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What mystical secrets lie beneath the Great Pyramids?
The world changes for Ethan Gage—one-time assistant to the renowned Ben Franklin—on a night in post-revolutionary Paris, when he wins a mysterious medallion in a card game. Framed soon after for the murder of a prostitute and facing the grim prospect of either prison or death, the young expatriate American barely escapes France with his life—choosing instead to accompany the new emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, on his glorious mission to conquer Egypt. With Lord Nelson's fleet following close behind, Gage sets out on the adventure of a lifetime. And in a land of ancient wonder and mystery, with the help of a beautiful Macedonian slave, he will come to realize that the unusual prize he won at the gaming table may be the key to solving one of history's greatest and most perilous riddles: who built the Great Pyramids . . . and why?
At the start of Dietrich's superb historical thriller, his swashbuckling hero, American Ethan Gage, who's living in Paris during the waning days of the French Revolution and was once apprenticed to Benjamin Franklin, wins a curious Egyptian medallion in a card game. Soon after, he's set upon by thieves, chased by the police, attacked by bandits, befriended by Gypsies, saved by a British spy and then packed off to join Napoleon's army as it embarks on its ill-fated Egyptian campaign. There the story really heats up. Once in Egypt, Gage finds himself beset by evildoers bent on stealing the mysterious medallion. As in previous novels like Hadrian's Walland Scourge of God, Dietrich combines a likable hero surrounded by a cast of fascinating historical characters. Riveting battle scenes, scantily clad women, mathematical puzzles, mysteries of the pharaohs, reckless heroism, hairsbreadth escapes and undaunted courage add up to unbeatable adventure rivaling the exploits of George Macdonald Fraser's Harry Flashman. Readers will cheer as the indomitable Gage floats off in a runaway hot-air balloon, hard on the trail of his next exotic undertaking. Author tour. (Feb.)
Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.Adult/High School - "What if people didn't have to die . . . ? For an individual . . . that would make him master of all other men. For armies, it would mean indestructibility." Dietrich takes an actual event, Napoleon's 1798 invasion of Egypt; creates an amiable protagonist in the person of American gambler/adventurer Ethan Gage; hatches a plot focused on the enduring mystery of the Egyptian pyramids; and scores with a kinetic tale that expertly combines entertainment with intelligence. Augmenting his poor pay with his luck at cards, Gage acquires an ancient gold medallion one Parisian evening. Intrigued by its indecipherable etchings, perforations, and "two long arms," and suspicious of the interest expressed by Count Silano, a French-Italian aristocrat rumored to participate in the black arts, Gage keeps the artifact. This act unwittingly sets him on a perilous quest from Paris to the Egyptian desert, encountering Gypsies, Freemasons, spies, assassins, Bonaparte, land and sea battles, treachery, and love along the way. The final climactic scene within the Grand Pyramid of Giza is not to be missed, and the ending promises that Gage's adventures will continue. The Da Vinci Codecomparisons may seem automatic, but similarities go only as far as seeking the solution to a historical puzzle. Dietrich's work is more cerebral while sacrificing neither suspense nor action; think Indiana Jones meets the Discovery Channel. Fans of historical fiction, action adventure, and thrillers will clamor for this one.-Dori DeSpain, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationChapter One
It was luck at cards that started the trouble, and enlistment in mad invasion that seemed the way out of it. I won a trinket and almost lost my life, so take lesson. Gambling is a vice.
It's also seductive, social, and as natural, I would argue, as breathing. Isn't birth itself a roll of the dice, fortune casting one babe as peasant and another as king? In the wake of the French Revolution the stakes have simply been raised, with ambitious lawyers ruling as temporary dictators and poor King Louis losing his head. During the Reign of Terror the specter of the guillotine made existence itself a matter of chance. Then, with the death of Robespierre came an insanity of relief, giddy couples dancing on the tombs of St.-Sulpice Cemetery to a new German step called the waltz. Now, four years later, the nation has settled into war, corruption, and the pursuit of pleasure. Drabness has given way to brilliant uniform, modesty to décolletage, and looted mansions are being reoccupied as intellectual salons and chambers of seduction. If nobility is still an offense, revolutionary wealth is creating a new aristocracy. There's a clique of self-proclaimed "wonderful women" who parade Paris to boast of their "insolent luxury amid public wretchedness." There are balls that mock the guillotine, where ladies wear red ribbons at their throat. The citycounts four thousand gambling houses, some so plain that patrons carry in their own folding stools, and others so opulent that hors d'oeuvre are served on sacramental plate and the privy is indoors. My American correspondents find both practices equally scandalous. The dice and cards fly: creps, trente-et-un, pharaon, biribi. Meanwhile armies tramp on France's borders, inflation is ruinous, and weeds grow in the deserted courtyards of Versailles. So to risk a purse in pursuit of a nine in chemin de fer seemed as natural and foolish as life itself. How was I to know that betting would bring me to Bonaparte?
