One of Three Book Reviews.

"Even an artificial language is real. Star Trek Fans insisted that the Klingon language be made real. Tolkien invented languages for his characters, human and non-human. Peiple are always creating languages. It's one of the things we do that sets us apart from every other creature on the planet" Prof. Lourds, The Lucifer Code by Charles Brokaw

The book is a very easy read in a kind of "Indianna Jones meets the Davinci Code" kind of way. However, an easy read doesn't mean it is a well written piece. I found myself getting wound up by redundancies in the text that should have been picked up by the editor, much less never written in the first place, for example, "dead corpse."

The other problem with the book was that it couldn't decide what genre and/or approach it was going to take. Was it to be an action/adventure novel... a mystery...? Or, with the 'twist' at the end, a little 'fantasy/horror' thrown in for good measure.

If you can see past that, and want to read a tale where everything happens, one thing after another, (you could argue that this gives the novel pace), then you'll probably enjoy this book. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it, just that I could see there was a lot wrong with it, from a writer's point of view.

The Second of the Three Book Reviews.

"Even now, American tourists spend large amounts of money bribing tomb guards to allow them to sleep overnight in the pyramids in the belief that this might extend their lives." Wollington: Sphinx by T.S. Learner.

It took me a little while to figure out why the book bears the title that it does, because I couldn't remember seeing a sphinx pay a significant role in the story. I was so lost in the narrative that I'd totally overlooked it. It's there - trust me.

From the beginning of the story, to the end, it gripped me, keeping me wondering whom was on whose side; from where would the danger next come. Once the story got going, I really couldn't put the book down.

Although the novel is couched in the mythology of Egypt and the politics of the recent past, the story doesn't lose the reader in either, and by the end of the story, with the final events that provide the denouement, if your heart doesn't go out to Oliver - the character whose journey the story follows - then either you missed something, or the book's simply not your cup of tea.

A final note, just to prove that the modern day 'First Medjai' gets everywhere, one of the acknowledgements made by the author is to Doctor Zahi Hawas.

Book Number Three

"This is your people's way?"
"Yes."
He sighed and rolled onto his back. As I watched he closed his eyes and sighed again. Without opening his eyes, he spoke. "Sleep, Warprize."
I closed my eyes, wondering if I would ever hear my own name again. Kier and Lara: Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan.

This book was both not quite what I expected, and exactly what I expected both at the same time. It was predictable, but even those moments were tackled in an interesting way that made you want to read on. I got this book over a year ago, and wanted to read it because of the obvious parallels: The woman of noble blood who becomes a master healer, whose healing leads her to a life changing situation was quite the draw for me, and it was hard to wait to read this book.

One of the things I liked about the book was the way the clash of cultures was approached and dealt with by the writer. It was never overstated, but since it was a central cause of conflict in the story, it was an important element and played its part perfectly.

There were points in the book where I felt myself become so emotionally invested that I almost wanted to cry, and times when I laughed out loud. There were points when the behaviour of the characters put me in mind of other people from different stories, going to show that some of the things we do for love are universal, even when that concept is almost completely alien to us. For a blatantly obvious 'romance' novel, (the author thanks her chapter of RWA), it was surprisingly engaging.

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