Rating: 
Summary: A Very Fine Reconstruction of a Long Lost World!
Review: One of the best things an historical novel can do is create a long-ago time and place for us . . . and convince us that what it has given us is how things might really have been. This THE EGYPTIAN does in spades.The tale of an ancient Egyptian physician's life and times, this book follows the events and travels of the aptly named Sinuhe, surnamed He Who is Alone, from his mysterious birth through early childhood into young adulthood and, beyond, to the waning days of a long and troubled life. Cast out and dishonored because of youthful folly (a folly, indeed that he never seems to outgrow), Sinuhe flees the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes and enters the wider world where he becomes a true man of that world, adventurer and sojourner, physician and spy, while, all along, offering us an up-close look at that world as it might really have been. With him, we visit ancient Babylon and Hatti (land of the Hittites), and Crete where the bull dancers plied their trade. And we are carried back and forth through Egypt and Syria as Sinuhe becomes absorbed in the great events of his day as they worked themselves out on their ancient stage. Unfortunately, Sinuhe is also a somewhat tiresome, and even foolish, character who is not always fully sympathetic as he consistently makes doltish choices and throws away what he should hold onto for his very life. He is seemingly caught up in every roiling current the world sends his way, unable to set his own course and, inevitably, an evil fate dogs his tracks for this great failing. But he is, in the process, witness to the rise and fall of the visionary pharaoh Akhenaton and to the great wars which rocked his ancient world and which eventually precipitated the fall of the mighty civilizations of the Bronze Age. In the end, the mood is one of sorrow and resignation in the face of existence itself, a mood that is very redolent of the spirit found in the writings of those ancient times. And so Sinuhe, named for another mythical Egyptian traveler whose story has come down to us in the archaeological records, is very much a creature of his world and that, surely, is an accomplishment for any writer of historical fiction. This is a fine piece of historical writing and one of the better renderings of ancient Egypt and its Bronze Age world that I have found. Aside from Sinuhe's foolishness, I was a little troubled by the somewhat meandering narrative approach with lengthy dead spots and constant coincidences where the same characters consistently run into each other. But basically this was a good one and the fine narrative "ear" for time and place more than offset the book's other failings. My kind of book! SWM
Rating: 
Summary: Masterpiece of Historical Fiction
Review: Recently read this book for the first time and I know it won't be the last, this is one of the best works of historical fiction I've ever read and a timeless piece of literature. Originally published in Finnish during the 1940's and set in ancient Egypt around the 14th century BC, it is still a story very relevant to modern times. The main character and narrator is Sinuhe, a man born in Thebes, who has written the story of his life in Egypt and his travels to Syria, Babylon, Crete and the land of the Hittites. I especially loved the descriptions of Crete and the people who danced with the bulls. This is much more than an adventure or war novel though, Sinuhe is a deep thinker & searcher for answers about the nature of man and suffers from much inner turmoil. The greatest part of this turmoil is lived out in the battle between the spiritually motivated pharaoh and the materially minded priests and military. If you are looking for a page turning adventure that is also really great literature don't miss this one.
Rating: 
Summary: This seems to be an abridged version
Review: After comparing this book with two non-english translations, it is obvious that this is an abridged version of the novel. The story is certainly still good, but I would like to see an unabridged english translation of this book. It is a shame that there is only one english edition available (the web site of a book store in mexico offers at least 4 different editions in spanish!)
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: As a Finn I feel slight guilt over not having read Waltari at all before 2003. Prejudiced towards his era's Finnish authors or just against his name which for some peculiar reason represented something for "old generation" and boring, unenthusiastic way of story telling (who can claim Kalle Päätalo doesn't sound like a boring author too..). I read couple of his earlier works which haven't been translated into other languages I think and after those I was convinced that prejudice had ecclipsed the masteful story telling abilities of Mika Waltari. The Egyptian is the third Waltari book I have read. Doctor in ancient Egypt?? Written by a Finn and gotten huge success all over the world? Somewhat uncommon framework for a book and I had no idea what to expect. I did some cautious non-spoiling background digging in order to establish some sort of an idea of the book. I learned that egyptologists consider the book amazingly accurate description of the culture in that era and that Waltari had done his Egypt + surrouding areas research very well but had never visited Egypt. It is said that he didn't make notes about the facts but just remembered and understood the essence and wrote the book. I found the story telling captivating and humour embedded in especially Kaptah's long monoloques in a dialoque with Sinuhe were hilarious. Yet this story has a lot of philosophical pondering which always fits the storyline and doesn't seem separate from the story. Hence a combination of things that make one stop to think and digest every once in a while and the entertaining and uplifting humour and tragicomedy. Simplicity and complexity of characters, cunning manipulation and clever psychology all coats the story with even more interesting aspects not to mention the adventure Sinuhe and Kaptah go through. I found the book good from page 1 all the way to the final page. What more can one want from a book? The Egyptian has many scenes which underline the cruelty, ruthlessness, power of love, loyality and the power of fear. All these are exhibited as extremes at some point in the book. Made in 1945 after second world war had it is rather easy to understand the certain pessimism throughout the book and distrust in people's ability to change and peacefully co-exist. Waltari shows how humanity often escapes in horror when war becomes intense. Book has a lot of descriptions of vileness, ultimate cruelty, torture and complete ignorance towards human life. Waltari also brings out the concept of loyality in very extreme forms. Some female characters in this book are almost exclusively somewhat detrimental for men's mental sanity. Nefernefernefer has not only a catchy name but is also a prime example of deceiving woman whose limitless power is in her beauty and manipulation omnipotence! While she draws all will-power away from Sinuhe and seals his fate in many ways at the beginning of the book, she gets a payback later from Sinuhe but gets still the last laugh in a way that one can only smile at in disbelief. No need for details. Just give this book a chance and you may find yourself quite immersed in it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent historical fiction
