Mummified: The Battle of Kadesh (Ramses Series - Christian Jacq)

Member Name: calypte

Product:	Ramses Series - Christian Jacq
Date:	05/12/01 (147 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: it was cheap

Disadvantages: stilted, superficial writing style, overuse of deus ex machina to move plot along

(I know this category is for the Ramses series in general, but this op is about one volume of the series. Rather than ask for a separate category, I’m sure my opinion on this series – even based on just this one book – more than shines through!! If anyone REALLY thinks I need to request a new category, please leave a comment. Thanks.)


As I’m sure some people might have noticed by now, I have a passion for reading and for books in general. I’ve also mentioned before that I like to browse a great ‘cheap’ bookshop near where I live, and pick up the odd bargain. This, I think, is the first instance of it going a little wrong.


THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
…is written in big letters on the front of this book. That and the fact it’s set in Egypt really caught my attention. The idea of ancient Egypt is absolutely fascinating to me – it sounds like fantasy, so much of it has become like myth, but it’s true! Well, the core of the tale anyway – the pyramids and Sphinx, the pharaohs, mummification – gory, but true. And I’m all for taking a historical setting and creating a fictional tale, adding imagination and romance (not the Mills and Boon kind!) to create a good story. Add to all that the fact that the book was only £2, and well of course I was going to buy it!


*BACKGROUND*
Briefly: French author Christian Jacq is an Egyptologist (a “leading” one, at that, according to the back of the book). The Battle of Kadesh has been translated from French by Dorothy S. Blair, and is the third volume in a series of five. The other titles are:
Volume 1: The Son of the Light
Volume 2: The Temple of a Million Years
Volume 4: The Lady of Abu Simbel
Volume 5: Under the Western Acacia

Before reading this book, I hadn’t read either of the previous volumes in the series, but I don’t really think it&
#8217;s absolutely necessary for an understanding of the events here. A few plot points are continued in the background (particularly an ongoing subplot involving Moses), but nothing essential to the story.


*THE STORY*
First things first: what is this book about? Well, as the title suggests, it’s about one of the most famous of the Egyptian pharaohs, Ramses. There are a huge amount of references to this or other pharaohs of same name in stories and legends, many of which are at odds with the story presented here - in other words, remember that this is a work of fiction, and don’t go into it with preconceptions about the character.

This book has Ramses as the hero and all-round nice guy. After his adventures in the first two novels (I assume), we find the Pharaoh at the age of 27, hoping to enjoy a peaceful life with his wife. However, the war-loving Hittite empire starts mounting attacks on Egyptian protectorates, and look set to break a treaty signed by Ramses’ father by declaring an all-out war. Meanwhile, plots and intrigue abound closer to home, and some of Ramses’ more trusted advisors might not be as trustworthy as he thinks.

As the events of the novel spin out, war with the Hittites seems unavoidable. We see some of the political wrangling of the Hittite court, too, and there are as many characters trying to double cross the Emperor as there are traitors in the Egyptian court. Despite all the spy games, however, the armies of the two empires finally meet – at Kadesh, of course – and it seems that Ramses may finally have met his match (if you’ll excuse the cliché)!


*STYLE*
Doesn’t sound too bad, does it? Oh, but there are some very good reasons why I’ve only given this book a one star rating! My major complaint lies with the style of writing - I think the best word I can use to describe it is ‘stilted’. Or, think of it like this: this book is
written in a way that reminds me of Egyptian art - you understand what is being represented, but, unlike many art works from a more modern era (i.e. the last few centuries), there is little expressiveness, characterisation or soul. M. Jacq tells the events of his story, but only by telling the events. There was little to grab my attention or to make me particularly care for these characters. I find myself thinking of this as a very superficial book - nothing seems to be explored with enough depth or feeling.

The author, Christian Jacq, is a French Egyptologist. I mention this for two reasons: one, for those of us who are a little, um, ‘rusty’ with the French language (the most useful phrase I can recall from my five years of the subject at school is: “Je suis nulle en Francais” - loosely, “I’m terrible at French”!) what we’re reading is a translation. Now, I’m not saying this is definitely a problem - for all I know, the translation is 100% perfect - but this is a possible area where a little of the style is getting lost. I could quite easily see this as a stilted translation, as I well remember my school French coming out in short, unsoulful sentences like this. However, I think it’s safe to assume that translator, Dorthory S. Blair, has an immensely better grasp of the language than I’ll ever manage, so I’m not absolutely sure she’s to blame.

Secondly, as a professional in the field, you can be fairly sure the picture of ancient Egypt here isn’t totally inaccurate. However, you shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that this is a work of fiction; no one really knows as much detail of the era as it would take to write a book like this without making a few educated guesses, at least. However, another possibility is that M. Jacq is a better historian than he is an author. The story isn’t bad, but unlike Wilbur Smith’s River God trilogy (also set in Egyp
t), I just didn’t find this conjured much of a picture of the time and places. I like to be able to loose myself in a book, and really feel ‘transported’ to another world, and this completely didn’t spark my imagination at all.


*MY OPINION*
I’m a stubborn soul when it comes to books, and I was determined to get passed the stiff writing style and enjoy the tale. For a time, I did think that the story wasn’t too bad, and would probably have upped my rating to two stars. However, I just can’t get over the fact that I really disliked too much about this book.

As an historian, Jacq could have entwined fact and fantasy so that the reader actually learned a little about the period. For example, the family set up of the Pharaoh, with a ‘main’ wife and another woman to produce his children, was shown in an intriguingly matter-of-fact manner. But instead, I merely found myself annoyed at the way in which magic, superstition and religion are portrayed as absolute reality – yes, I know the Egyptians really believed that it was the Pharaoh’s prayers to Amun that caused the sun to rise each morning, but I don’t. Too much of the narrative is dependent on the ‘magic’ working, rather than merely being perceived to be true, and then there is a moment of just completely ridiculous ‘deus ex machina’ (literally) at a crucial moment, which turned the thing into a farce for me.

As the actual storyline is frequently skimmed over as briefly as possible, I found the choice of details to occasionally dwell odd rather odd. Descriptions of clothing or detailed accounts of a meal seem unnecessary and quite baffling at times. There are frequent mentions of Ramses’ couplings with Nefertari, his wife, which seem gratuitous, and also throw up some very odd language: of all the comparisons that might be made to a woman’s physiology – i.e., lips like sof
tly unfurling rose petals, or something equally as poetic – the least flattering thing I think I could be told was that I had ‘breasts like love apples’ – love apples are tomatoes!! :o)

To top it all off, the book’s conclusion happens before the ending, with the final chapter become a lead in to the next volume. I for one will not be continuing with the saga.


*CONCLUSION*
While I quite obviously didn’t enjoy this book at all – only sheer stubbornness kept me reading until the end – obviously a lot of people have attained a good deal of enjoyment from it. If you’re considering reading this book, I’d really suggest you balance my opinion with that of a few people who did take something positive from the novel, but really the writing style just left me cold.

Summary: