Myth as weapon and mercy as legacy

FROM the moment I opened House of Two Pharaohs, I was pulled into a city staggering under famine and invasion, yet still reaching for renewal.

- 

Wilbur Smith and Mark Chadbourn render Memphis with such precision I could almost hear the hum of the marketplace and the whispers in the temple halls.

What gripped me most wasn't just the action or suspense, but the way myth, history, and human struggle intertwine so seamlessly.

At the centre of the story stands Piay, the newly appointed Nomarch, whose journey mirrors that of his city. He isn’t the typical heroic figure.

He's uncertain, deeply empathetic, and painfully aware of the cost of leadership. When he says, “Rebuilding walls is nothing if trust lies in ruins,’ I felt the truth of that beyond the page.

His words resonate in our own time, reminding us that progress without trust is always fragile.

The fragile peace Piay tries to preserve shatters with the discovery of a murdered scribe sealed inside a vault, his body marked with the symbol of Anubis.