An Evil Spirit Out of the West (Ancient Egypt Trilogy)

The Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten has been the subject of many, many novels, most of which I have read. P.C. Doherty is the author of many books, most of which I have read as well. I must say, however, that as novels about Akhenaten goes, this one is better than a lot I have read. And, as a book by P.C. Doherty, this book is also somewhat better than many of his medieval mysteries and a hundred times better than his other ancient Egyptian mysteries (The Slayers of Seth, etc.) which are marred by abysmal research and ridiculous plots. It reminds me a little bit of Naguib Mafouz's novel of Akhenaten, "Akhenaten, Dweller in Truth", but the plot is far more convoluted. I look forward to seeing how the series progresses.

This is one of the more exciting books about ancient Egypt I have ever read. It is part one to trilogy about exhilarating events surrounding end of 18th dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs including famous Akhenaten, the ancient ruler who was trying to introduce the belief in one and omnipotent God - Aten, his most beautiful but quizzical wife Nefertiti, and Akhenaten's son, Tutankhamen. The story is told through memoirs of former Chief of Police and Head of Security, Mahu, who apparently left behind him the entire story written and later translated into Greek and Latin. I highly recommend the book and would rate it 5 stars except I would prefer Mahu not be a narrator and to read this book from the 3rd person point of view. Mahu is too me a bit too indulgent, self-made and irritating. But if Paul Doherty is accurate about truthfulness of Mahu's memoirs, this is one engrossing and vibrant tale about fabled Akhenaten (called the Veiled one or Grotesque one due to his body deformity), his rise to power, and sudden disappearance. The book is extremely rich in description of ancient Egyptian religious customs, everyday life and traditional lore. Paul Doherty, known from his medieval and other ancient Egyptian mysteries, comes up with intriguing tale of love, deception, revenge, greed and faith. He paints a breath-taking picture of ancient Egypt and its rulers, describes social issues and depicts religious struggles enfolding during introduction of Sun-disc God and desertion of traditional Egyptian deities, who happened to be irreplaceable and led to Akhenaten's demise. Paul Doherty uses extremely affluent but easy language to follow, and the book is well researched from the historical point of view, but doesn't confound people with lack of ancient history knowledge.

Paul Doherty is the consummate professional when it comes to writing historical novels. I for one do not know how he can be so prolific with his offering of books and yet make sure that each of them is well researched. Whether they be 13th, 14th, or fifteenth century they are always true to the period. He also writes about Ancient Egypt and Alexander the Great. Paul Doherty has the rare talent of making you feel as though you are there, be it medieval England, or battling with Alexander. The sounds and smells of the period seem to waft from the pages of his books. In this series he returns to Ancient Egypt.

This book has as its main character, Akenhaten, perhaps one of the most written about Pharaoh's of Ancient Egypt. Known as the Veiled One he had a turbulent and at times astounding reign. Akenhaten is thrust to the forefront of the political stage after the death of his elder brother. It is then that the ambitious and ruthless Mahu realises his own chance for fame and wealth, by becoming the protector of the young prince. He knows that by becoming the Akenhaten's protector and confidant he can rapidly increase his own status and power at the Egyptian court.

First in the believable fictional trilogy about Akhenaten, the mysterious mystical pharaoh, and the turmoil of his reign in which he attempted to entirely overthrow the old religions of Egypt. Paul Doherty, a professor of history who seems to research his books very well, is also an outstanding writer. This is the first in the series, narrated by Mahu, an actual historical character, the chief of police. Wonderful book!

The vendor delivered the book very quickly and well-packaged.
The book itself was very entertaining. I have read a number of Doherty' other
Ancient Egypt books and found this one to be equally enjoyable. The author's level of knowledge and detail of life in ancient Egypt is outstanding.
The story itself chronicles the life of an Egyptian who becomes the bodyguard
of one of Egypt's most controversial rulers. The author develops a storyline to
coincide with known facts of Akenhaten and those around him. This series is not so
much a mystery series as the Amerotke books are, as it is a chronicle of what
might have happened to Akenhaten and Nefertiti. I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

The vendor delivered the book very quickly and well-packaged.
The book itself was very entertaining. I have read a number of Doherty' other
Ancient Egypt books and found this one to be equally enjoyable. The author's level of knowledge and detail of life in ancient Egypt is outstanding.
The story itself chronicles the life of an Egyptian who becomes the bodyguard
of one of Egypt's most controversial rulers. The author develops a storyline to
coincide with known facts of Akenhaten and those around him. This series is not so
much a mystery series as the Amerotke books are, as it is a chronicle of what
might have happened to Akenhaten and Nefertiti. I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

Very exciting look at an era of ancient Egypt that has never been completely explained. Combined with mystery and suspense.

i like paul's books. he has a gift for characters and dialog. his descriptions of settings are vivid and you can see the locations in your mind's eye. i won't say don't read the book, but you have to read this book taking into consideration that historically, it is woefully inaccutate. kiya was not tut's mother. according to dna tests, his mother was one of akhenaten's sisters. according to measurements taken by howard carter, tut's head measurements fall within the normal parameters for a human skull. they have found akhenaten's partial skeleton and he does not have a grossly misshapen skull. they have found a large number of skeletons buried in amarna that supports the idea that there was a plague. they did not burn the plague victims. they buried them. they would have naturally mummified in the hot desert sand. they would not burn bodies because it went against religious belief that the body needed to be preserved to survive into the next world. you cannot go by Egyptian tomb art or statues for an accurate depiction of what the pharaohs looked like. before akhenaten, they were idealized images. when he came to power, the artists were given free reign and then went overboard. the art style was a caricature of the royal family. there has been a theory floating around for years about akhenaten being Moses. it is total bunk. it completely goes against what we know about Moses. if you believe the Bible, he was Jewish (let my people go) NOT Egyptian. it also invalidates the story of him being found in a basket floating in the Nile.

One of Doherty's best! It feels like Mahu is talking directly to us. Beautifully written. I've enjoyed
it 3 times now.

got here quickly - glad I bought this