4.5 starsLet me state, right off the bat, this is an excellent book. It is truly the standard by which all ancient Egyptian historical fiction novels should be measured...for the most part (I'll explain in a moment). The research is impeccable, thorough without being overwhelming and used appropriately (meaning that Gedge knows when to hold back and let the story take over and when to use her research to enhance/explain a scene). No info dumps here! The story itself moves along a brisk pace, the tension and action nicely balanced with more introspective, character-centered moments--it neither drags nor wears the reader out with never-ending action. The language is where Gedge truly shows her talent: the dialogue is beautiful, neither anachronistically modern (thus jarring the reader out of the book's ancient setting) nor so archaically formal that the reader is forced into multiple re-reads in order to decipher what was said; the narrative truly immerses the reader in the sights, sounds, and textures of ancient Egypt, to the point where I felt I could reach out and stroke the sweat-slicked flesh of the characters as they sat under Ra's implacable eye or smell the intoxicating scents of perfumed oil cones as they melted, the oil soaking the gauzy linen sheaths and kilts of the banqueters as they feasted in a stuffy, noisy dining hall. Certain hist. fiction authors who are currently the darlings of the publishing world, whom shall remain nameless here (although I will give out the initials P.G. and M.M.), should take note of Gedge's creative writing ability and follow her most excellent example.Now to explain the "for the most part" bit from earlier. Bear with me as my one criticism- no, that's the wrong word. How about I say 'problem' instead? My one problem with the book is rather nebulous and difficult to explain. While all of what I've said in the previous paragraph is true, while Gedge brings to life these ancient peoples and places and personages to a degree that is to be envied and admired, the characters themselves, most especially those who are responsible for driving the story, still don't feel as fully fleshed as they could be, as though they're missing whatever it is that would make them jump off the pages and become real human beings. To contrast, Conn Iggulden, whose Genghis series I'm currently reading, has to deal with some of the same issues as Gedge in bringing his characters to life, i.e. taking an historical personage about whom more myth than reality is written/known and creating a real human being from the scraps of truth to be found in such myths and legends. Yet Conn's Temujin/Genghis doesn't just leap off the page, he smashes his way through the flimsy wood pulp and weak ink letters which hold him captive. And the same dynamism is true of all the other characters in Genghis's life: some are weak, some are cunning, some are utterly depraved and despicable, and some are brave, noble, conflicted, innocent, dependable--in other words they are human, with human foibles and human drives. With the characters in The Hippopotamus Marsh I don't get that same sense of reality. Yes, we are shown the motivations of Seqenenra and his son Kamose, their pride and sense of honor, as they chafe under the rule of the Setiu/Hyksos king Apepa; the conflicted outrage of Kamose's twin brother Si-Amun as he traps himself in a no-way-out situation; the wise resignation of Seqenenra's wife Aahotep, the haughty grandeur of Tetisheri, the matriarch of the family, and the lesser motivations of the rest of the family. Yet I never really got a sense of each character's depth beyond those surface impressions. And this is where the nebulousness comes in, as the depth of personality for each of these characters (which I'm sure will deepen as the series progresses) is perfectly adequate (and in comparison to some hist. fiction downright marvelous). Taken in combination with the rest of the elements of Gedge's writing, The Hippopotamus Marsh becomes a work of fiction which is quite astonishing and absolutely amazing to read. So why am I complaining? I guess because I want to go deeper, I want to know more about these characters--Kamose, Seqenenra, Tani, Ramose, Aahmes-Nefertari and the rest--I want them to break free of history's cobwebs, leap off the page and stand before me as they tell me their story, through Gedge's words, much as Conn Iggulden's Genghis Khan did. They seemed too tame, too calm, too remote for such dynamic history taking place around them.One other quibble I have with the book, which ties in with the issue I pointed out above, is the action, compelling as it was, could've been more dynamic and more compelling to read. Once again, I need to refer to Iggulden as I've been spoiled by him and his depictions of battle, of blood and death, defeat and victory, depictions which are at once gruesome and engrossing. If I can smell the flood waters of the Nile, feel its life-giving mud slither through my fingers and the grit of the desert sand, then I should also be able to see the sweat and fear pouring off a soldier's face, hear the clashing of swords, the crash of shields, the twang of bowstrings, the hiss of blood as it sinks into the baking earth. Yet that never occurred. As with the personalities of the book's characters, the action is surface-level only: I saw the clash, I saw the tactics, the hope and fatigue of the soldiers, the humiliation of defeat, but I never felt the reality of the action taking place. Maybe it's simply due to a contrast in styles between a male and female author (and, god, I hate myself for even thinking that, let alone writing it, as I'm well aware of many female authors who can write kinetic and enthralling action scenes as well as, if not better than, male authors). Or perhaps it's simply that Gedge has so much territory to cover, she didn't feel the need to dwell on the battle scenes. Who knows?What I do know is the issues I have with the novel are minor in comparison to The Hippopotamus Marsh's overall scope and readability. There may be a few (a very few) books out there which are better (and we all know "better" and "worse" are highly subjective adjectives), but there are certainly a great deal too many books which are worse--pieces of dreck which would have to climb onto extension ladders just to get close enough to reach out and aspire to Gedge's level of artistry.