Had I been inclined to superstition, I might have made note that the date, April 13, 1798, was a Friday. But it was springtime in revolutionary Paris, meaning that under the Directory's new calendar it was the twenty-fourth day of the month of Germinal in the Year Six, and the next day of rest was still six days distant, not two.
Has any reform been more futile? The government's arrogant discard of Christianity means that weeks have been extended to ten days instead of seven. The revision's intent is to supplant the papal calendar with a uniform alternative of twelve months of thirty days each, based on the system of ancient Egypt. Bibles themselves were torn up to make paper gun cartridges in the grim days of 1793, and now the biblical week has been guillotined, each month instead divided into three decades of ten days, with the year beginning at the autumn equinox and five to six holidays added to balance idealism with our solar orbit. Not content with regimenting the calendar, the government has introduced a new metric system for weight and measure. There are even proposals for a new clock of precisely 100,000 seconds each day. Reason, reason! And the result is that all of us, even I--amateur scientist, investigator of electricity, entrepreneur, sharpshooter, and democratic idealist--miss Sundays. The new calendar is the kind of logical idea imposed by clever people that completely ignores habit, emotion, and human nature and thus forecasts the Revolution's doom. Do I sound prescient? To be honest, I wasn't used to thinking about popular opinion in such a calculating manner yet. Napoleon would teach me that.
No, my thought was focused on counting the turn of cards. Had I been a man of nature I might have left the salons to enjoy the year's first blush of red bud and green leaf, perhaps contemplating the damsels of the Tuileries Garden, or at least the whores of the Bois de Boulogne. But I'd chosen the card cozies of Paris, that glorious and grimy city of perfume and pollution, monument and mud. My spring was candlelight, my flowers courtesans of such precariously suspended cleavage that their twin advertisements teetered on the brink of escape, and my companions a new democracy of politician and soldier, displaced nobleman and newly rich shopkeeper: citizens all. I, Ethan Gage, was the salon's American representative of frontier democracy. I had minor status thanks to my earlier apprenticeship to the late, great Benjamin Franklin. He'd taught me enough about electricity to let me amuse gatherings by cranking a cylinder to impart a frictional charge to the hands of the prettier ones and then daring the men to try a literally shocking kiss. I had minor fame from shooting exhibitions that demonstrated the accuracy of the American longrifle: I had put six balls through a pewter plate at two hundred paces, and with luck had cut the plume from a skeptical general's hat at fifty. I had minor income from trying to forge contracts between war-pressed France and my own infant and neutral nation, a task made damnably difficult by the revolutionary habit of seizing American ships. What I didn't have was much purpose beyond the amusement of daily existence: I was one of those amiably drifting single men who wait for the future to start. Nor did I have income enough to comfortably support myself in inflationary Paris. So I tried to augment it with luck.
Our host was the deliberately mysterious Madame d'Liberté, one of those enterprising women of beauty and ambition who had emerged from revolutionary anarchy to dazzle with wit and will. Who had known females could be so ambitious, so clever, so alluring? She gave orders like a sergeant major, and yet had seized on the new fad for classical gowns to advertise her feminine charms with fabric so diaphanous that the discerning could detect the dark triangle pointing to her temple of Venus. Nipples peeped over the top of . . .
Excerpted from Napoleon's Pyramids by William Dietrich Copyright © 2007 by William Dietrich. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Anonymous
Posted March 12, 2007
Dietrich has tried to create an 18th Century Indiana Jones (with, no doubt, visions of sequels dancing in his head) but, alas, in the early going at least he lacks the Spielberg panache to pull it off. However, if one can wade through the awkward verbosity of the beginning chapters - which only help the reader regard some of the early plot twists as ludicrous - the pace picks up in later chapters and one can get into the enjoyment which Dietrich hopes to provide his readers. It is as though it has taken half a book for the author to find his style - and for the most part,an amusing and pleasant one it is. Unfortunately, for this reader at least, there's quite a bit of drudgery at the beginning which numbed my mind to the point that I didn't realize I was actually enjoying the quite outlandish tale until it was almost over. If, as I suspect, Mr. Dietrich plans further episodes in the adventures of his hero Ethan Gage, I think they will be far more readable than this initial work now that the author has found the voice for his character, the times and the events encountered.
