Pharaoh (Kleopatra, Volume II) [Hardcover]

Karen Essex (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2002 | Series: Kleopatra (Book 2)

Following on from 'Kleopatra', the glittering epic of Egypt's queen continues as she allies herself with Anthony and begins a love story that immortalizes her as one of history's greatest political players and most tragic heroines.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The second volume of Essex's Kleopatra series, which picks up as the 22-year-old queen of Egypt returns from exile in Rome, overflows with war, sex, political intrigue and the fruits of Essex's assiduous research on everything from ancient Egyptian religious ceremonies to traffic laws in Julius Caesar's Rome. Essex's Kleopatra is ruled by her lust for power. Everything she controls her body, her money is a tool with which to improve her position and that of her country. As she puts it, "In matters of state, let your blood run cold." She joins with Caesar, aligning Egypt with Rome, but when he's murdered, Kleopatra lays the groundwork for a similar association with Antony, to whom she is overwhelmingly attracted. Each of these alliances transcends its political motivation. Kleopatra loves both men, viewing Caesar as a mentor and Antony as a soul mate. Yet this love never clouds her self-promoting vision, making Essex's Kleopatra more than a simple seductress, as she is often portrayed. Indeed, the careful balance Essex strikes between Kleopatra's intimate emotional life and her statecraft makes this a satisfyingly nuanced and approachable portrait. As with its predecessor, the novel's rich language, attention to historical detail and fast-flowing action offer an invigorating read for those interested in ancient history or simply the thrills of battles and romance.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This stunning sequel to Kleopatra completes the story of one of the most celebrated, audacious, admired, and reviled women the world has ever known. History is always written by the victor, and so it was in the case of the political union among Kleopatra, Julius Caesar, and Marcus Antonius. Octavian, Kleopatra's most implacable enemy, much maligned her in his autobiographical papers, and the picture he painted of Kleopatra as ruthless, decadent, and self-indulgent has been passed down through the ages. Essex gives us a new image of the famous ruler, though even she claims in the author's notes that she may have been unkind to Octavian in an effort to balance the historical record. Nonetheless, in Pharaoh we see a queen who carefully and intelligently forges strong political and personal bonds to Rome through Julius Caesar prior to his assassination, then to Antony, Caesar's protege. The deep commitment she feels for these two men, her children, and her country is evident in every page right up to the final climactic moment of her tragic death. Though the plot occasionally bogs down in the morass of historical detail, readers will enjoy the vivid portrayal of Kleopatra and the period in which she lived. Recommended for larger public libraries. Jane Baird, Anchorage Municipal Libs., AK
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (August 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446530255
• ISBN-13: 978-0446530255
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.3 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #445,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Karen Essex is the author of five novels of historical fiction. The latest, DRACULA IN LOVE, retells Bram Stoker's tale from the female perspective. STEALING ATHENA chronicles the fantastic journey of the controversial Elgin Marbles. The national and international bestseller LEONARDO'S SWANS, for which she won Italy's prestigious 2007 Premio Roma for foreign fiction, is the story of the rivalry between Leonardo's muses. Essex also wrote two acclaimed biographical novels, KLEOPATRA and PHARAOH, about the infamous queen of Egypt.

She is also an award winning journalist and a screenwriter, and wrote BETTIE PAGE: LIFE OF A PINUP LEGEND, the only authorized biography of the late pin-up icon.

Presently dividing her time between London and Los Angeles, Karen invites friends and readers to follow along as she chronicles her adventures, joys, and sorrows in putting together a complex work of historical fiction: www.karenessex.com/blog. Also, please follow her on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/karenessex.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A breathtaking novel, rich in detail and historical minutiae, October 15, 2002

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pharaoh (Kleopatra, Volume II) (Hardcover)

PHARAOH is, in a word, breathtaking. In more than a word: barbaric, sensual, entrancing, romantic, tender and cruel, with a lusty cast of characters. Karen Essex presents her vision of the great queen of Egypt in this captivating novel rich in detail and, if anything, filled with more historical minutiae than the first volume, KLEOPATRA. It is a kaleidoscope of Roman and Greek trivia.

