Both a prequel and sequel to “Imhotep,” “The Buried Pyramid” begins as the Second Dynasty of ancient Egypt comes crashing to an end with the assassination of King Kha-Sekhemwy, the forced marriage of his daughter to the king's assassin, and the disappearance of Prince Djoser, rightful heir to the throne. The second half of the novel picks up the story thirty years later as Imhotep forces his way through a time portal in a desperate attempt to save his daughter's life. Encountering a mysterious doctor in modern Egypt, Imhotep flees back to the ancient world only to find that he has triggered a series of tragedies that will change the face of The Two Lands and lead to his living entombment. “The Buried Pyramid” is the second book in a highly praised tetralogy about the ancient Egyptian architect Imhotep. The first novel of the series is “Imhotep.” The third is “The Forest of Myrrh.” The fourth and final novel is "The Field of Reeds."
The Buried Pyramid had me so engaged from beginning to end as I once again became lost in ancient Egypt amidst the smells of incense, spices, honeyed beer, lotus and freshly baked bread, markets and festivals. The second book in the series, as the author's blurb says, is both a prequel and a sequel, and one would think that it would be difficult to make the concept work, but Dubs accomplishes it with finasse. The first sections of the book are the 'prequel' and take place in the last few weeks of King Khasekamwy's (King Djoser's father) reign and the rise of Djoser whom we met in the first book. The prequel sets up the chain of events that will ultimately pull Imhotep and his family unwittingly into an assassination plot and lead to one of the darkest hours Imhotep will face.
One warning: there is a rape scene in this book that many readers may find difficult to read.
I highly recommend this well written and researched series that uses the bare bones of what is known about this period in ancient Egypt, and then weaves a tale around one of the greatest men known at that time, Imhotep.
A little mystery/fantasy; time travel to ancient Egypt before the pyramids. Perfectly plausible behavior and interesting political drama and love interest too. Depictions of living conditions and clothing appear well researched. This is the sequel/prequal to "Imhotep" by the same author (architect of the original pyramids.) Our hero is worth following partly because he is a man with 20th century thoughts in the pre-biblical era, partly because of good writing.
