Thought you knew everything there was to know about King Tut? Think again.
From over 3000 years ago comes the voice of the Boy King.
Scrolls found buried in the basement of the Egyptian Museum. Transcribed in an ancient hand. Record the words of King Tut for all to read.
Tutankhamen answers all of the lingering questions, including the big one.
Discover the real story behind this famous pharaoh. Transport yourself back to an Ancient Egypt filled with mystery, magic, and danger!
2016 Gold Medal for Fiction - Historical Literature Ancient (set before 500 AD), from Global eBook Awards
2014 EVVY Merit Award for Historical Fiction from CIPA (Colorado Independent Publishers Assoc.)
Excerpt
Father and Me
Do you have favorite memories from your childhood that you can’t bear to let go, that immediately transport you back to that time and place you will remember forever and ever? I have two that happened on the same day.
I was six years old and barefoot in the middle of winter. This I remember because the sand and stones did not burn blisters on my feet. My hands could touch the granite blocks in the square without recoiling like a snake does when its rest is disturbed in the heat.
That morning I remember waking up to a shrill noise
echoing off the walls in my chamber and down the halls.
My half sister Ankhesenpaaten came running into my bedroom.
“Tutankhaten, Tutankhaten, you must get up!”
“What is that noise?” I asked, struggling to put on my tunic as she entered.
“It is an elephant! One the generals brought it this morning as a gift for Father.”
“An elephant? Wherever did he find one?”
“I don’t know. Come quickly, or we shall miss it!” she shouted back as she ran out of the room.
I followed her down the hallway, the sound building as we got the closer to our father’s receiving room. Rushing into the arched entrance lined with pictographs of the Aten, my father’s god, our bodies froze, our eyes not believing what we beheld.
In front of our father stood the biggest animal we had ever seen.
“Tutankhaten, do you see it? Do you believe such a magnificent creature is here, in our palace?” Ankhesenpaaten was breathless after the rush down the hallway, but it didn’t stop her from running on about the elephant.
And it was magnificent!
It stood there, its smooth gray skin dripping sweat. The enormous legs and feet shifted nonstop in agitation. Ears as big as me flapped nervously as its head, too small in proportion to the body, swung back and forth, its tiny eyes seeking a way out. At the front of the head was its long trunk framed by the biggest horns I had ever seen.
Suddenly, the trunk arched and stretched. The noise that had wakened me now blasted out of that trunk and threatened to deafen all in the room, including Ankhesenpaaten and me.
Professional Reviews
This was quite a surprising and fun read
It’s a short read that has a very clever premise, in which the author has cleverly made herself part of the story.
It seems that Ms Carpinello has been lucky enough to gain access to some long lost scrolls, which are said to contain actual recollections from Tutankhamen himself. The novella is an interpretation of the mysterious scrolls which were written long ago, but had been missing until recently.
The words are said to be from the actual spirit of the deceased Pharaoh. What I liked about this book was that it gives a glimpse into the everyday life of Tut, before and after his rise to Pharaoh. It was like a fly on the wall peek at his life without it just being part of a much larger plot. I think it’s a great way to get to know a character and there were plenty of interesting facts and cool snippets of information in there as well.
My guess is that this is a wonderful strategy by the author to familiarise readers with Tut before a full-on book is released.
Am I right? Time will tell?
My bottom line: I really enjoyed this one and I look forward to the ‘predicted’ Tut book.
Note: I don’t claim to be a pro-reviewer, I am a reader. My reviews are based on my personal thoughts around the story that the book is trying to tell. I try to focus on the story (which is the reason I read) rather than dissect the book and pass comment on typos, writing style or structure.
A free copy of this book was provided to me by the author for a fair and honest review.
New Spin
A delightful way to bring history to children. The author, Cheryl Carpinello, reveals the young ruler’s feelings. The same feelings any of us may have had. We are also shown an interesting way of life peaking anyone’s curiosity to read on.
Highly recommend for any age.
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