With a familiar cast of characters, including Cicero, Cato, Octavian, and of course, Marcus Brutus, comes a fresh slant on this timeless tragedy. Kleopatra is not painted as the philandering vixen of the movies. Her fabled charms surface in small ways throughout the story, but Ms. Essex focuses on Kleoptra's political cunning and war tactics in her efforts to forestall takeover by the greedy Roman empire.

PHARAOH continues the mystique of KLEOPATRA, published last year. It begins in the 20th year of Kleopatra's reign as she is trying to rejuvenate a listless Marc Antony. Within a few pages, we are back in the third year of her reign. We join her at age 22 as she returns from exile, devising a clever ploy to evade her brother's army and seduce her way into an alliance with the great Julius Caesar. The book tells her life story from then on and only occasionally do we get a sense of foreboding in the chapters that jump ahead to the 21st year of her rule.

I won't bore you with a synopsis of the plot, for the story has been told many times. We all know of the betrayal of Caesar and the disastrous end Antony and Kleopatra came to. Yet Ms. Essex managed to grip and hold onto my attention from the very first page.

The author's ability to mesmerize her audience is showcased in myriad scenes, one of the best being Ceasar's murder. She personalized it for me by putting me right there beside him in the Senate, facing his assassins. The scene is not shortened in an effort to spare the bloody gruesomeness. Each blow of the dagger brought an empathic sort of pain. Caesar's thoughts as he lay dying --- imagined, by necessity --- ran through my head, leaving behind seeds of ideas and philosophical musings to mull over later.

But Kleopatra's horror at the realization of her predicament snapped me out of the reverie created by Caesar's joining with the gods. The serious position his death placed her in stole my attention and I could do nothing but read on, spellbound, anxious to see how the gods would favor her escape.

Sex pervades the story's atmosphere. This was an era when sex was used to further political strategies. But Kleopatra's best advice from her Prime Minister takes precedence more than once: "In matters of state, let your blood run cold." For a woman of her intense passion, this proves to be very difficult.

Although a highly engrossing read, I could not bring myself to move through the story with any speed, choosing instead to savor each of Ms. Essex's exquisite words. The last 30 pages or so took a couple hours to read, for the beauty of the writing mixed with the tragedy of the lovers' last days kept me running for Kleenex and tracing the keenly detailed events again and again.

...Reviewed by Kate Ayers

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Karen Essex does it again!, September 4, 2002

By 

S. K. Shirley "Cleo" (Williamsville, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pharaoh (Kleopatra, Volume II) (Hardcover)

This is great second book in the Kleopatra series. Ms. Essex does a wonderful job bringing the thoughts, actions, and mystery of Kleopatra to life. The book begins with her concerns about Antony's depression and self-degredation after the battle at Actium. She well knows what brings him to life and has summoned the most beautiful harlots in the kingdom and rallies their support as though they were an army to bring him to his senses. Then the story jumps back to her beginnings with Caesar and jumps back to Antony again. The switch in story line is well placed and doesn't detract at all from the seamless flow of the book. A well written, in-depth story that keeps you turning pages and makes you feel like you are there experiencing it all along with each character. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is an arm-chair Egyptologist and enjoys the lives and tribulations of the ancients.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than the first..., August 12, 2004

By 

P. D. (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pharaoh (Kleopatra, Volume II) (Hardcover)

Ok, so I have to admit I kind of liked this one. After I had read the first in the series (KLEOPATRA), I didn't hope for much. I was pleasantly surprised. Even though it seems as if a lot of events were crammed into PHARAOH's modest size (perhaps Essex should have included more history and less far-fetched bunk in the inferior KLEOPATRA????), it works. Kleopatra's relationships are beautifully crafted and I will admit that I fell for Antony as well! I wish that Essex would have paid more attention to Kleopatra's role as a mother as well, because when the children do pop up, it seems a bit random. Also, I was angry that Kleopatra's loyal servant Iras was turned into a cross-dressing eunuch-- I found that a bit hard to believe. Although I still- and probably always will- favor Margaret George's incomparable MEMOIRS OF CLEOPATRA, Karen Essex's PHARAOH was powerful, moving, and fluid in its own right. Read both and learn something.