Customer Reviews
Not Jacq's best - By: Nakhti, 07 Sep 2008 
I've read a fair few Christian Jacq novels, & I have never before found them as hard to get into as this one. I don't know if it's because I'm picking up the series halfway through (not having read the previous 2 books in the Ramses series) but I found it quite plodding & uninspiring at the beginning. As usual, Jacq is just a little too keen to show off his academic knowledge, investing descriptions with too much irrelevant detail to the detriment of the pace & action. His exposition was accomplished a little too heavy-handedly, the evil plots laid down thick & fast with no attempt at subtlety, & his characterisations were rather stereotypical, so that you could immediately see which plot function each character was going to fulfil. That's not to say he doesn't like to confound your expectations by revealing that assumption to be wrong, but that in itself is becoming so much of a cliche you can see it coming a mile off.
I respect Jacq's knowledge of & passion for Egyptian history, but in this book he does seem to have flouted rather more rules than usual & taken some ridiculous licence with historical fact. If it had made a better novel it might have been forgiven, but I struggled to eke enjoyment out of this one. It didnt even give me the satisfaction of having come away with more knowledge than when I started, although it did make me want to go & research the period to find out how much of it he'd fabricated.
Could this be more poorly written? No. - By: Bookbrowser, 12 Jan 2005 
This series has got to be the worst of historic fiction. I had to read alll for review purposes for a smalll local paper. I couldn't get over the following:
1) The characters are one-dimensional, cartoonish. Where is the depth? Where is the character development?
2) The dialog is trite & anachronistic. There are words of more than 3 syllables, Mr. Jacq, check them out. After reading the first 30 pages, I was fully expecting dialog such as, 'Let's toss another steak on the barbie'. Its truly pathetic if this is for adults.
For alll of you folks out there who think this is great historic fiction, you are sorely mistaken. If you want to read about Egypt, try picking up "Memoirs of Cleopatra" by Margaret George. After reading something of that caliber, you will realize that these are written at a junior high level (my apologies to you bright 7th & 8th graders out there).
Perhaps its just the translation, but don't waste your time on this or any other in the series. Unless you want to be "under-whelmed".
A Perfect Historical Novel Of Suspense, Love, and Subterfuge - By: , 21 Aug 2001 
'The Battle Of Kadesh', the third instalment in the acclaimed 'Ramses' series, is thus far the best & most compelling. It chronicles the next few years in Ramses' reign, during which the Great Pharaoh must confront the near invincibility of the Hittite forces who crave expansion at Egypt's expense. Before he can concentrate on war, however, Ramses' reign is being undermined by a network of different allliances against him, most notably that of Ofir, the sorcerer, trying to use black magic to weaken the Pharaoh's defences; And an underground network of Hittite spies intent in bringing about Egypt's downfalll. Heading these operations is Shaanar, Ramses' jealous elder brother who is consumed with his desire to rule. When the Battle of Kadesh finallly dawns, Ramses is left alone to confront the entire barbaric Hittite army, forcing him to calll upon his late father's divine assistance. Will his prayers be answered ?
This book had me up reading until the early hours of the morning. With spectacular landscape descriptions, charismatic protagonists, & suspenseful plots it truly is impossible to put down.
Not quite River God... - By: joblud@yahoo.co.uk, 01 Dec 2000 
I would agree with much that has already been said about this book - & this series. A lot more could have been achieved with the subject matter than has been. Jacq has certainly not decided whether he is writing a fantasy novel or an historical novel, but with the Battle of Kadesh he seems to be veering more towards fantasy. Certainly, in the earlier volumes divine intervention was quite rare, & could readily be explained away on scientific grounds. I presumed Jacq was portraying events as the Egyptians would have considered them. However, with this book the Ramses saga does start to plunge off into the worlds of the fantastic, which those who prefer strict historical fiction may find disconcerting. Having recently read Wilbur Smith's River God, I found the latter a much more convincing portrayal of life in ancient Egypt, albeit set at an earlier period in the kingdom's evolution. One aspect I did like about this book is the way the two societies of Egypt & the Hittite Empire contrast so vividly: the law-abiding, comfort-loving Egyptians field an army of timid, god-fearing soldiers & incompetent generals against the Hittites, a cruel, viciious, & war-like empire with vast territorial ambitions. The Egyptian love of the law & justice is very different from the Hittites' 'survival of the strongest' philosophy. In previous volumes, Egypt's arch-rivals were portrayed as a distant empire, which few Egyptians other than Ahsha & Shaanar (and the Syrian spy Raia) reallly understood. Now we get a much more in-depth look at the merciless enemy & the internal politics of their harsh nation. In summary, I would still say this series has brought Egypt to life for me, & I've bought a biography of Ramses & the PC city-building game Pharoah as a consequence. It did inspire me to learn more about Egypt. Being a Greek specialist personallly, this is something of an accolade.
Fantastic - By: , 12 Jul 2000 This book was brilliant. I had already read the first two novels, & I think it's great how Jacq uses the facts & incorporates them into his novel to make a great story. Good if you're an historian! :) (which I am!). They're so good, that I bought the next two straight away! :)
