In the course of reviewing this book I've come to understand why Book 1 received such a more wide ranging set of reviews than this, Book 2 in the series - those who were underwhelmed by the first book understandably did not continue reading the series. I bought a stack of Christian Jacq novels from a bookstore a couple of years ago whilst on the prowl for historical fiction to do with ancient Egypt. Christian Jacq seemed to be prominently displayed, and the words "international bestseller" were printed boldly on the front of every book, leading me to believe that I couldn't go wrong with a bulk buy of several of his books at once. I soon realised that I had made a critical error when I read the "Queen of Freedom" trilogy set at the end of the 17th Dynasty, which proved to be simplistic, unimaginative, poorly written and frankly awful. That soon got shipped off to the charity shop, but I was left with the dilemma of what to do with the remaining six books that I had bought. I reluctantly decided that, as an avid reader who truly hates to give up on a book halfway through, or even the idea of giving up on a series or author, that I ought to read them - I happened to have Book 2 but not Book 1 in this "Ramses" series, hence why I've reviewed this book but not the first one. Unfortunately, I swiftly regretted my decision as my sense of good literature gagged at the utter drivel liquefying my brain whilst I was reading this book.I'm not even going to cover the little niggles of the odd naming choices and the multiple grammatical and spelling mistakes, which are frankly insignificant in comparison to the bigger issues plaguing this novel. Some people have wondered if the terrible writing in these novels is down to the fact that they are actually translated from an original manuscript in Jacq's native French, and certainly some of the minor niggles above can be attributed to that - the spelling and grammatical mistakes for example are unlikely to have been reproduced by a translator from the original text, and therefore can be attributed to the translator. However, I don't think any translator could have been so bad as to be responsible for the flat characterisations, monotone plot and poor writing. Just to make sure, I checked inside the covers of all my books by Christian Jacq and it turns out that each series is translated by a different person, and yet they all suffer from the same problems. This is definitely an issue with the author, not the translator.The language was extremely simplistic and basic, you would think almost aimed at a readership of children. Most of the language was as simple as possible, and frequently clumsy or clunky. The dialogue was trite and tedious, peppered with anachronisms such as "You're on!" and "Cat got your tongue?" The characterisations were as flat as the paper they were printed on - everyone was either "a goodie" or "a baddie" with very little in between. It was all very black and white, no room for shades of grey, for subtle or complex characters. This made the entire cast of characters either boring or cheesy and clichéd, usually both at the same time. Historical figures from other periods and parts of the world are plopped in just for the heck of it - Helen of Troy, Menelaus, Homer. There are endless repetitive conversations where Ramses is told by some advisor that what he wants to do is impossible, but he decides to go ahead anyway (this happened a lot in the "Queen of Freedom" trilogy too). Plot devices are often tired and laughably cheesy, (view spoiler)[such as the opening scene where Ramses comes across a lion in the desert, lo and behold he's somehow friends with this lion and it understands what he says and obeys him. Convenient. Magical omens convince the general populace of Egypt that Ramses is chosen by the gods to be their pharaoh, instead of him demonstrating this by skill - one of many examples where Jacq avoids "showing" the reader but prefers to "tell" instead. Many of the characters act completely illogically and wildly nonsensically, for example Ramses wandering off into the deserts of Nubia completely alone to find water. (hide spoiler)]
This is the second book in the series and deals with the young Ramses II as he becomes Pharaoh and his early reign. This volume is about the early building projects which Ramses started and the various intrigues in the court designed to overthrow Ramses in favor of his older brother.I found the reasoning behind all the buildings and monuments to be fascinating. The thought was that building the temples and tombs was a way of honoring the gods and protecting Egypt. When Ramses was crowned, his nature was bound with the gods and he became their representative on earth. Building various temples would protect Ramses' Kah or eternal soul/spirit and bring prosperity to Egypt.The last few chapters deal with Moses and his emerging belief in the one God as opposed to Ramses. Moses is shown as the master builder of Ramses temples and ultimately his new Delta city, Pi Ramses. As he builds, he becomes more grounded in his Hebrew faith and the book ends as Moses heads for the desert.
Do You like book Ramses: The Eternal Temple (1998)?
He's young, handsome and rich. He's married to the most beautiful woman in the land. His name is Ramses and he's just become the new Pharaoh of Egypt. But all is not as wonderful as it seems. He's suffered a personal tragedy in his marriage. His elder brother wants to usurp his throne. Members of his court are lining up against him. There have been attempts on his life. And he lives with the fear that he won't measure up to the high standards needed in a Pharaoh. Book II of the five-book international bestselling series. Not a dry history of an ancient culture but a study in the pitfalls of being all too human. Honor and integrity fight against deceit and treachery. And through it all is the strength and love of two women who guide Ramses on his journey to greatness!
—Denise
Unfortunately the second book in the series makes me dread the next one.It's hard to believe that Christian Jacq is a egyptologist, when you hear the descriptions of Ramses. A certain freedom I had expected, but Christian Jacq portrait makes Ramses so unbelievable a character that he could have been any Pharoh or wizard for that matter.Jacq keeps repeating himself with descriptions of Nefertari and Ramses spiritual connection, their love, lovemaking etc. It's just filler and it is annoying to keep having to read the same over and over again.I am well aware that the Egyptions believed in the special powers of the Pharoh but unfortunately it just becomes laughable in this book.
—Troels
The prose this time flowed a bit better, and it wasn't as stilted as in the first book. There's a bit of intrigue and plotting going on, a bit of character development—but that's it. Just bits. There's also a certain amount of repetition, and I can't for the life of me work out if it's deliberate for some literary reason I'm missing, or if it's just the editor not paying attention. As with the first in the series, there are some interesting elements tucked away here and there, but it's not the most gripping read.
—Sam
