Guardian of the Horizon

The Emersons head back to the Lost Oasis first visited in The Last Camel Died at Noon when a messenger arrives saying that Tarek and his young son are very ill and in need of medical attention. But planning a secret expedition is not an easy thing.

The Emersons need to fool rival archaeologists, the military, and assorted treasure hunters on their way to the hidden city. But there are just so many suspicious characters surrounding their expedition. Ramses rescues Daria who is the property of a big game hunter who wants to know where the treasure is. He falls for her but she has her own agenda.

When they arrive at the lost city, they learn that their guide has misled them. There has been a coup which has removed Tarek from his throne and show more Tarek has survived to go off and be with his faction. But neither side in the conflict has enough forces to defeat the other.

The usurper has plans for Nefret which involve her being taken from the Emersons and forced to work for him to cement his legitimacy. But the Emersons aren't going to let that happen. Nor are they going to let either side start a war which will kill many on both sides. They are going to use their heroic status and reputations to make things go their way.

When Amelia learns that Sethos has his hand in the events, she keeps this news from Emerson but finds a way for Sethos to help her with her plans.

This was another excellent adventure in the Amelia Peabody series. I also enjoyed the parts of the story that were from Manuscript H. show less

I absolutely love this series, and I get the new books as soon as they're released in hardcover, but for some reason, they've been languishing in my TBR pile. I even, shockingly, found this one signed at my local BX.

Interestingly, a lot of people who are fans of the series disliked this book, so I turned to Amazon reviews to figure out why. It seems that there are two major complaints: 1) it leaps backward 10 years in the series timeline, and 2) Ramses *gasp* has a love interest other than Nefret! *shock* *dismay* *palpitations*

Guardian of the Horizon does go back ten years in the series timeline, filling in some blanks. The Emersons go back to the lost oasis where they first found Nefret (in The Last Camel Died at Noon), to help Tarek, show more whom they'd left in charge. He does indeed need their help, but not in the way the messenger sent to retrieve them said he did, and they're all in danger again.

Sethos shows up, as does an arms dealer and his slave/confederate Daria, with whom Ramses imagines himself in love.

I say "imagines," because Ramses is just 20 here, and the only relationship development we see is that Daria is beautiful and needs rescuing/protection--an irresistible combination for a young man, particularly since Ramses admits he's in love with Nefret.

Lemme 'splain: Nefret is everything Ramses wants, but doesn't think he can have. She's intelligent, brave, and honorable, as well as beautiful... and she thinks of him as a sibling. And she doesn't need him. Then along comes Daria, who's also beautiful, but she's not anywhere near as intimidating, he doesn't have to worry about losing her friendship if she doesn't respond to his advances, and she's in need of rescue.

Of course he falls for her, and of course it's not really love, even if it does feel something like it.

A little pause here while I rant about romantic conventions in literature. Romantic heroes are forever turning celibate from the moment they meet The One. They're impotent with any other woman, even if they've only just glimpsed The One across a crowded room. Convention would have Ramses pining away--for all he knows, for the rest of his life. Good grief. I say kudos to Ramses for trying to get on with his life.

Anyway. I loved Guardian of the Horizon. Going back in time to before Ramses and Nefret were happy and more-or-less settled was nice. I enjoyed the angst knowing that things would all work out in the end. The Lost Oasis was a nice setting to revisit, and it was fun seeing Sethos in his dual role as heroic villain/villanous hero again. show less

While I found Guardian of the Horizon one of the better recent books in the series and closer to the charms and cheekiness of the earliest books, I still don't like Ramses. Why did Peters let this series become the Ramses Adventure serial? The end of chapter 11 made me put the book down for a good half hour of eewing. I don't want to know about Ramses love life. I'd rather he be seen and not heard. He's never been a well written or likeable character but had fortunately been nicely toned down for most of this book. I just wish that Peters had resisted the urge to write those "document H" fragments. The series is written from Amelia's POV and it should remain that way. Nothing is accomplished from those smoochies with Daria unless to show more spawn a "son of Ramses" book in the future. I shudder at the thought.

So for the good bits version -- the tongue and cheek jabs at the state of Egyptology in the early 20th centure were delightful to read. I've noticed in recent Egyptology books/movies (ever since Stargate) that Budge has gone from demigod to pariah and this book takes the pariah stance. I really must find a biography of him to make up my own mind.

Then there's the extreme silliness of Sethos -- another character that I'm not sure the series needs but I tolerate him. He's sort of there to poke fun at the dastardly villains of books from the turn of the 20th century. He's just there for the "Scooby Doo" ending although it would be fun to just once have a different villain. show less

I am positive I listened to the unabridged audiobook at some point, but I cannot remember when, and for some reason never logged it here. I generally object to abridged books, but am glad I listened to this one - the abridgment minimized the parts of this book that got so very much on my nerves. The plot dragged the characters, rather than being driven by them. I suppose that's not surprising, since the characters weren't quite themselves. It's not a terrible installment in the annals of the Peabody Emersons, but not one that shines, either.

