Napoleon's Pyramids - Softcover

William Dietrich

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060848332 ISBN 13: 9780060848330

Publisher: Harper Collins World, 2008

Synopsis

Acquiring an ancient medallion covered in seemingly indecipherable symbols, expatriate American Ethan Gage is forced to flee for his life when he is framed for murder and forced to accompany Napoleon Bonaparte on the emperor's quest to conquer Egypt. By the author of The Scourge of God. Reprint.

About this title

Review:

Dietrich is becoming a leader among historical novelists. While his earlier
works were contemporary thrillers, his last two, the compelling Hadrian's
Wall and Scourge of God, took place in the Dark Ages. Oh, and he won a
Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Dietrich's
latest book takes place during Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Egypt.
Amateur scientist Ethan Gage is an American living in Paris, enjoying the
earthy excesses of the post-revolutionary city. After winning an ancient
amulet in a card game, he is framed for a couple of messy murders by an
obscure Masonic cult that wants the amulet. Ethan, raised as a
frontiersman, manages to escape and join the large body of scientists
accompanying Bonaparte's ultimately disastrous campaign in Egypt. There he
encounters mystery, treachery, and religious enmities; fights in battles;
and burrows under the Great Pyramid, all while finding love and solving the
mystery of the amulet. This work is rousing, swashbuckling fun and proof
that a good writer can make history not only interesting but an
exhilarating romp. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ
10/15/06.]-Robert Conroy, Warren, MI Copyright 2007 Reed Business
Information. -- Library Journal

Starred Review. 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 Wall and 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 © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All
rights reserved. -- Publishers Weekly

March 1, 2007 Thursday
FINAL EDITION

'Pyramids': A landmark historical adventure -- USA Today

The author of, among other thrillers, Hadrian's Wall (2004) and
The Scourge of God (2005) takes us back to late-eighteenth-century Paris,
where American Ethan Gage comes into possession of an ancient medallion and
then, almost immediately, is implicated in a woman's murder. Later, he
joins Napoleon's expedition into Egypt, where the Great Pyramids could
provide the French dictator with the secrets of world conquest or spell
certain disaster--for Napoleon and t he rest of humanity. Rich in period
detail and ancient mythology, this epic-scale thriller succeeds on the
strength of its small moments: a conversation that illuminates the plot, a
description that captures our imagination. It's of interest, too, to see
Napoleon reimagined as an adventurer, a dreamer, and an intellectual.
Incorporating some of the well-known speculation about the pyramids (the
mathematical significance of the Giza pyramid's design, for example) but
not taking it altogether seriously, the novel is a big, exciting romp that
will keep high-concept thriller fans on the edge of their seats. David
Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved -- Booklist

About the Author:

I'm an American author, journalist, and journalism professor. I began my
writing career as a newspaper reporter in 1973, and still write half-time
for the Seattle Times' Sunday magazine, "Pacific Northwest." I teach
environmental journalism at Western Washington University's Huxley College,
and write books. My work at HarperCollins has been historical fiction. I've
also done thrillers for Warner Books and non-fiction about the Pacific
Northwest for Simon & Schuster, University of Washington Press, and
Sasquatch Books. My fiction has been sold into 21 different languages at
this writing. I shared a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Exxon Valdez
oil spill, was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard, won National Science Foundation
fellowships to Antarctica, and speak frequently on environmental issues. As
a reporter, I've covered Congress, the eruption of Mount St. Helens, the
environment, science, social issues - even the military. I've traveled
frequently for my writing, but live in the same region I was born. I'm
married, with two grown children.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Collins World
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0060848332
• ISBN 13: 9780060848330
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 416