| Napoleon's Pyramids | 
 enlarge | Author: William Dietrich
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  40 reviews
Sales Rank: 148759
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.7 x 6.1 x 1.5
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
ASIN: B001C2E2JU
Publication Date: February 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
What mystical secrets lie beneath the Great Pyramids? Traveling with Napoleon's ambitious expedition, American adventurer Ethan Gage solves a five-thousand-year-old riddle with the help of a mysterious medallion. William Dietrich's books have been hailed for their vivid imagery, evocative atmospheres, impeccable historical accuracy, and ambitious plots. Now, in the breakout novel of his career, he delivers an enthralling story of intrigue, greed, and danger. Ethan Gage, assistant to Ben Franklin and expatriate American in post-revolutionary France, wins an ancient—and possibly cursed—medallion in a card game one night. It turns out that the medallion, covered in seemingly indecipherable symbols, may be linked to a Masonic mystery. That same night, however, Ethan is framed for a prostitute's murder and barely escapes France with his life. Faced with either prison or death, Gage is offered a third choice: to accompany the new emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, as France sails to conquer Egypt—with Lord Nelson's fleet following close behind. Once Gage arrives, he encounters incredible surprises: one in the form of a beautiful Macedonian slave and another in the dawning knowledge that the medallion may solve one of the greatest riddles of history—who built the Great Pyramids, and why. What is revealed to Gage is more shocking than anyone could ever have imagined. Moving from the lascivious salons of post-revolutionary Paris to the Mediterranean's high seas to the treacherous sands of Egypt, Napoleon's Pyramids is a riveting, action-packed thriller that will captivate readers and introduce them to this supremely talented author.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 35 more reviews...
 A fun novel in the grand tradition of H. Rider Haggard and Edgar Rice Burroughs! August 30, 2008
It was actually William Dietrich's newest historical novel, The Rosetta Key, which caught my attention and caused me to buy the prequel, Napoleon's Pyramids. I love the Indiana Jones movies and the old serials from the forties and fifties, so a story that deals with an adventurer in search for the Egyptian Book of Thoth and the Ark of the Covenant in Israel during Napoleon's invasion of 1799 was right up my ally, but first I needed to read Napoleon's Pyramids. I picked up a copy of it and found myself quickly immersed in an adventure that was written in the style of H. Rider Haggard and Edgar Rice Burroughs. What flaws the novel may have had didn't concern me as long as my interest was held, and it was straight to the last page.
Napoleon's Pyramids opens up with Ethan Gage living in Paris in 1798 after the death of his mentor, Benjamin Franklin, and the aftermath of the French Revolution. He wins an old, strange-looking Egyptian medallion in a card game and soon discovers that it's cursed. In less than twenty-four hours, he's beaten and his room is trashed, he's accused of murdering a prostitute, he finds himself hiding in a horse drawn carriage on its way to the French coast where Napoleon's army is being boarded onto ships for the planned invasion of Egypt, and the villains are still hot on his trail. The person who truly desires the medallion is the evil Count Silano, and he has a following of thugs who are led by a cold-hearted killer who worships and handles poisonous snakes. Managing to squeeze his way into Napoleon's good graces, Gage soon finds himself in the land of the ancient pyramids fighting in hand-to-hand combat with the invading French army. It isn't long before he's acquired a fierce Arab warrior as his slave and a beautiful, alluring priestess, who knows more about the secrets of the medallion than she lets on. Through one peril after another, Gage is eventually led to the Great Pyramid of Giza and finds his way inside to the hidden tomb of the Pharaoh and the ancient mysteries of Egyptian magic and the medallion and perhaps a power strong enough to enable a human being to rule the world.
Because of the book's sequel, we know going in that Gage survives the countless dangers of Napoleon's Pyramids. This, however, didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story. While filled with tons of interesting historical information and anecdotes, what makes this novel so good is the character of Ethan Gage and his rogue-type personality. You have our hero, plus the evil villains who are bigger than life, the beautiful female that the hero falls in love with, but doesn't know if he can really trust her, the constant dangers that arise and which he barely survives, and the array of actual historical figures that color this vast canvas. I found Dietrich's writing to be excellent and his story-telling reminiscent of past times, bringing back the pleasures of reading such wonderful stories from my earlier years. This tale of action and intrigue also gives you a stark look at what Napoleon's campaign in Egypt was like and the hardships that were faced by his troops and commanding officers. The desert definitely took its toll on all involved.
