tahlia__nerds_out's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I have my own theories, but I love that this book got me thinking and presented enough evidence that I can build my own ideas off of the evidence present at the time the book was written
elvenavari's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve always been fascinated with the story if King Tut and with Egypt. I blame that fascination on reading The Egypt Game in elementary school. This book was written a lot like a textbook but with just enough fictional flare to keep it interesting. I was absolutely appalled by the damage done to Tut’s mummy by Douglas Derry. I try to tell myself that he knew no better but urgh...the things we could have known!
Of course, we now know that Tut is not the young, fit king described here. It is questiined if he was even murdered but...I doubt we will ever know for sure. I look forward to finding some other books on Ancient Egypt that capture my attention.
Of course, we now know that Tut is not the young, fit king described here. It is questiined if he was even murdered but...I doubt we will ever know for sure. I look forward to finding some other books on Ancient Egypt that capture my attention.
zephyrsilver's review against another edition
4.0
So, I'll be honest; I almost completely forgot I even had this book. I think I bought it at Borders, so that should tell you how long I've had it. But I went to see the King Tut exhibit this weekend, so this was the perfect book to bring.
I was expecting a dry, dull book, because sadly, a lot of non-fiction (especially historical) tend to be that way. This book was not dry at all! It was actually very engaging!
Brier has a great writing style and voice. He made a few comments that were incredibly witty and funny, which was not what I was expecting from a scholarly type person. Plus his writing style was very smooth and engaging. It felt almost like a fiction book, to some extent.
This book is also a great Egyptology 101, as well as being very informative about Tut and his family. Brier mentions other popular pharaohs including Hatsheput, Ramses the Great, and Cleopatra, to name a few.
His insight on Tut's life was really intriguing. It is a bit out-dated, since the book originally came out in '98, and even the new version was updated a decade ago. Still, it's very good basics - unless everything we know about Tut has radically changed in the past ten years. I wouldn't know, unfortunately.
But overall, this was a good read.
I was expecting a dry, dull book, because sadly, a lot of non-fiction (especially historical) tend to be that way. This book was not dry at all! It was actually very engaging!
Brier has a great writing style and voice. He made a few comments that were incredibly witty and funny, which was not what I was expecting from a scholarly type person. Plus his writing style was very smooth and engaging. It felt almost like a fiction book, to some extent.
This book is also a great Egyptology 101, as well as being very informative about Tut and his family. Brier mentions other popular pharaohs including Hatsheput, Ramses the Great, and Cleopatra, to name a few.
His insight on Tut's life was really intriguing. It is a bit out-dated, since the book originally came out in '98, and even the new version was updated a decade ago. Still, it's very good basics - unless everything we know about Tut has radically changed in the past ten years. I wouldn't know, unfortunately.
But overall, this was a good read.
psalmcat's review against another edition
5.0
Lots of really interesting facts about the people, beliefs, & customs of the people around during Egypt's 18th dynasty. I now sort of understand the controversy of Tut's father Akhenaten.
The author goes off on a tangent and builds the case that Akhenaten had Marfan's Syndrome, which explains why his "portraits" are so different from the other art. And there is the murder plot....
Yeah. Good, well-written, and clear! Wish all Egyptian history was this easy to follow.
The author goes off on a tangent and builds the case that Akhenaten had Marfan's Syndrome, which explains why his "portraits" are so different from the other art. And there is the murder plot....
Yeah. Good, well-written, and clear! Wish all Egyptian history was this easy to follow.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Ah, those silly anicents, leaving great treasures buried but forgetting to mark the X on the map. Poor Tut, he should've copyrighted his own death, considering how many people seem to make money off of it. Or maybe Egypt should've.
I must have seen the documentary that Brier did that inspired his book. I know I have seen his other specials. His like Simon Schmna, interesting to listen to but something about those mannerisms.
Brier's book is quite easy to read, and while he writes for an non-Egypt specialist, such as moi, he doesn't think his reader is an idiot. He presumes that a reader intersted enough to read his book knows something, so while he does give background infromation, it is like a refresher course. His style and tone are great; he is much better to read than to watch. He is very, very clear and painstakingly honest about when he guesses and when he knows for sure. Because Brier's allows the reader to access his (Brier's) fasination with Tut, the book feels very personal.
But this also weakens his argument. While Brier does an excellent job as a prosecutor in terms of his defendent, the problem is that one has the feeling, encouraged by Brier's honestly, that defendent is chosen simply due to Brier's dislike. In some ways, this is like reading Cornwall's [b:Portrait Of A Killer: Jack The Ripper -- Case Closed|6538|Portrait Of A Killer Jack The Ripper -- Case Closed|Patricia Cornwell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165603737s/6538.jpg|1100254]. Though this comparsion is hugely unfair and slightly inaccurate. Unlike Cornwall, Brier is honest, brutally honest, about his prejudice and, more importantly, he consults and cites outside experts who owe him nothing, who don't work for him, and have no reason to curry his favor. Which makes him much better than Cornwall because even though he has predjudices and goes into the case with a theory to prove and not discover, he at least admits it, constantly.
I must have seen the documentary that Brier did that inspired his book. I know I have seen his other specials. His like Simon Schmna, interesting to listen to but something about those mannerisms.
Brier's book is quite easy to read, and while he writes for an non-Egypt specialist, such as moi, he doesn't think his reader is an idiot. He presumes that a reader intersted enough to read his book knows something, so while he does give background infromation, it is like a refresher course. His style and tone are great; he is much better to read than to watch. He is very, very clear and painstakingly honest about when he guesses and when he knows for sure. Because Brier's allows the reader to access his (Brier's) fasination with Tut, the book feels very personal.
But this also weakens his argument. While Brier does an excellent job as a prosecutor in terms of his defendent, the problem is that one has the feeling, encouraged by Brier's honestly, that defendent is chosen simply due to Brier's dislike. In some ways, this is like reading Cornwall's [b:Portrait Of A Killer: Jack The Ripper -- Case Closed|6538|Portrait Of A Killer Jack The Ripper -- Case Closed|Patricia Cornwell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165603737s/6538.jpg|1100254]. Though this comparsion is hugely unfair and slightly inaccurate. Unlike Cornwall, Brier is honest, brutally honest, about his prejudice and, more importantly, he consults and cites outside experts who owe him nothing, who don't work for him, and have no reason to curry his favor. Which makes him much better than Cornwall because even though he has predjudices and goes into the case with a theory to prove and not discover, he at least admits it, constantly.
purplespecslms's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it, not bad. Some of the stuff was pretty interesting.
violetveep22's review against another edition
5.0
I was completely engaged. So many interesting twists and turns that can only be derived from real life. I was captivated by this story and this time.
The brief history of Egypt held more for me than other books I’ve read with a general history overview.
A fast and sumptuous read.
The brief history of Egypt held more for me than other books I’ve read with a general history overview.
A fast and sumptuous read.
raehink's review against another edition
4.0
The author, a paleopathologist, performs high-tech autopsies on mummies. He takes a look at King Tut's medical evidence to show that he was the victim of a political and religious crime. I don't know that he completely convinced me, but the book was interesting.
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