Amazon Category:  Fantasy ISBN-10:  1450564801 Type: Fiction Pages: 226 ISBN-13: 9781450564809 It is a season of waning and little is certain. Akhet, The Inundation. The world is changing, Gods of old stir, and their agents work behind the scenes to fulfill their masters' commands. Who will have the courage to stand for The Light when darkness rises to swallow the world? Doctor Nicole Salem is a beautiful and brilliant Egyptologist who is working on a dig outside Luxor, Egypt when she is confronted by her own destiny. She is plunged into a world of divided loyalties, intrigue, and treachery that will destroy her and everything she knows if she isn't strong enough. Nicole must learn how to survive in a war between elder powers that claim her life and soul as their own, and earn the title of Sekhmet's Light.

Wonder Woman meets Isis; can't wait for Book 2!
I was raised on Indiana Jones, Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter) and a bevy of fine Saturday morning cartoons which ended each week with a show called "Isis" - for the uninitiated, a show similar to Wonder Woman, but focused on an egyptian mythos. I always loved that show, and have waited unsatisfied for all these years for either of these two superheroines to receive a renewal given to their masculine counterparts. For gods' sake (pun not completely unintended), Green Lantern and Ant Man are getting their own movies!

So while I wait for that to happen, I was pleased and delighted to read Akhet, the first of three books about an original modern superhero concept, embedded in Egyptian mythos. Really, it's like the author read my mind! I've been a fan of movies like Stargate, as well, which this one faintly brings to mind, but putting the supernaturally heroic concepts more brightly to bear.

And even though I'm not very familiar with a lot of the mythos or cultures referenced, I am very impressed by how boldly this book begins - it throws you right into this world where the gods rise and move their mortal champions around like pieces on a chessboard, and wastes no time on gently waiting for you to catch up. And yet, where a lot of writers might just focus on big action scenes, this book offers a strong supporting examination of the main characters' heart and mind as she struggles to accept the responsibility thrust onto her capable yet relatively inexperienced shoulders.

Make no mistake: this is a serious "origin story", and my only sadness with this book is that I now have to wait for book two.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of comic books, strong female lead characters and contemporary mythology-based fiction - or superhero books in general. This novel does NOT disappoint.

More! More!

4.5 stars, Good strong first book in a series
I liked this story, in no small part due to the fact that I love mythology from anywhere. Akhet: Sekhmet's Light has many Egyptian mythology references.

The story starts with Nicole who is an archaeologist, getting ready to descend into a cavern somewhere in Egypt. During her decent, the winch lowering her malfunctions and she plummets to the floor below her. I have a supreme fear of falling, and this scene locked in my attention. I had to know what happened to Nicole.

It turns out that she fell into a temple to Sekhmet led by the Priestess Meshrew. Meshrew directs other priestesses to prepare Nicole to meet the Goddess Sekhmet. Sekhmet charges Nicole with the duty of being her living avatar in the fight against evil. Nicole becomes NeruSekhmet, or Sekhmet's Light.

As the story progresses, Nicole balances her personality and duty. She studies with the warriors of Horus, learning how to fight the followers of Apep, Serpent of the Underworld. Apep's followers are bent on creating the destruction and ruin of civilization. As NeruSekhmet, Nicole must gather the various factions of the Egyptian gods and lead them in the battle/war.

While the story was good, I felt that it did not end well. It was like it got cut off early rather than coming to a satisfying conclusion. I know it is the first book in a series, but all books in a series should be a complete story with a full escalation, climax, conclusion, and this story fell just a little short.

Characters:
Nicole/NeruSekhmet - She really develops as a well-rounded character during this story. She starts out rather clueless and inept, even accidentally killing one of her protectors. Nicole not only learns from her mistakes, she shows that she can learn from the knowledge that Sekhmet reveals to her. As her powers as NeruSekhmet grow, you can see it as a part of the development in her character as a whole, not just as, "Sekhmet's Light."

Kemsefet - The son of the high priest of Horus, and leader of the warriors of Horus, Kemsefet teaches Neru how to fight, and fights by her side during battles against Apep's followers. While a good character, I think Kemsefet needs a little more time spent on him to truly make him shine, there is potential there to be greater than he is.

Meshrew - The high priestess of Sekhmet pushes Nicole along on her journey as a good instructor will do, yet at times you can see that she wonders if Nicole, as a westerner, has what it takes to truly be the avatar of Sekhmet.

Atif - The shadowy second-on-command of Apep. He comes across in this book as a great villain. He is vile, and despicable, amoral and cruel. Definitely a bad guy to hate. And yet, he gets his orders from some shadowy voice on the phone, so clearly, he has a boss, we just do not find out who that is...(although I have my guess)

The sentence structure and grammar were consistent with this genre. There was nothing to detract from a good story. It also did not stand out as an, "OMG this book was fantastically written!" It was good solid writing, with dialog and narrative choices that were on par with the norm for this type of book.


Book Review: Akhet: Sekhmet's Light, Book One
Today my bookish friends, I bring for your consideration a book that is drenched in Egyptian mythos and takes that to a nigh-superhero realm.

H.L. Reasby’s debut novel, Akhet begins with a lesson on Egyptian seasons—where Akhet is the first thereof. It’s a time of waning, the Gods of old begin to stir. This is a tale of Nicole, an archaeologist on a dig in Egypt, who is chosen to become a champion of one of the old Gods, Sekhmet. Her struggles with what that means to both her and the people around her make for an interesting look at the Egyptian mythos.

Ms. Reasby does assume that the reader is somewhat familiar with the pantheon, and I admit that I am sadly lacking knowledge in this arena. However it soon becomes clear that the Gods you’re reading about are not necessarily the stars of the show, so even those of us less-than-versed in this particular mythology will be engrossed by the story. Want to know more? Check it out!

This book starts off with a flurry of activity, where our heroine becomes aware of having been selected as the champion for Sekhmet, becoming NuruSekhmet, a champion for her goddess. The beginning of the book requires some special attention, as it describes the necessity for a champion clearly, but I found myself re-reading the portions about the creation of NuruSekhmet and the rational behind it several times.

What Ms. Reasby has done is take a mythos that is at least basically familiar to us all and create a superhero-like heroine that works. Akhet being the first in a series is exciting and rather tantalizing, as I’d love to see more of this imagined world. My only issue is that the first half of the book kind of starts out with a flurry of activity, then coasts for a while, picking up steam near the halfway mark. Pacing is tricky, though, as I’m a voracious reader and I’m used to a certain tension. It did not deter me from enjoying it immensely, and I’m excited for the next volume in this series!

This book contains a lot of action which is well-imagined and told wonderfully. There are some interesting plot devices used, and the villains are interesting without being overtly evil for evil’s sake. I like a little subtlety in my bad guys, what can I say?

If you’re a fan of the Egyptian mythos, superheroes, strong female leads or any of the above, I highly recommend Akhet. I have it on good authority that the second book in the series is on the way shortly!