Comments on: REVIEW: Flesh of the God by Lauren Haney

By: Pieter

Pieter — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 17:33:23 +0000

Does anyone know whether she’ll write more books about Bak?

By: Sara

Sara — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:50:23 +0000

Thanks, I'm going to check this out! I recently read the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters (who also writes as Barbara Michaels), which is absolutely fantastic and hilarious (and made me crave more Egypt). Lion in the Valley (link to the ebook) was possibly my favorite.

By: Maya Reynolds

Maya Reynolds — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:40:10 +0000

Jayne: I know just how you feel. After I read the first couple, I ran out and bought the entire series. Still working my way through them.

I’ve made the mistake of loaning out a couple I had not yet read. Now I have to get them back!

By: Jayne

Jayne — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:10:21 +0000

Me wuvs Falco! Me needs to find the rest of the books me already owns in that series that me hasn’t read yet.

By: Maya Reynolds

Maya Reynolds — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:25:47 +0000

L.E.: Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll go looking for that.

Switching cultures, have you tried Lindsey Davis’ Marcus Didius Falco series set in Rome during first century Rome? It’s masterfully written.

Jayne: Thanks so much for this thread. Now I have two new series to check out.

Regards,

Maya

By: L.E. Bryce

L.E. Bryce — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 06:13:19 +0000

Brad Geagley’s Semerket series is also pretty good.

By: Maya Reynolds

Maya Reynolds — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:36:45 +0000

Lynne: I own all the Lord Meren books and have re-read most of them over the years. I really liked them.

Although I have to say, I wasn’t crazy about the sixth one, which as far as I know was the last thing she’s written.

For those interested in the Lord Meren books, he is the Eyes and Ears of Pharoah during Tut’s reign. Essentially he’s an Egyptian PI although probably closer to the rank of Lord Peter Wimsey. Each book contains a single mystery, but there is a overarching mystery that begins in the first book and is finally resolved in the sixth book.

The technique for the sixth book–moving back and forth from the past to present in alternating chapters–just annoyed the hell out of me. I put it down half a dozen times and don’t remember now if I ever finished it.

But I can highly recommend the earlier books.

By: Lynne

Lynne — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:08:57 +0000

I’ve been wondering the same thing, Maya. I own pretty much everything she’s ever written and would dearly love to read more. Her Lord of the Dragon is one of my all-time keepers.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:45:32 +0000

I’ll head over to Fictionwise and check out the earliest copyright date for the next Bak book and try and read them in chronological order. I got this list from Fantasticfiction.co.uk.

Lieutenant Bak
1. The Right Hand of Amon (1997)
2. A Face Turned Backward (1999)
3. A Vile Justice (1999)
4. A Curse of Silence (2000)
5. A Place of Darkness (2001)
6. A Cruel Deceit (2002)
7. Flesh of the God (2003)
8. A Path of Shadows (2003)

By: Jayne

Jayne — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:39:17 +0000

I’ve heard of the Lord Meren series too. I’ll have to try one of them and see how I like it. I have read a few of her romance novels before and enjoyed them. Thanks for the reminder!

By: Maya Reynolds

Maya Reynolds — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 10:07:47 +0000

I was just thinking the other day of Lynda S. Robinson’s Lord Meren Egyptian mysteries and how much I enjoyed them.

She also writes (wrote?) romances under the name Suzanne Robinson, but it appears to be five years since her last book.

Anyone know if she’s still writing?

By: DS

DS — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:43:09 +0000

This book was only available in German until she had put out five or six other Brak books, so it’s not necessary to read the first two in order– but it would have helped. I kept thinking I had missed something while reading the first book published in English, so I kept checking back to see if there was something wrong with my copy.

I really like these books but sometimes her characters seemed as stiff and posed as Egyptian figural art. However, she is accurate based on what was known– Egyptian archaeology is an evolving field with advances in DNA testing and other applied scientific technologies. I remember reading a favorable review of one of her books in KMT, a journal about Ancient Egypt.

Here’s KMT’s web site: http://www.kmtjournal.com/ It is pricey but worth checking out at a library if nothing else.

By: lucidscreamer

lucidscreamer — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:40:21 +0000

Jayne, unfortunately the books are not numbered. I once worked out the approximate chronology, but unfortunately, I moved and lost the paper I wrote it on. I know that I did not read them in order, but there is some continuity between books, so it’s probably less confusing to read them chronologically. If you like, I can get out my copies and try to work out the reading order again.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:45:04 +0000

Lucidscreamer, should we read the rest of the series in the order in which Haney wrote them? Are they numbered somehow?

By: Jayne

Jayne — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:37:51 +0000

Whoops, sorry about that. Here's some more info on Buhen.

By: lucidscreamer

lucidscreamer — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:16:57 +0000

I love the Lt. Bak series, both for the characters and for the details of life in ancient Egypt. (I also really enjoy the fact that the series does not revolve around royalty or life in the palace, which is fairly unusual for books set in ancient Egypt.) I do think the other books in the series tend to move at a faster pace, and the reader does learn more about Bak in the other books.

Nitpick: It’s Buhen, not Buhan.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 21:30:34 +0000

This sounds really interesting. I’m curious as to whether other folks have read any Bak books and if they suggest starting with this book or a different one in the series.