Merenptah (The Fall of the House of Ramesses, #1), A Novel of Ancient Egypt by Max Overton


Merenptah (The Fall of the House of Ramesses, #1), A Novel of Ancient Egypt
Title : Merenptah (The Fall of the House of Ramesses, #1), A Novel of Ancient Egypt
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : -
Language : English
Format Type : Kindle Edition
Number of Pages : -
Publication : First published December 20, 2014

Egypt was at the height of its powers in the days of Ramesses the Great, a young king who confidently predicted his House would last for a Thousand Years. Sixty years later, he was still on the throne. One by one, his heirs had died and the survivors had become old men. When Ramesses at last died, he left a stagnant kingdom and his throne to an old man--Merenptah. What followed laid the groundwork for a nation ripped apart by civil war.

The House of Ramesses is in the hands of an old man. King Merenptah wants to leave the kingdom to his younger son, Seti, but northern tribes in Egypt rebel and join forces with the Sea Peoples, invading from the north. In the south, the king's eldest son Messuwy is angered at being passed over in favour of the younger son...and plots to rid himself of his father and brother.

Merenptah (The Fall of the House of Ramesses, #1), A Novel of Ancient Egypt Reviews

  • Reeda Booke

    I loved the author's Scarab series and I was very happy to see that he has written another series set in Ancient Egypt, this time dealing with the Ramses era.

    The great Ramses has died and leaves Merenptah on the throne, who is already old. So now he must decide who will rule after him: Messuwey, his eldest son, or his youngest son, Seti. His choice will cause strife in the land as one gets chosen to be heir and the other vies for power. Throw in some unsavory characters, a priest of Amun who will do anything to have the god be preeminent in all the land and rebellious tribes invading from the northern lands, and you have a great story full of all the things I enjoy.

    I am on to the second book!

  • Paul Burnette<span class=

    Tausret, Messuwy, Seti, Merenptah, and a neutral narrator tell us this story, alternating their perspectives on events during the 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt. It’s always the question of the succession, right? And here Merenptah succeeds to the through as an old man already, following the death of his 90-year-old father, Usermaatre. Then eldest surviving son Messuwy expects to be named heir, but isn’t. A promise Merenptah made years before to his father makes 10-year-old Seti most likely to succeed. But King Merenptah makes no announcement, even after son Seti grows up. And following all these developments is the young woman prodigy Tausret, half-sister to Seti. Tausret is level-headed, aspiring, and worthy, saving Egypt (Kemet) from an invasion and a plot to kill both King and favored son. Overton’s books are always interesting, full of colorful characters, intrigues, wonderful heroines, realistic settings, and captivating plots. No exception here, and I think I’ll stop here and go download the next two books in the series, centering in turn on Seti and then Tausret.

  • Susan Greiner

    I enjoyed this book. It gives insight into the possible lives of the ancient pharaohs of Egypt. The main reason I chose this book was because I was travelling to Egypt and wanted to get in tune with the history. Besides being a fun novel, it did follow much of what is known about the history during which the characters (who are actual historical figures) lived. It brought to life what might otherwise have been just lists of names. It helped me learn and commit to memory the relationships of the kings and queens and nobles of the time, so that when I got to Egypt and saw their tombs and temples, I felt like I knew who they were. Great fun. Besides all of that, Max Overton wrote a good story. Fun to read even if you aren't going to Egypt.