Today it's my turn on the BlogTour The Awakening Aten by Aidan K. Morrissey.
"I am of Irish heritage and was the first member of my immediate family to be born outside of Ireland. My professional life has caused me to travel the world. I am now looking forward to settling in the North East of England, to concentrate on writing.
A graduate in Law from Leicester University, after working for some years in a commercial environment, I qualified as a Solicitor in 1981. My career developed in an unusual way and I have lived and worked at various times in Italy, Brazil, the United States, India and Germany.
I have always had a love and fascination for history. A holiday in Egypt sparked a particular passion for Ancient Egypt, especially the latter part of the 18th Dynasty. A history, which Pharaoh Horemeb (Djeser-Kheperu-Ra circa 1319-1292 BCE) tried to destroy and which only came to light following the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922.
‘The Awakening Aten’ is the culmination of many years of research.
I have built up a substantial collection of academic books and novels on Ancient Egypt, its customs, traditions and daily life. I am fortunate to have been able to visit all of the major museums containing artefacts from Egypt throughout the world, as well as spending months in Egypt itself studying the funereal valleys and other sites. All of this supplemented by internet research.
This novel is the first in a plannned five book series, looking at the fictional lives of real people through a period of major political and religious change, spanning approximately 130 years.
My hobbies are reading, which I enjoy as much as I do writing, and taking bracing walks along the North East Coast and in the Northumberland Hills."
About the book
The Awakening Aten envelops the reader in an Egypt of whispers and fears, of webs within webs, deceit upon deceit. Its themes of murder, intrigue, political and religious conflict, corruption, tomb robbing, war and executions are set against a background of fundamental ideological change.
Ancient Egypt is seen through the eyes of two families; one royal, the other commoner.
Yuya, whose tomb is in the Valley of the Kings, is a foreigner who rises from slavery to become Regent to an infant Pharaoh and thus, the most powerful man in the world’s wealthiest empire. His children and descendants will remain at the very heart of the country’s destiny. Kha is a tomb painter and builder who experiences both the despair of imprisonment and the horror of war. As Overseer of the King’s Works he restores the Great Sphinx, and inscribes the ‘Dream Stela’ placed between its paws, still visible today. Through tragic and deathly events his family and that of Yuya become entwined.
This is the fictional tale of real people, whose possessions and artefacts can be seen in museums throughout the world. It gives a voice to those people, inspired by their personal items, buried with them 3,000 years ago.
This is the first book in the Aten series.
There is no doubt that Eygptian history is fascinating, perhaps more so because the life and times of their Kings is worthy of an HBO series - it's just that dramatic.
In the awakening the reader follows the paths of Yuya and Kha, and their different perspectives and experiences. One who rises to shape Eygptian history, as do his descendants. The other shapes the way the future will see the Egyptians.
The history we glean information from artefacts, statues and tombs, they teach us what lives they lead and how they died. It's fair to say the modern world is still amazed by the architecture, culture and history of these advanced people.
I think the strength of this story is that the majority of the characters are based on fact and that the author shows dedication to the historical events and facts as we know them.
Historical fiction can be a tough one. For me there has to be a good balance between fact and fiction. If not, the fiction becomes too far-fetched or it's hard to differentiate between the two. You can tell a cracking story and educate at the same time, but without being too academic. Luckily Morrissey doesn't do that.
However the writing needs to be less stinted, the dialogues more realistic and less predictable and the characters need more depth.
On a more positive note there are so many facts and historical tidbits to take away from this read. The author knows his stuff.
Morrissey just needs to find the balance and his own way of being able to share the breadth of his knowledge in a way that draws more readers in. I'm sure that he is able to do so.
It's historical fiction, a footstep inside the door of the great and intricate world of the Eygptians.
Buy The Awakening Aten at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Troubador Publishing; pub date 21 May 2019. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Troubador.
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