Napoleon's Pyramids is a novel for those of you who enjoy the magic of adventures to far-distant lands with dangers lurking around every corner and a hero who's flawed, but manages to come out ahead at every turn of the dice. An excellent summer read!
 (2.5 stars) Filled with poorlly written charcaters and seems it was soley written to be a movie; this book still has its moments August 22, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Ever since reading "Hadrian's Wall" four years ago William Dietrich has been on my list of authors I've been interested in. After reading "The Scourge of God" earlier this year I fell in love with the way he writes and the stories he tells. So naturally I wanted to read his newest historical books.
So I picked up "Napoleon's Pyramids" in spite of the fact that it was written entirely in first person (unlike the previous books of his I read which were at least in part in third person.) I expected to enjoy it based on the fact that it was about ancient Egyptian magic and theories on the pyramids, secret societies and the French invasion of Egypt. But as the back of the book says this book is a lot like Indiana Jones, in fact it is so much like a cross between Indiana Jones, the movie the Mummy (the second one) and the movie National Treasure that it seems like it was written solely for the purpose of making it into a movie one day.
Ethan Gage is a man without purpose or drive, living in post revolution France and making money by demonstrating electricity (he was Franklin's assistant) and gambling. But his life takes a drastic turn when he wins an ancient medallion in a card game one night and soon people are turning up dead as a poor, secretive and Egyptian obsessed count tries to obtain the piece-by any means possible. To escape his reach, and the French courts who believe that Gage killed a prostitute (who was in reality killed by those seeking the necklace) Gage is signed on as a savant on the Egyptian expedition, helping Napoleon use electricity to understand the pyramids.
But trouble fallowed Gage to the country of pharos, magic and man made stone mountains. Soon he is facing the entire Egyptian Right, an enemy army and an increasingly skeptical Napoleon, as well as a slave girl/priestess who knows more about the necklace and its purpose than anyone alive...except for the count.
I'm not saying this book doesn't have it good parts-it is entertaining and in an overly fantasized action/mythic movie sort of way but it is just so formulaic that I had a hared time staying interested for more than a page or two at a time. And while the book has its funny, romantic and active parts its very clear exactly what purpose each extremely stereotypical character has from the moment they're introduced-the comic relief, the mysterious love interest, the villain bent on world domination, the warrior, the scholar....
All in all I enjoyed this book some what, especially towards the end and the plot was interesting enough for me to want to read the sequel I still think the book was written as a prequel to a movie script and while the descriptions in the book were excellent and the action scenes respectable, almost all the characters and the romantic elements could have been written much better. And overall I just enjoy this author better when he writes in third person.
Three stars for the plot, two for the writing. Two and half total but I'm still going to read the sequel "The Rosetta Stone" when it comes out in mass market paperback.
Outstanding Read July 15, 2008
I throughly enjoyed this novel. So long as you don't demand too much reality from your works of fiction you will like it too. The main character, Ethan Gage, is a entertaining good Indiana Jones wannabe. In a genre as competitive as the one known as "historical fiction" (pioneered by Umberto Eco and Dan Brown), this book (and its sequel, "The Rosetta Key" are definite standouts. The author has the ability to mix oft-used themes such as masons and templars and fit them both nicely with the history of up and coming dictator Napoleon Bonaparte and his famous Egyptian campaign. The historical and scientific facts mixed into the whole thing are accurate and relevant. I'm looking forward to Gage's return in "The Dakota Cipher", to be released on March 2009.
A blend of Fiction and Fact. July 11, 2008
A very good blend of fiction and fact that makes this a type of National Treasure/Nicholas Cage set to movie type of story. I thought this kept my interest all the way thru and it made me more interested in reading about Napolean and Nelson more.
Great for what it is. July 2, 2008
I just finished reading this book last week on vacation. After reading two very disappointing books in the genre (basically the DaVinci Code knockoff) I was quite pleased with this one.
Other reviewers have pointed out the book's flaws and I have to agree with many of their points, but overall I found this a very enjoyable book for those who can't get enough of the historical thriller genre.
No one's going to suggest a pulitzer or Nobel Prize for Literature, but this is a great, fun book and I'll definitely be reading the sequel.
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