Ramses: The Son of Light - Volume I (Ramses, 1) Paperback – November 1, 1997

Never have I been more captivated by a book. This was so well written and had my imagination running wild! This book is full of amazing twists and turns with scandal, love, mystery, sorcery, and divining. I’m thoroughly impressed with the author and his writing skills. I feel like he was able to capture and truthfully depict the true heart and story of Ramses II.

I have to admit, I had been avoiding reading this series of novels for the reasons that many reviewers cite here. The language is simple, the character development is non-existent, the suspension of disbelief is nearly impossible. I suspect some issue may come from being translated from French into English, or just because Christian Jacq is not the strongest writer of fiction. As a reader, I can forgive him for these things.We open the story when Prince Ramses, second in line for the throne of the Pharaohs, is in scribal school with several friends. He is taken by none other than his father, Seti I to face down a bull. Ramses will either conquer the bull and his fear, or he will die. Surviving the incident, he is left wondering what life will have in store for him. Several other encounters with his royal father, leave Ramses wondering, and once in a while convinced, that he, rather than his manipulative and decidedly oily brother, Shanaar, will become Pharaoh. There are plenty of plots, campaigns into neighboring lands, wars that quell rebellious vassal states to keep you reading.Ramses, much like the scores of ancient Egyptian monuments that bear his name are larger than life. It is very different from the novels that I am used to reading, such as those by Pauline Gedge, who is the absolute gold standard against which all other authors are measured when it comes to historical fiction set in Ancient Egypt. I was pleasantly surprised, however, that while French Egyptologist, Christian Jacq is most definitely no Pauline Gedge, I rather did enjoy the book for the mindless fun that it provided for me.I have been fascinated by Ancient Egypt since I was about 9 years old. I have devoured every bit of fiction associated to it, both good and bad that I could lay my hands on. I also have many shelves lined with non-fiction texts, both for the laypublic and university level papers and books geared toward professional Egyptology. With all of that, I have absolutely no illusions that the Ramses series is anything but mindless entertainment.This book, is neither historically accurate nor particularly good in terms of fiction. It was, however, a very fast read, and I devoured it in a matter of hours. I think Jacq, who is himself an Egyptologist, is just engaging in a fictional romp in a way that maybe Ramses himself would have painted the picture. Everybody, no matter how serious and learned their job is in real life, deserves to unwind and have a bit of fun. This book is just that and I am glad to have been taken along for the ride. For me, it was enough mindless fun to not only have read this book, but ended up purchasing the remainder of the series on my Kindle.

The young Ramses stared the bull in the face. He was afraid. The bull was so fierce. The young prince turned to his father, Seti I, for help. "You're sending me to my death", cried the young boy. The pharaoh responded "You must become the light of your people, shining like the sun. You were hidden in my hand like a star; today I am setting you free. To shine-or to vanish!" Thus would begin the long and vibrant career of Egypt's greatest pharaoh. The first of a five-volume set, Christian Jacq's novel of the life of Ramses the Great begins with the king's early life in Egypt.The supremely confident prince thought he was certain to succeed his father to the Horus Throne, but he was the only one who did. His brother, Shanaar, was the designated heir and he was jealous of his younger brother. His teacher said his name isn't even mentioned in court circles. He was told to leave town. Yet the prince was driven toward power and would never settle for anything less. He had a friend who felt the same way. A fire inside him driving him toward something great. That man was Moses. Even at a young age he began questioning the gods and was troubled by dreams he couldn't understand.Life would not be easy for the young prince. He would face many obstacles that would put his life in danger. His father was an enigma to him-leaving him to believe he was testing him for greatness and then abandoning him. If he was the Son of Light he would have to battle the forces of darkness and they would come from people very close to him.In ancient Egyptian culture the pharaoh was the protector of ma'at, the protector of order. To prove he was worthy of the honor he would have to prove it in the great battleground of Egypt. It would be order against chaos; light against darkness; and those storm clouds would gather threatening to consume the light before it had a chance to shine.Christian Jacq weaves together an exciting tale, based on the life of Ramses II of Egypt. This was the time of Moses and we're introduced to him as a young teenage friend of the Prince. It was also the time of the battle of Troy and in Greek mythology Menelaus and Helen were forced by a great storm to the shores of Egypt. Jacq even has Homer conversing with the Crown Prince sharing his stories and philosophy with him. Finally, there is the living pharaoh, Seti I, who is seen as the gentle and wise ruler imparting his wisdom to his son. It is an exciting beginning to what promises to be one the ancient world's most gloriest of times.

Light reading at best. More for those who like the setting of Ancient Egypt then actual history. Perhaps its young adult style is more from the translation from French to English. The majority of this first volume reads as a coming of age story for a young Ramses. I intend to finish the collection but I understand the style is not for everyone

This is the first in a five part series that really manages to blend history and full-blown fiction. Jacq's Egypt comes alive and jumps off the page, stealing you away to a world where magic might just be real and all those dry history stores come to life. I was really surprised at who "the good guys" and "the bad guys" turned out to be, and found myself really feeling for the characters in the pages. I highly recommend reading the series in order - you might just catch yourself rereading it, like I did ... wow, I just realized how cheezy that all sounds, but they really are great books.

If you’re interested in Egyptian history, this book gives you a lot of information about dress, food, customs and especially religion. At the beginning, Ramses is a youth and his father, Seti, begins to prepare him to become pharaoh. I thought the romance and plotting by his brother was overdone. I kept checking historical references and couldn’t find a mention of a brother named Shanaar. But I did find some information about Helen of Troy that was unexpected.

Super

古代エジプト：ファラオの二人の息子を中心とした全6巻からなる大河ドラマ。第一巻の本篇は、（評者が勝手に付けた）ライオンキング編。現ファラオが「勇猛果敢だが神のバックアップが無い次男」を半身神の父が次男を、立派に後を継げる若きファラオに育てる教育編。闘牛との対決、砂漠での極暑、コブラの扱い、そしてファラオとして一番重要な神との交わり法。変化に富んでます。オッデセイを謡ったホメロスも出てくるのにはビックリでした。次男（ラムセス）に対抗するのが彼とは反対に革新的・平和・外交路線・経済を優先する長男。この二人の対立と、ラムセスの愛人や妻、友人達、そして権力の奪い合い、が全編のテーマでしょう（確信は無い）。興味は尽きないのですが、せっかちな小生には少々かったるく、2巻以降を読むつもりは今のところ無し。

The story was great and well written. Christian is a master on old Egypt. Looking forward for reading volume 2

Una buena forma de aprender sobre el antiguo egipto.Su lectura es ligera como un pajarillo del campo silvestre bonito.

Good as ever