reviewed by Aimee Li
The book begins with a simple card game in 17th century France, right after the French Revolution. In this card game, Ethan Cage, an America trying to find his place in the world, wins an ancient medallion which rumors say belonged to Cleopatra and holds a curse, but no ones knows exactly. The symbols on the medallion also suggest some connection to Free Masons, and it ends up leading Ethan on an adventure involving Napoleon, a British spy, romance, and the ancient Pyramids of Egypt.
William Dietrich’s Napoleon’s Pyramids does not contain the most unique storyline and premise I have ever read, but Dietrich has woven together a delightful and action filled adventure from elements found in history and legends. I am by no means a history buff, so I would not be able to say whether Dietrich’s portrayal and description of post-revolutionary France and Napoleon’s journey to Africa is accurate or not and how much of his descriptions are more his opinion rather than facts. However, I can say that Napoleon’s Pyramids was a fascinating journey. If Dietrich did embellish any part of the historical background, it was for good reason and did well to draw me in without being too distracting.
For me, most novels have one draw: plot or character development. I rarely find a book that draws me in using both. Dietrich has effortlessly merged the two together and it is hard to say what I found so addictive about this book. Was it the vague reluctance Ethan showed at almost every stage of his journey? Was it the mystery of the ancient medallion? Was it the entertaining, yet somewhat tedious, interaction Ethan had with other characters? In any case, I was hard pressed to put the book down. This is not to say there were no moments of glassy eyed confusion or boredom, but Dietrich easily recovered my attention with either an action packed scene reminiscent of a John Woo movie scene in writing or a mysterious new development that added to the questions surrounding the ancient medallion. Overall, William Dietrich’s Napoleon’s Pyramids was a very enjoyable read and I look forward to joining Dietrich on more adventures.
