The Season of the Hyaena

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Second Book in the Series - Rated
Paul Doherty is the consummate professional when it comes to writing historical novels. I for one do not know how he can be so prolific with his offering of books and yet make sure that each of them is well researched. Whether they be 13th, 14th, or fifteenth century they are always true to the period. He also writes about Ancient Egypt and Alexander the Great. Paul Doherty has the rare talent of making you feel as though you are there, be it medieval England, or battling with Alexander. The sounds and smells of the period seem to waft from the pages of his books. In this series he returns to Ancient Egypt.

This is the second book in a proposed trilogy about the kingdom of Egypt. Mahu former Chief of Police and protector of the Pharaoh Akenhaten is sitting down to record the memories of his eventful and full life. From being a nobody at court, under Akenhaten he has risen to Chief of Police and Keeper of the Secrets of the Heart. Pharaoh Akenhaten and his beautiful wife have disappeared supposed dead and the people cannot wait to abandon the Pharaoh's new religion of sun worshipping.

The Royal court is in disarray, only held together by the loyalty of the different factions to the six-year-old Emperor Tutankhamun. Then news reaches the Royal council that Akenhaten has returned to Egypt and is waiting in the delta of the Nile. The people of Egypt are both frightened and dismayed. Can this be true. Surely the Pharaoh is dead. What will happen to those people who have damaged the statues and monuments of Akenhaten. Mahu can certainly vouch that the woman claiming to be the Emperor's wife, is a fraud. Whoever the man is who has appeared in the Delta, he must be investigated thoroughly, for he must surely be an impostor too . . .

A wait was worthwhile!! - Rated
In my review on "An Evil Spirit Out of the West" (see: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/books/0755303385/customer-reviews) I wrote: I enjoyed this book enormously and cannot wait till part 2 and 3 will be published!! 5 stars - not enough for this book!!

Well with The Season of the Hyaena the second part has finally been published. And I have to say: the wait was worthwhile.

The second part takes off where the first left the reader: the Pharao Akhenaten, the tenth Pharao of the 18th Dynasty, and his wife Queen Nefertiti have died or seem to be dead. The country is governed by a regency council with the young heir to the throne, Prince Tutankhamun. not yet crowned. It is a time of insecurity and intrigues. The hyaenas - the members of the regency council - are preparing the grounds for their future. Positions, power, money and maybe eventually a crown for themselves. And above all a religious fight - the Aten, the one God religion, against Amun, the highest of all the gods of Egypt. But is the Pharao Akhenaten really dead or has he just disappeared? Is his legacy - the religion of just one God - still living on? In the middle of it all : Mahu, friend and condifiant of the late Pharao and guardian of the heir to the throne. From his point of view the story is told.

Doherty again manages to tell the story in a fascinating manner. The is not one page of bordeom!!! One flies over the pages and one just wants to know how the story goes on. My only regret that I reached the last of the roughly 300 pages for to quickly. Too bad that one has wait for the third part! However one has certain ideas what will happen if one has already read Doherty's "The Mysterious Death of Tutankhamun". Maybe an idea for some of you to bridge till the period till the 3rd volume will be published

Without a shadow of a doubt: 5 stars for the "The Season of the Hyaena".