Child of the Morning is an incredible book if you would like to learn more about this amazing woman!). As always, the attention to detail is precise and the amount of research done by the author shines through each sentence. Egypt comes alive once again in a Pauline Gedge novel and I have had the pleasure of visiting, if only for a little while...
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