SPEAR OF SETH

BY

RENE DANIEL

received from author for an honest review

Book Description (Amazon)

Publication Date: June 16, 2011

Alex Khyan, the protagonist of “Spear of Seth”, is very level-headed person, with both feet firmly planted on the ground. Or is he? What will he do when he faces a world he thought existed only in dreams of an ancient civilization? Alex is quite comfortable in his skin. He is a premed student of the Van Senmut College, so he has to be a serious young man, has he not? He now needs a summer job, and gets one. It is not what he is used to, since he will work as a translator at an archeological dig at the island of Elephantine in the Upper Egypt. Alex does not exactly care about history, but, since his mother is from Lebanon, he speaks Arabic, which gives him an edge. Little does he know what he is getting himself into. Enter Heather Van Senmut and her father, John Van Senmut, a grandson of the founder of the college and the archeologist in charge of the excavations. The dig is not just some dig; it is the ruins of the Temple of Osiris, which stands at the mythical place where Nile emerges from the Egyptian Underworld. The Temple attracts a lot of attention, some of which come from people, who would be more at home in Salem, Massachusetts, shall we say, about three hundred years ago. When John Van Senmut, falls ill and physicians give up on him, his daughter decides to search the Temple for the cause of the disease and possibly a cure. Her quest leads her, and her unwilling helper Alex, into the Netherworld, which survived the Egyptian civilization by two thousand years. They negotiate its dangers, as well as dangers, which come from their contemporaries. They do have only one guide – the Book of Gates, which decorates the sarcophagus of the pharaoh Seti. Are the demons, which are pictured there, only a product of the painter’s imagination? Will the Alex’s attitude be helpful, or will he have to change in order to survive? Will Heather realize that there is a difference between being determined and being ruthless? What did alchemists of medieval Europe know about the Underworld? Why Heather needs to find out?

MY REVIEW

Wonderfully fresh and unique. If you like Indiana Jones, you will love Spear of Seth. A fabulous lesson in Egyptian mythology, the gods come to life (literally) in this fantastic book. 

The story is told from the viewpoint of two college students, Alex and Heather. They are seeking the Spear of Seth. Characters in this book are engaging. One thing I can guarantee, you don't really know who is a 'good guy' and who is a 'bad guy' while you are reading. 

Alex ends up in the Egyptian Underworld, in the presence of the Egyptian pantheon, a very dangerous place to be. We learn about the gods/goddesses as the story progresses. 

This book is not just a well researched mythology lesson. You want action and adventure? Remember, I said this book is like Indiana Jones, that means action packed! I'm not kidding--from the very beginning until the end this book is chock full of action. 

If you like mythology, action and adventure, you should love Rene Daniel's new story.