The language is beautiful and the research is meticulous. My only reason for not giving it five stars is that its characters are always aware of their own importance and the great solemnity of their obligations. There's little humor here. That's not unreasonable. These are men with huge battles to face, and hard choices to make. First Seqenenra, then his twin sons Si-Amun and Kamose in turn, strive to regain the divine throne that their ancestors lost. This is not mere greed for power. The current rulers are of foreign descent, and though it's been about two hundred years some Egyptians haven't forgotten. The Hyksos, or Setiu, king means to make himselve more secure by driving the Tao family into total obscurity or a rebellion which could surely not succeed.The women so far (this is the first book of a trilogy) have rather less to do. That's probably historically accurate, alas. Though as Tani has become a hostage at the court of the Setiu king, Apepa, I have hopes for more action on her part later.Kamose is clearly Gedge's favorite character; she says as much in a forward. For me, he comes alive on the page much more than the other two Princes did. By the way, the edition that I read had a very helpful list of the multitude of characters at the front.The details of the daily life of a noble family living far from court are wonderful. The opening description of the crumbling old palace makes the family's loss of status clear. When a royal ship pulls in at the watersteps, it surprises and worries everyone. They're right to be alarmed.
What do You think about The Hippopotamus Marsh (2003)?
I discovered Pauline Gedge’s writing on a bitterly cold Christmas Day a few years ago, but the first book I read was her latest work at the time, The Twice Born. Now that I’ve read almost all of her work, I definitely prefer her earlier works. They’re much faster paced and the characters are far more interesting. Her earlier works definitely have less of a literary novel feel and more of an epic historical fiction feel.The Hippopotamus Marsh is the first book in the Lords of the Two Lands trilogy and it follows the patriarch of the Tao family, Seqenenra. Seqenenra is a very proud character, yet there is despair lurking beneath the surface because half of his beloved Egypt is under the yoke of the Setiu king Apepa. But when Apepa takes his ridiculous demands too far, he finally snaps and the rebellion that gave him the epithet ‘the Brave’ began. If any of you history buffs want to look up Seqenenra (he was, of course, a real historical figure), I recommend that you search with caution—his mummy is not one of the prettier ones.In addition to fascinating characters like the regal Tetisherti, the brave Seqenenra and the tragically flawed Si-Amun, the plot moves along at a nice pace. It’s not nearly as fast as that of most mainstream fiction, but it is much faster than Pauline Gedge’s later books. The Hippopotamus Marsh is a must-read for anyone who loves the mysterious civilization that was ancient Egypt.I give this book 5/5 stars.
—Carrie Slager
I am a fan of Pauline Gedge's book. I am waiting with baited breathe for her last instalment in the King's Man trilogy to come out in mass market, but I must admit I was rather dissapointed in this book, the first of her Lord of the Two Lands trilogy.Now don't get me wrong I did enjoy it, but it was not my favorite of her works. It was rather dry , and the characters were for the most part whiny. Constantly bemoning their bad luck, disgrace, and fall from grace.It's a lot of repetition in the actions of the characters and the reactions of the world around them. I wound up skimming several pages.It is still beautifully written, the characters are colorful, and the breathless and timeless beauty of Egypt springs forth as it does in all her other books, but the plot and the story just didn't seem as well put together as the other books I read by her.
—Forgotten Realms Queen
Th8is is the first book in a trillogy about the end of the seventeenth dynasty when the Egyptian pharaohs have been ruled by the Hyksos, a more advanced asian people, for about 200 years. THe Hyksos have allowed the old royal family to continue to rule the southern part of Egypt in name but the new Hyksos Pharaoh feels threatened by the family and makes ridiculous demands of them. One demand is that they kill all of the hippopotamus and fill in their marsh as their noises are disturbing his sleep, hundreds of miles away... This is particularly offensive because the hippos are sacred to one of their gods and a favourite animal of one of his daughters. All through this book I kept thinking that the Egyptian prince's name in the book was familiar. I don't really know that much about ancient egyptian history so I figured it was just imagining it. Then I got to the part when Sequenenre's sustains his injury and I realized I had seen something on the Discovery network or the History network on him. SO weird!I liked the book. The names were a little hard for me because they were so different from what I'm used to and a lot of them seemed similar so it took me a bit to recognize them all. Once I did though I liked the characters and the story kept me interested. It was interesting to learn about that time of history. I haven't really read anything based in that time which is odd since learning about ancient Egypt was one of the first things that sparked my fascination with history.
—Angela
