Valley of the Kings: A Novel of Tutankhamun [Hardcover]

Cecelia Holland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1997

An intrepid Howard Carter struggles against the rigors of the desert and the intransigence of Egypt's Department of Antiquities while searching in the Valley of the Kings for a hidden tomb, in a fictional account of the discovery of Tutankhamen's long-lost tomb. 30,000 first printing."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Cecelia Holland's novel Valley of the Kings deftly re-creates the Egypt of Howard Carter in the early 20th century as that single-minded archeologist searches for the tomb of King Tutankhamen.With Carter as her narrator, Holland describes the heat, dust, thievery and bureaucracy of the time. Her evocative prose is vivid and exotic allowing the reader to hear the buzz of tropical flies and feel as sweat-soaked as her characters."--The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"[Valley of the Kings] is a must for Holland fans, and solid fare for everyone else."--Publishers Weekly

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

From the Publisher

"[Valley of the Kings] is a must for Holland fans, and solid fare for everyone else." --Publishers Weekly

"Cecelia Holland moves through history like a sorceress with a time machine." --Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Cecelia Holland's novel VALLEY OF THE KINGS deftly re-creates the Egypt of Howard Carter in the early twentieth century as that single-minded archeologist searches for the tomb of King Tutankhamun. . . . With Carter as her narrator, Holland describes the heat, dust, thievery, and bureaucracy of the time. Her evocative prose is vivid and exotic, allowing the reader to hear the buzz of tropical flies and feel as sweat-soaked as her characters." --The Cleveland Plain Dealer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 231 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1st Forge ed edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312863349
• ISBN-13: 978-0312863340
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,753,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A tragic waste of the time and talent of a terrific writer, June 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Valley of the Kings: A Novel of Tutankhamun (Hardcover)

Uninteresting, purposeless characters lost in a book in which they obviously have no desire to appear -- I am a strong fan of Cecelia Holland, have been since "The Firedrake," and found myself checking and rechecking the front cover because I could not believe this was a Holland book. Howard Carter is a faceless, personality-deficient automaton, the Egyptians are tiresome paper dolls. I still cannot understand why on earth Holland would have written this, let alone let it go to print.

Skip this one and go directly to "Jerusalem" and "Great Maria" or any of Holland's wonderful prior works such as "Until the Sun Falls," "Rakossy," "The Kings in Winter" and "Two Ravens." Why these are OP I cannot fathom, but they are readily available at used book services on line, and are worth seeking out. Please pass on this hopeless, fortunately uncharacteristic waste of time and paper.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Valley of the Kings: A Novel of Tutankhamun, November 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Valley of the Kings (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and chose it to review for my "Lost Civilizations" class. The characters in this book are largely based on their "true life" counterparts and if some people think that makes for dull reading then so be it. I was engaged through the entire text and found Ms Holland's interpretations of the Pharaoh's life to be very enlightening and interesting. Something obviously happened to this young man for him to die so young and the very idea that his wife murdered him added depth and intrigue to a very shaded and long-ago time. Her characterization of Howard Carter, the man who devoted his life to digging in the desert, is very straightforward and very much as my professor told the story in his lectures. Frankly, I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in King Tut, Egyptology, and the Valley of the Kings. If you don't have an interest, or want to know then leave it on the shelf, otherwise it's a story that you won't be able to put down.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars *Valley of Kings* more like *Valley of the Shadow of Death*, September 28, 1997

By 

Abi-Ru Shirzan "Rumi Circle" (Twinsburg, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Valley of the Kings: A Novel of Tutankhamun (Hardcover)

At her best, Cecelia Holland is matchless. She resists sentimentalism and excels at kicking off the confines of time and space. In *Valley of the Kings,* however, she casts herself in the unusual role of a "re-teller" and not as a spinner of tales--a fact nearly totally obscured by the book's advertising, printing, and packaging. Make no mistake. The story of Howard Carter, who fancies himself a realist even as he cherishes misconceptions of ancient Egypt's serenity, is beautifully antiphonal to (though far from seamlessly connected with) the story of dying Queen Nefertiti, petulant Tutankamon, and the "commoners" whom they exploit. It's a good read--just as good as it was when I read it the first time through, as the original work of Carter's grand-daughter. It is difficult to see what Holland has added, or why she has so disappointingly changed course. Keep reading Holland. Get an old copy of *Rakossy* or *The Kings in Winter* or *Firedrake* or *The Two Ravens* or *Until the Sun Falls* and revel in the breadth and originality of her vision, her "real" and recognizable characters. Don't settle for Holland as the back seat driver she appears to be in *The Valley of the Kings.* You will under-rate a gifted writer if you do.