3 out of 4 stars
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The Pharaoh's Builders is an exciting science fiction novel and the first book in the Pharaoh's Land Series written by Heather Perrywinkle Smith.
Bilal Von Kesslar, his father Drekkar and his mother Emilia are the three most valuable slaves of slave master Abar Iberak. Besides working at the quarry among the builders of the pyramid, Bilal is also a trained fighter who fights for a wager and sometimes fights to the death. Though Bilal is born a slave and knows no other life aside from the one he has, he likes his work in the quarry. He still appreciates the gentle breeze and the beautiful sunset and he still hopes that there is something more to life than what he has.
In a seemingly unexpected twist of fate, Bilal is given an opportunity to be someone else and to do something better. He meets new people and makes new friends who introduce him to the ‘oneness,’ the energy that connects all things with the planet. Some people with the ‘oneness’ strong in them can change or influence anything by request. These people are the Builders. Bilal’s newfound happiness, however, is marred by tragedy and a devious plot that might endanger the life of someone very important to him.
With a steady pace and written in the third person perspective, the book presents a very interesting idea, connection. It explains how everything in the world is connected and that anybody can do impossible things through this connection. The story, for the most part, emphasizes the beauty of life if one is sensitive enough to the wonder of nature and selfless enough to extend kindness to everyone. The book is about love, kindness, loyalty, friendship, avarice and betrayal. I like the juxtaposition of good and evil both in the palace and in the Laborer’s Realm.
There are detailed descriptions of settings that give the readers an idea on how ancient Egypt might have looked like. Characters are well developed and are fairly described as to be easily visualized. Likable characters outnumber unlikable ones and the readers will find it easy, or even compelling, to root for the good guys. Though the climax of the story is almost by the end of the book, the excitement makes up for the lateness, as well as for the cliffhanger ending, which I am, generally, not into.
Though the main characters were basically developed, I would have preferred if the author included backstories of the Von Kesslars when they were still in their homeland. Also, a glimpse of Bilal’s actual fight would have made the story more exciting. Moreover, I found the vast description of the ‘oneness’ too lengthy but still ambiguous. I also noticed some details that may easily be omitted. Furthermore, there are too many errors in the book including grammatical, typographical and misspelled words.
I, therefore, rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It is very interesting and very entertaining, and I recommend it to fans of science fiction and historical fiction, or to those who are interested in pyramids and ancient Egypt.
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The Pharaoh's Builders
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