16 out of 17 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Preserved-Killick
Posted January 3, 2011
I really wanted to like this book, and for the first couple chapters I really did. But the plot slowed and just didn't capture me, and the characters were developed surface level at best. Doubt I go on with the series.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Thom_Cat
Posted December 16, 2011
Have read the whole series. The hero is a cad. Humorous and engaging.
3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Four years have passed since Robespierre and the Reign of Terror ended. In Paris, though the aristocracy may have changed from blue blood to revolutionary blood, France seems back to normal as war, corruption, and pleasure rule. While observing this trend back to normalcy, American expatriate Ethan Gage wins a seemingly valuable trinket at cards, but it almost cost him his life. This is the story of how Ben Franklin¿s former apprentice learns a life lesson that gambling is a vice. Ethan won the Egyptian medallion in a card game. Afterward one of the other players offers money for the item, but Ethan turns him down. Just before leaving he warned no one refuses Silano and besides the medallion is cursed. Soon afterward thieves attack Ethan who realizes quickly they want the medallion. He survives their assault and keeps his newest asset, but now learns the gendarme seek him as a murder suspect. His luck turns at this point when he is attacked again, but gypsies and a mysterious Brit save his life. He joins Napoleon's Egypt expedition to get out of France and to learn why the medallion is so coveted. Instead in Egypt, malevolent assassins willing to kill him for the medallion come after Ethan. --- Gage is a sort of a late nineteenth century Hans Solo as he is a bit of a rogue. The story line is fast-paced whether it is in Paris or the Sahara as it seems that every turn that the hero makes and under every grain of sand he steps on lead to danger from someone coveting the medallion. The use of real historical persona and a strong support cast augments a terrific heroic saga that equates to a night of no sleep for readers. --- Harriet Klausner
3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This book, underneath its modern trappings of sex and violence to spice the plot, actually reminded me of a H. Rider Haggard yarn. The orthodox should be warned that the "solution" to the puzzle might offend their sensibilities. It is entertaining, but it does not rise to the heights of historical thrillers like those written by Owen Parry, Philip Kerr, Caleb Carr, etc.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 26, 2012
Story line was good but to rambling.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.msfanglet
Posted January 15, 2012
If you like history, you'll like this book. All the events are accurate. The author weaves a nice story around these events. From the very beginning, I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The violence is necessary, but not overdone (no gore). The war is just the backdrop, not the main event.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 15, 2012
I struggled through about 50 pages, then I deleted it!!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 25, 2011
It wasnt bad
1 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 24, 2011
While I enjoy reading a lot of literature, I found myself having trouble getting into this particular story. Something I've come to adhere when starting a new book is to read the first twenty pages, and if I don't like it, move on. (Something I got from a book I enjoyed in high school, no less.)
With this one, I couldn't make myself get past the first five pages. The paragraph structure seemed to be running sentences with unnecessary descriptions over-detailing everything mentioned. Unless there's a character change when written from first person, which there doesn't seem to be after reading other reviews, the story will most likely continue in this fashion. Something that I don't feel I can put up with. Perhaps in the future I might be able to come back to it and soar through it, which wouldn't be th first time.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 24, 2011
Not mi type of book bro !!! (Chill out)
1 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.PlasticEyes
Posted August 8, 2011
Rent the movie National Treasure. You'll have lots more fun in lots less time.
1 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Ethan Gage is a late 18th century Indiana Jones. On a quest to keep himself out of a French jail, and solve the mystery of a pendent he won in a card game, Gage ends up attached to Napoleon's army as they attempt to conquer Egypt. Along the way Gage survives various attacks upon his person in unique ways, gets the girl, (kind of) and acquires a sidekick. I loved some of the dialog between them. "You told me I would only need one shot!" "You didn't tell me you were going to shoot the camel." Great fun.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 2, 2012
This was a pretty good book. I enjoyed the history & would recommend to anyone interested in history.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.pofigster
Posted April 29, 2012
OK, so I did genuinely like the book. I enjoyed a lot of the historical facts and the historical "facts" in the book. I learned some interesting things about the math of the pyramids in Egypt that I didn't know and a fair amount about Napoleon's invasion of Egypt (although this was largely from Wikipedia while doing some 'fact checking' - I'm always curious with historical fiction titles what is real and what isn't). I found the characters to be largely likable, mostly believable and generally well rounded.
