Nefer the Silent

[This is a review I wrote in 2009]

** Bringing Ancient Egypt to life.**

The first book in the Stone of Light series. Egyptologist Christian Jacq has created in The Stone of Light, a series based on archaeological discoveries made on the western bank of Thebes at Deir el-Medina - the remains of a village named the Place of Truth. The marvellous works of art of Egypt were created and guarded by small secret brotherhoods who lived in communities like that called the Place of Truth. Jacq brings the village (and its fictional inhabitants) to life in this series and transports us back in time to Ancient Egypt of c. 1550 BC to 1070 BC.

Silent is a young man from the village of the Place of Truth. He is privileged to have been born and brought up show more in the secret community of artisans but unfortunately has not yet heard the call of the gods, which he needs in order to become a part of the brotherhood and begin training as one of the few chosen craftsmen of Egypt. Silent has taken a long journey across Nubia in the hope of hearing the call whilst on his travels exploring the outside world. Still not hearing the call from the gods, he returns to Thebes to be near his birthplace, and joins a group of workmen building houses. Ardent is just sixteen, but he knows exactly what he wants from life. His family have farmed the land for generations, but Ardent has no intention of settling for the life of a peasant. He has a passion for drawing and a burning desire to devote his life to art. He knows little of what goes on behind the closed walls of the Place of Truth. All he does know is the certainty of the happiness to be found if he could only be admitted to the brotherhood; the place fabled to have crafted beautiful temples, the tombs of the Pharaohs and other beautiful works of art. Ubekhet radiates beauty and goodness, and is the only daughter of a wealthy builder. She spends her days tending a garden on the Nile, practices a little healing and is content with her lot. The paths of these three, Silent, Ardent and Ubekhet, become intertwined as they each find their purpose in life and search for a greater meaning to their existence. Meanwhile, a death has befallen one of the security guards at the Place of Truth and the Nubian head of the guards Sobek is worried... the Place of Truth may be at risk. Senior Theban officer, Mehy, is also obsessed with the Place of Truth. As an outsider, he is excluded from the village just like everyone else, but he has seen the dazzling secret stone, the fabled Stone of Light. Is he going to protect the village, or will his obsession start to take on sinister undertones...?

A great story, well-written, keeps you reading and is set against a well-researched historical backdrop of this secret artisans brotherhood of Ancient Egypt. Four books in the series: Nefer the Silent, The Wise Woman, Paneb the Ardent, and The Place of Truth. show less

A light-weight book on ancient Egypt, describing the life of the villagers who cut the tombs and decorate the temples of the Valley of the Kings. Basically a soap opera about conniving bureaucrats trying to find the secrets of the craftsmen, who are held in Masonic-like oaths of fidelity. The good and the bad among mostly two-dimensional characters. A good read for pleasure or as a passenger on a long bus journey, but not for either understanding or depth.

Couldn't finish it - abandoned it halfway through. The story and characters feels like it was dreamt up by a 6 year old, and it never felt like a serious attempt by a serious author. I'm supposed to swallow this crap!?

I loved these books, it's story is compelling, intriguing and you truly want to know what is coming next.

Ancient Egypt - The Place of Truth, where workers are in quarantine for working on the Pharaoh's tombs: I like the mysteries better than the Ramses story, but here also - the next sequels have yet to be reaD1

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Dans une cité interdite de Haute-Egypte vit une confrérie d’artisans et d’artistes chargés de creuser et de décorer les tombes de la vallée des Rois afin de perpétuer leur vie éternelle…

Ce village mystérieux, protégé par de redoutables gardes, porte un nom évocateur : La Place de Vérité. Nul ne sait ce qui s’y passe et personne n’a le droit d’y pénétrer… Ses habitants ne répondent qu’à leurs propres lois et ne dépendent que d’un seul maître, leur pharaon, Ramsès le Grand. Ils détenaient pour accomplir leur prestigieuse mission un outil d’exception, la fameuse Pierre de Lumière qui transforme l’orge en or et la matière en lumière.Parmi eux, Néfer dit le Silencieux, fils d’un des show more maîtres du village, n’a pas entendu encore l’appel des Dieux. Il choisit de courir le monde afin de chercher la révélation. Dans sa quête, il rencontre Claire – une splendide jeune femme dont il tombe fou amoureux, puis le fils d’un fermier, Ardent, qui lui sauve la vie et qui n’a qu’un seul rêve, entrer lui aussi dans la communauté.Mais l’un des gardes est assassiné et le soupçon s’abat sur la cité. Qui veut la détruire ? Y aurait-il un traître, ou plusieurs, à l’intérieur de La Place de Vérité ? Christian Jacq signe ici un roman fabuleux où se croisent, au nom de l’art le plus somptueux, le destin des pharaons, les intrigues des courtisans, le génie des artistes et les passions des hommes show less