The War of the Crowns
The Queen of Freedom Trilogy Volume II
By Christian Jacq 

     Coming hot on the heels of the first book in this new trilogy: The Empire of Darkness, (also reviewed on this site) here is the second installment of Jacq's latest Egyptian epic. The Hyksos people, led by Emperor Apophis, still hold Egypt in thrall and since the untimely death of Pharaoh Seqen, the partisans have suffered a severe setback. But Queen Ahhotep is determined to reclaim Egypt, and so Thebes carries on training in secret and tries to undermine the conquerors. Slowly, the Egyptians are starting to fight back in larger numbers and, led by Ahhotep's elder son Kames, things seem to be looking up. But is it all an elaborate trap concocted by Apophis? And who is the spy in Ahhotep's camp?

     In the grand tradition of trilogies that seems to have been started by Tolkein, this second volume treads water somewhat and can be described at least in part as "more of the same." The Hyksos people get more and more barbaric and bloodthirsty, and mentions of tortures and massacres abound until it is surprising there is anybody left. There are rather more supernatural happenings than can be explained away by coincidence or a trick of the light, so perhaps booksellers might be scratching their heads where to file this novel, but as ever this directly told and robust story echoes the folk tales and legends of the long-ago past in a way that seems fresh and engaging. This partly excuses Jacq's insistence to make all the characters either deep-dyed villains or shining brave heroes, but the odd in-between person might be a plus as, after all, they do appear in folk tales as well. Overall, this is a stirring novel and one cannot help cheering on the Egyptians as they try so hard to win back their country and oust the truly ghastly Hyksos. Maybe one day somebody will write a novel which tells it all from the Hyksos point of view? I'd love to read it…