I took issue with the card counting Ethan employed at the beginning of the book. Card counting was first 'discovered' in 1962 (although used in the early 1950's). Unlike other mathematical ideas that were 'discovered' in western civilization and the believed to have never existed before then (addressed in the book to a degree), card counting had the same limitations to discover as Bayesian statistics did for Rev. Thomas Bayes in the 1700's (a contemporary of the books) - that is, the math behind card counting is complex enough that simulations are required to demonstrate it's feasibility. While it's plausible that an exceptionally bright individual could have theorized the benefit of counting cards, tested that hypothesis through play and had it confirmed, it would not be reasonable for that person to expect all other players at the table to be equally versed in this advantage. The main frustration of this was the later discussions between savants about the origins of things such as Pascal's numbers and the 'impossibility' of them having existed pre western discovery - clearly the author has some feelings on the subject that are not consistently applied. The philosophical implications of mathematical 'discovery' (do we discover things in math [suggesting that they exist innately] or do we invent them [suggesting that math is a societal construct useful in describing the natural world]?) in the book aren't deeply delved into, but they got me thinking. This was the thing that most made me enjoy the book - the thinking it made me do. I should note that I'm a statistician by profession and my wife is a math teacher, so these are regular discussions we have, the book provided a nice catalyst for some of them.
A lot of the book was repetitious and dry - the same basic scenario being rehashed, over and over again. A lot of time was spent explaining things that had little bearing on the story. If this is an Indiana Jones type adventure (which it very much seems like) then I spent too much time reading about the origin of his hat and whip and not enough about the big boulder rolling toward me.
The book was very Masonically heavy at the beginning, and thankfully it faded to a pathetic whimper by the end of the book, with only passing references to Masonic symbols. I'm as tired of Masons in books as I am of zombies and vampires.
My last gripe about the book has to do with the inclusion of pictures. Pictures were included to help the reader visualize the Fibonacci sequence and how it related to nautilus shells. If this was included, for something so incredibly unimportant to everything in the book, why was no picture of the medallion or the calendar device included? I got tired of reading half-written descriptions of what they looked like.
OK - so I've just complained a lot about the book, but please remember, I spent more than a month reading it (This was a 'fun' book to read, so I take my time enjoying the experience rather than rushing through it), so it wasn't terrible. There was just lots of room for improvement.
bungelowbill
Posted April 24, 2012
This book is a good read, but at times formulaic. An interesting look at the Egyptian Campaign that single handedly created Egyptology and the craze that continues today with Ancient Egypt.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.It's a fun little romp. Historical fiction about Napoleon meets Indiana Jones and National Treasure. There are plenty of true facts, and even more fantasy. If you aren't looking for something deep, this could be a could choice.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 22, 2012
I enjoyed the mix of history and fiction throughout the book, as well as the descriptions of Egypt.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 18, 2012
Ethan Gage has been wandering through life with little purpose. He is a reluctant hero after winning a historical artifact in a card game. In an attempt to escape a murder charge, he joins a team of scientist who go with Napolean to Egypt. In Egypt he continues to fight for his life while learning about the mystery of the artifact which he feels compelled to protect from others who want it for evil purposes. His fellow scientist, many of whom are historical figures, explain to his the theoretical science behind the building of the pyramids, and love-interest/slave teaches him about the Egyptian Gods.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 15, 2012
If you like James Rollins or Steve Berry you will probably like this story as well. It took me awhile to get into it and I didn't like the main character at first but he grows on you. I think that is the point though as the story develops he starts to mature as a person and become the hero he thinks he is. I will read others in this series.
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Overview
What mystical secrets lie beneath the Great Pyramids?
The world changes for Ethan Gage—one-time assistant to the renowned Ben Franklin—on a night in post-revolutionary Paris, when he wins a mysterious medallion in a card game. Framed soon after for the murder of a prostitute and facing the grim prospect of either prison or death, the young expatriate American barely escapes France with his life—choosing instead to accompany the new emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, on his glorious mission to conquer Egypt. With Lord Nelson's fleet following close behind, Gage sets out on the adventure of a lifetime. And in a land of ancient wonder and mystery, with the help ...