Publication Date: May 28, 2015
Periseneb was on his way home after a distinguished career in Pharaoh’s Own Guard when he was cruelly murdered and denied death rights that would allow a peaceful eternity. Unable to pass into Paradise, he has wandered in the underworld for 200 years fighting the monsters, snakes and unnameable menacing creatures. He is surprised when the goddess Ma’at offers him a deal. He will have 30 days in which to try to right a wrong. If he’s successful, he will spend eternity in Paradise. Neithamun, a young woman with a tentative grasp on the once great estate of Periseneb’s youth; he realizes the uncertain challenge he faces. Never one to shy from a fight Periseneb will do what he can to help Neithamun fight the people looking to sabotage and steal her land and make the once great estate, great again.
The author, Veronica Scott, gave me a copy of this novel in exchange for my review.
[easyazon_link identifier=”B00YG8TYOU” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]Ghost of the Nile: Gods of Egypt[/easyazon_link] is a beautifully written novel. Scott’s writing style is descriptive and confident of its place in time. In ancient Egypt, much can change in 200 years but it is not inconceivable that much also stays the same so Periseneb is able to insert himself easily into a desperate society looking for a hero with ease and minimal suspicions. Scott conveys the quite desperation of Neithamun and the people who care for her and stand by her with an elegant ease that enables her to layer the plot. We may be with Neithamun on her journey but ultimately it’s the fate of the entire Nome (province) at stake.
Scott introduces us to Periseneb, the eponymous [easyazon_link identifier=”B00YG8TYOU” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]Ghost of the Nile: Gods of Egypt[/easyazon_link], in the underworld. He has been fighting without pain, emotion or the need to sleep. He has lost track of all semblance of time and how he died but not of who he was in his life. His timeline was cut short and he is a fierce opponent, which makes him the perfect candidate for Ma’at’s plan. His father was the overseer of the property in question and raised Periseneb to follow in his footsteps when his only son rebelled and pursued the fame and fortune that might make him worthy of the daughter of the house. Instead of ignoring the past, Scott calls back to it frequently in an organic way. Periseneb has great regrets and as much as he’s in it for the peaceful afterlife and possibility of finding his father’s spirit, he’s invested in the righting the wrongs he now realized he’s done. When he brings Neithamun a rare lotus she and her people know that believing in him is their best chance.
Neithamun, when we meet her, is on a race against Settlement Day. In her make-or-break moment, if she doesn’t come up with the taxes due on her estate by the time Pharaoh’s new representative arrives, she will lose her home which, as a woman in the ancient world, leaves her with some extremely limited options. Her rival is a neighbor loosely connected to the family. He menaces the townsfolk to make sure that people know that if they deal with Neithamun, it’s at their peril. He ambushes her staff and steals what he can to prevent her from collecting the necessary funds to pay the debt and preserve the estate.
While Scott allows minimal contact between Neithamun and her rival, the tension is strong nonetheless. The characters are on a very tight timeline with few willing to aide them before Periseneb arrives. The chemistry between the two characters is believably strong. While both attractive people, their connections are based on personality rather than snap-and-fit parts. Scott has a great talent for writing fallible people in an uncertain world for whom the readers will cheer.
Ma’at is perhaps one of the more interesting and best-written Gods of Egypt in Scott’s series. She is the goddess of honesty and perhaps more direct and sensible than the other deities of our acquaintance. Her motivations are still a mystery but she is clearly cheering for her hero and hoping that he works out what must be done. She allows Periseneb a certain amount of autonomy in the task she’s set for him. Ma’at tattoos four feathers on his shoulder so that he may call on her for help four times. She is seamlessly inserted to the story and the character Scott has built in Periseneb knows that the passes given are not to be used lightly. [easyazon_link identifier=”B00YG8TYOU” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]Ghost of the Nile: Gods of Egypt[/easyazon_link] is not a romance novel with a lot of romance and a little plot. It is plot rich that enhances any connection the main characters might build and lends credibility to an honest emotional bond. Scott embodies the principle of not saying characters are in love but showing why they would be.
To make her story work, Scott needs a society rich in magic and tradition. When Periseneb ventures out to find out if anyone else has trouble with the rival of Heron Marsh he finds a world much as he left it and with the same stories and traditions he remembers if everyone he’s ever known is dead. Scott’s flow is very well thought out and never is an implausible moment in this magical story.
[easyazon_link identifier=”B00YG8TYOU” locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]Ghost of the Nile: Gods of Egypt[/easyazon_link] is a wonderfully written piece and, in my opinion, while all of the books are spectacular is the best book in the Gods of Egypt series. If you are a fan of historical romance, do not miss this fabulous author.Read an excerpt and pick up Ghost of the Nile: Gods of Egypt by Veronica Scott on:
Amazon U.S. • Amazon U.K. • Amazon Canada
Read more reviews of the Gods of Egypt series by Veronica Scott on this site: Dancer of the Nile, Magic of the Nile and Warrior of the Nile.
For more information Veronica Scott and her work, visit her website. You can connect with her on Facebook, GoodReads and Twitter @VScotttheauthor.
Series readers can track “The Sectors” and “Gods of Egypt” series on FictFact.