Guardian Of The Horizon, by Elizabeth Peters
★★★★★ and a ♥

Synopsis: A hitherto lost journal of the indomitable Amelia Peabody has been miraculously recovered: a chronicle from one of the "missing years" -- 1907–1908 -- shedding new light on an already exceptional career, a remarkable family . . . and an unexpected terror. Ousted from their most recent archaeological dig and banned forever from the Valley of the Kings, the Emersons are spending a quiet summer at home in Kent, England, when a mysterious messenger arrives. Claiming to be the teenage brother of their dear friend Tarek, prince of the mysterious Lost Oasis, the charismatic herald brings troubling news of a strange malady that has struck down Tarek's heir and show more conveys his brother's urgent need for help only the Emersons can provide. Driven by loyalty -- and a fear that the evil forces opposing Tarek's rule will now exploit the royal heir's grave illness -- the family sets off in secret for the land time forgot -- a mountain fortress from which they narrowly escaped ten years before. Braving the treacherous desert climate on a trek fraught with danger at every turning, guided only by a crumbling map, the Emersons are unaware that deception is leading them onward into a nest of vipers -- where a dreadful fate may await. For young Ramses, forced to keep his growing love for the beautiful Nefret secret, temptation along the way may prove his ultimate undoing. And a dark past and grim obligation have ensnared Nefret once again, as she is helpless to save those she loves most from the prison of the Lost Oasis. Guardian of the Horizon is rich with suspense, surprises, unforgettable characters, and the intoxicating atmosphere that has earned its author the coveted title of Grand Master two times over. The remarkable Elizabeth Peters proves once again that, in the world of historical adventure fiction, she is truly without peer
In A Sentence: Awesome, but maybe not the best in the series
My Thoughts: Okay, technically this book is #16 in the series, but chronologically it immediately follows The Ape Who Guards The Balance. Since I like to read books in chronological order, I bumped this one up.
For me, I’m at the part of the series where I absolutely love it, but at the same time, I’m starting to tire of it. We get more and more input from Ramses, who’s 20 years old by this point, and I love reading from his point of view. We started getting Ramses’ POV in Seeing A Large Cat, and I feel it really adds to the story. Elizabeth Peters was mostly successful in her ability to write the narrative from a man’s POV, in my opinion, especially since he’s also in love with Nefret ( who, btw, is completely oblivious). I think it’s rather difficult for a woman author to think more like a man, but Peters pulled it off pretty well.
The other reason why I like Ramses’ POV is because he is now considerably more active than his parents. He’s more physically involved in the adventure, thus he is more interesting to read about. Amelia Peabody is now more of an armchair detective, so Ramses’ role creates the excitement. Plus, I have a bit of a fictional crush on him. What can I say, he sounds like a gorgeous archaeologist. I’m crushing on him more than Indiana Jones! :)
Okay, back to this book. Because this book was published later, there’s something about this book that starts to bore me a little. I’m not sure what it is, but I’ve noticed it with the last few books in the series, and it makes the story drag a little. It is still a fun read, however, and it does have its full share of excitement.
Overall, I enjoyed myself with the read. I mean, it’s Indiana Jones all over again! It’s just good fun. In terms of following Ramses with his adventures and love problems, I would say my favorite stories are Seeing A Large Cat, The Ape Who Guards The Balance, The Falcon At The Portal (which I’m reading now), and He Shall Thunder In The Sky. My favorite Amelia Peabody adventures are the first several books in the series, all the way up to The Hippopotamus Pool (book #8). Like I said, the last few books in the series are the stories where I start to get a little bored, but I still love the entire series as a whole. Strongly recommended. show less

I struggled to get through this one and often tuned out of the audiobook, finding that when I focused again I really hadn't missed anything and could still follow what was going on. It was strange and frustrating to go back in the series timeline and deal with a pre-Ramses/Nefret relationship, knowing everyone survives (granted the main characters always do, but it still removed that element of suspense), and pre-Sethos revelations. The entire book seemed like filler to a series that didn't need it. Narrator Barbara Rosenblat, as always, brought Amelia and the cast to life and injected a familiar depth and humor to the characters that makes me keep coming back to this series. She got me through this book, but overall the plot and show more character actions did not hold up to standard Elizabeth Peters. show less

When we left Egypt in the spring of 1907, I felt like a defeated general who has retreated to lick his wounds (if I may be permitted a somewhat inelegant but expressive metaphor). Our archaeological season had experienced the usual ups and downs - kidnapping, murderous attacks, and the like - to which I was well accustomed. But that year disasters of an unprecedented scope had befallen us.