Eye of the Sun

When writing a sequel, it is always helpful to the reader to remind them of what went before and Dianne Hofmeyr has failed to do this in the sequel to Eye of the Moon.

This leaves the reader very confused for the first few chapters and this situation is not helped by the fact that the plot dots about both in time and also which character’s story is being told. Once the narrative settles down and the memory of the first book surfaces, then the story of Tuthmosis’ return to reclaim his throne from his younger brother Amenhotep who is now married to Nefertiti, begins to take shape. Tuthmosis’ companion in his escape, Iskara, returns but the main part of the story is told by Ta-Miu who helped them escape. She falls in love with Samut who is not all he seems. Towards the end it becomes very exciting and dangerous for the protagonists but somehow it is too late for the reader.

This is a shame because the intrigues of the Egyptian court, and the use of Nefertiti as a character could have made such a good story. The place of the gods in the lives of the people of Thebes and the power of the High Priests over even the king, and the splendour of the lives the King and his wives lived emerge from the complicated text but I fear many readers will have given up long before the end.