Paneb the Ardent (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The five men had a mission: to break into the temple of the Place of Truth, the secret village on the west bank of Thebes,..." (more)
Key Phrases: new crew leader, starboard crew, rightful pharaoh, Place of Truth, Wise Woman, Scribe of the Tomb (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Corrupt officials, vengeful Libyans, assassination attempts, threats of civil war and the contemplated separation of North and South American history? Not here. Welcome to the colorful, ancient world of Upper Egypt as depicted by Egyptologist Jacq in his second series to cover the sandy region, after his five-volume Ramses project. In this third installment in a projected four-volume set, he focuses on the strife between Seti II and his son Amenmessu as each sets himself up as pharaoh. Painted against a backdrop of power struggles, women who poison the water supply out of boredom, hot desert sex, herbal medicine and superstition, Jacq's tale involves a little-known art society: the Brotherhood, made up of craftsmen of the Place of Truth, who create the magnificent tombs of the pharaohs in the sacred Valley of the Kings. It is their mission to guard the precious Stone of Light, the invaluable tool that enables them to fashion items of incomparable beauty. There is a traitor in their midst, however. Will this traitor discover the hiding place of the Stone of Light, and will he somehow threaten all of the good work of the most superior craftsman of all, the eponymous Paneb? Readers of Jacq's previous series as well as those who are familiar with the earlier two in this one will undoubtedly find satisfaction in this offering. However, there is an important murder left unresolved at the end, which works fine as a cliffhanger for loyal readers, but not for those picking this up as a stand-alone item.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Jacq continues his popular Stone of Light series with another suspenseful installment chronicling the lives and adventures of a select group of gifted craftspeople responsible for designing, building, and decorating the magnificent monuments of the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens in ancient Egypt. As in Nefer the Silent and The Wise Woman, an insidious plot threatens the sanctity of the hidden village dubbed the Place of Truth and the security of the sacred Stone of Light. Resentful that Nefer was appointed master of the Brotherhood, an unidentified traitor lurks in the Place of Truth, nursing a rapidly escalating grudge. When the opportunity arises, he conspires with outsiders to betray and destroy his own community. It remains the task of Paneb the Ardent, the adopted son of the Wise Woman and Nefer the Silent, to protect the forbidden village, his family, and the Brotherhood's most precious treasure from a cunning adversary. Like Jacq's best-selling Ramses quintet, this exciting narrative is set against the backdrop of nationwide political intrigue and turmoil. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Atria (February 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743403487
• ISBN-13: 978-0743403481
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #750,380 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent work in this great series, March 2, 2001

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

A secret community of artisans and their families living in the mythical Place of Truth design and build the royal tombs of the pharaohs. Life and death meet here to create special artistic designs that eventually become the resting-places of Egypt's rulers. The magical Stone of Light can turn anything into gold and make matter translucent. It is place of harmony, but one member of the community has allied himself with the group's enemy, General Mehy.

This traitor and the General plot to steal the Stone of Light and destroy the village. With Seth II about to be ordained pharaoh unless his own son's challenge defeats him, the timing is perfect to devastate the Place of Truth. General Mehy plays father against son planning to become the first Egyptian ruler in many years to rule without the Place of Truth on his side in victory.

The third volume in this fascinating ancient historical fiction series brings back all the key characters we either root for or against from the previous epic tales. Christian Jacq provides his usual visual and colorful story that makes an ancient civilization seem alive. Readers see a political intrigue thriller wrapped inside the golden age of Egypt and that leaves the audience appreciating an author who enhances a powerful plot with interesting details of a once thriving culture.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A HUMANISTIC-THEOCRATIC EPIC, May 6, 2001

By	Timothy Wingate "[e-mail]" (Ottawa CANADA) - See all my reviews

Following fast on the heels of "Nefer the Silent" and "The Wise Woman", this third instalment in Jacq's "Stone of Light" quartet keeps up the suspense and intrigue and involves most of the same characters. One can tell that he is an accredited Egyptologist by the knowledgeable details and fascinating insights he imparts in his telling of how royal and aristocratic tombs were labouriously hewn out of rock, how they were prepared for painting and decorating, and the incredible skill and artistry that went into these "homes for eternity". The author also gives enthralling medicinal insights (especially the special role of honey in healing) and information about what the ordinary Egyptian ate, drank, wore, thought. He has really cloaked himself with the time and place of pharaonic Egypt and has a cliff-hanging narrative to tell at the same time. I can hardly wait for the final chapter of this epic and sincerely hope that the author has plans for another series of novels as well-written and as erudite as the "Ramses" series and this "Stone of Light" series."Paneb the Ardent" has conniving temptresses, lusty tomb-painters, impotent pharaohs, a mystery villain, high intrigue, low comedy, arcane ritual, and grand epic. It is satisfying to see all the dry academic material that many of us have plodded through for years come to life in such an entertaining and elegantly-written way. His novels far surpass those of Pauline Gedge whose narrative skills are sometimes plodding and unconvincing. I suppose you have to really study the culture in an advanced way before you can craft tales from it. I look forward to re-reading all of Christian Jacq's novels some few years hence and trust they will be as "page-turning" then as they are now. All Egyptological readers deserve to treat themselvs to these convincing dramas of an era far behind in the mists of time but ever-present in human pan-consciousness for some inscrutable and mysterious reason.Tim Wingate from Ottawa, CANADA

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my review, March 30, 2001

By	Ana Maria Barrenechea (Westboro, Ma United States) - See all my reviews

In this volume of the series, the Master of the Place of Truth trains and initiates Paneb in the mysteries of the Brotherhood. Paneb grows into a master in his own right and becomes the leader of one of the two crews. At the same time, Egypt is undergoing major changes due to the differences between Seti II and his son Amenmessu. All this upheavals also affect the Place of Truth.

The enemy of this sacred place tries to take advantage of the difficulties and destroy it but the protection of the goddess always wins.

This book is so full of wonderful descriptions, it makes you live and actually feel the people, the places, the serenity of the sacred valley.

Once again the author brings to life the way people lived in those days and how profound was their beliefs in their gods and their influence in everyday life.

Wonderful book and a real joy to read.