Pillar of Fire [Audio Cassette]

Judith Tarr (Author), Anna Fields (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1996

A sweeping historical fantasy recreates life in ancient Egypt as seen by a slave to the Pharaoh Akhenaten, who banished worship of all the gods but one, led his tribe in the wilderness, and may have been the true Moses.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With her usual skill, Tarr (Throne of Isis) combines fact and fiction to create yet another remarkably solid historical novel set in ancient Egypt. This narrative is based on an intriguing premise: What if Moses, patriarch of monotheism, and the Pharaoh Akhenaten, who forbade the Egyptians from worshiping any god save the sun god Aten, were one and the same? After all, Akhenaten's body disappeared after his death, and Moses rose to prominence shortly thereafter. The third-person narration sticks close to the point of view of Nofret, a young Hittite slave girl who serves the Pharaoh's third daughter. Nofret is sharp-tongued and honest to a fault, qualities which, surprisingly, are valued by her aristocratic lady. The two women find their orderly lives turned upside down by Akhenaten's obsession with his god and his determination to father a son. After a devastating plague?attributed to Akhenaten's misrule?sweeps through the kingdom, Nofret finds refuge among some Hebrew slaves and makes her way to Sinai; later, although still dubious of his one god, she accompanies Moses/Akhenaten back to Egypt, where he demands that the slaves be freed. The juxtaposition of the Exodus story with the events in the Egyptian court makes for an engrossing saga, and Nofret's shrewd skepticism in the face of such great events lends the tale intimacy. This is a highly entertaining blend of romance, drama and historical detail.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Tarr's many fans will rejoice in her latest, meticulously researched novel set in ancient Egypt, which her artistry again brings to life for twentieth-century readers. Queen Hatshepsut, royal wife to Thutmose II and queen regent for Menkheperaa Thutmose, her husband's son by a concubine, was not content to rule under another's name. She made herself king and ruled over the Two Lands for years. Tarr weaves into the fabric of the strange facts of this ruler's life such arresting fictional threads as the story of the commoner Senenmut, son of a pot seller, who becomes Hatshepsut's confidant and secret lover as well as her chief servant and overseer. Realizing a turbulent world of courtly intrigues and infighting, Tarr provides a book that can be savored and enjoyed on many levels--perfect for beach reading, what with its lively portrait of enduring love between two who can never publicly acknowledge their commitment, and for such higher pleasures as those afforded by finely wrought characterizations and insights into the minds and hearts of the mighty. Whitney Scott --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786110619
• ISBN-13: 978-0786110612
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.7 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

More About the Author

I have a lot of academic credentials (PhD from Yale, MA from Cambridge University, AB from Mt. Holyoke) and taught writing and Latin at Wesleyan University in Connecticut--before I ran away from it all to live on a mesa in Arizona. I breed and ride Lipizzan horses, read and study history (and make up my own alternate and fantastical versions), and write--novels, short stories, articles. I teach writing online (details at http://capriole.smoe.org) and blog on the livejournals as dancinghorse. My alter ego is author Caitlin Brennan, who also has a plog on amazon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It Sticks in Your Craw, April 12, 2006

By 

Julie Bryant "An Avid Reader" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pillar of Fire (Paperback)

(Not that I have figured out what a "craw" is, though.)

When I first read this book, I enjoyed it. Not awesomely great, but definitely page-turningly good. What is interesting, though, is that it has yet to leave my mind after more than four years. Any time I hear of, or read about, anything to do with Moses, I'm immediately transported back to "Pillar of Fire" and wonder... It is a provocative novel that has true staying power.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't quite buy it, July 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Pillar of Fire (Paperback)

I think that Ms. Tarr is a good writer (her Avaryan Rising series was great!) but her genre is fantasy, not historic fiction. Fantasy has lots of room for imagination. Pillar of Fire, on the other hand, employs characters who lived and breathed. Since this is not my first book on Ancient Egypt, I had a chance to compare. Unfortunately, Pillar of Fire loses to to just about any Egyptian book that came my way.

First of all I did not buy Nofret: a slave, especially a woman, who dared to utter a word to the Princess or Pharaoh would have been dead that very moment. Feminism is a good thing, but not when you write about a slave in ancient Egypt...

Second, I don't think that Pharaoh marrying his daughters could have caused outrage because it was a custom for kings both before and after Akhenaten. (What about Akhenaten marrying his mother Tiye -- this was not even mentioned in the book)

Finally, I did not buy the Akhenaten - Moses theory. I don't think I have to go into detail on that (couple hundred years too early, maybe...)

The bottom line: read The Twelfth Transforming by Pauline Gedge for a MUCH more satisfying book on this subject.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, December 19, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Pillar of Fire (Paperback)

This book is really interesting. I am right now doing a unit study on Ancient Egypt, and my Mom got this for me from the library. Anyway, this would have to be the best Ancient Egyptian book I have read. I recommend it for readers who are mature though, younger readers may not understand some of the content. I enjoy how Ms. Tarr weaves the story, with many interesting facts in between. I also like how 'Nofret' (a Hittite slave girl) and I think many of the same things about the Pharoah's actions. I recommend this book to all of my friends!