Review: We have to remember that Mika Waltari wrote his books in the 1940s, long before other writers such as Ken Follett began their carreers in historic fiction. In fact, Waltari is one of those authors that made historic fiction a popular genre of literature. His books ("The roman", "The etruscan", "Secret of the Kingdom", among others) are all based on great and accurate historic research and a central character, greatly developed and inserted in his background. One other thing that is repeated along his books is the presence, in different levels of transparency, of Christian elements (yes, even if it's ancient Egypt, as in this case). The egyptian of the title is Sinuhe, an orphan raised by an elder couple. Sinuhe's adopted father is a physician on a poor neighboorhod in Thebes, Egypt's capital at the time (circa 1300 b.C.). Sinuhe chooses the profession of his father, but the difference is that he becomes the Pharao's physician, immersed in the court's game of deception, rivalries and connections. Sinuhe's time is the time of Pharao Amenhotep IV, who tried to change egyptian religion from polytheism to monotheism. The cult of Aton - the only god - was not well accepted by the religious class nor by the population, and the self-renamed Akhenaton (former Amenhotep) was one of the most hated rulers of all times. Sinuhe is a believable and complete character, although developed in an old-fashioned way. In fact, the whole book, its writing style and its characters have an old aura about them. Some of the situations and dialogues are extreme, and sometimes don't ring true, but those are rare occasions. Sinuhe and his faithful servant Kaptah travel through Egypt, Syria, Crete and back to Egypt, collecting information, meeting kings, girls and enemies. Sinuhe's life is full of things happening all the time. Waltari tells Sinuhe's envolvent story through the book. He was able to blend true facts with fiction in an excellent way, stablishing himself as one of the "fathers" of historic fiction. If you've never read Mika Waltari, "The egyptian" is a great way to begin. Grade 9/10
Rating:
Summary: Full-bodied recreation of the 14th century BC Egypt
Review: The Egyptian set in the Amarna period of Ancient Egypt during the reigns of the pharaohs Amunhotep III, Akhenaten and Horemheb, covering the concluding years of the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom (1386 - 1293 BC), an ear in Egyptian history that was marked by significant religious and political upheaval. The Egyptian is Sinuhe, a physician of unknown birth origin who was wrapped and cradled in a reed boat floating down the Nile. As he narrates his life story, which transcended years of warfare, plague, and fierce battle between gods. On the outside The Egyptian delineates the history of Egypt through its inveterate religious devotion to many gods. At the core of the novel finds one man's lifelong journey through many countries, like Babylon, Crete, and Mitannia, to knowledge. Sinehu possessed such lonely idealism that motivated him to devote his life searching for something so intangible yet greater than he beyond his understanding did. He was not ready to merely worshipping the gods - in fact, he insisted on questioning traditions and thus marked him as an outsider of his own culture. The spine of the novel concerns the ferocious contention between Aton and the Ammon. Pharoach Akhenaten sought to disestablish the old gods with a relatively unknown deity called the Aton as the Ammon, the present godly sponsor, had accumulated so much wealth and power that the Ammon priests began to rival to that of the Pharoach. In order to achieve balance of power between Ammon and the throne, Akhenaten deposed the ancient gods and established Aton as a new state divinity. No sooner had Akhenaten adopted the new deity than Sinuhe ineluctably became entangled in conflict between tradition and innovation. Sinuhe must choose between the way of the heretic Pharoach and the old corrupt system that had blinded many and robbed the freedom of Egyptians. Miki Waltari deftly uses a prose style evocative of ancient texts that is comparable to Naguib Mahfouz's work in modern Egyptian literature. Unlike Mahfouz, Waltari's book is the first major novel set in ancient Egypt during the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom in 14th century BC The Egyptian, comibing history, research and imagination, is a timeless re-creation of such largely forgotten era over a prodigious interval of time. The book captures the nuances of war, intrigue, power struggle, wassail, romance, horror, and lavish scnenes of violence. From Sinuhe's intransigence to worshipping false gods springs forth a tale of death and love, man's corruption, cruelty, and lust for power and the warfare between two value systems and religions that amazingly reflect our world today. 2004 (19) © MY
Rating:
Summary: A Literary Masterpiece!
Review: To say that the author made History come alive in this novel would be a huge understatement. This is a life changing book, with many life lessons. I have read many, many novels, however this book would be at the top of my list. Pure Genius!
Rating:
Summary: The grand scope of humanity
Review: In this epic novel, Mika Waltari traces a portion of Egyptian history through the eyes of Sinuhe, the physician to the Pharaoh Akhnaton. His humble and mysterious origin colors his views as he bears witness to the winds of change in Egypt as the Pharaoh supplants the old gods for a new one, much to the dismay of his citizens. He also is witness to the rise of Horemheb, whom he calls a friend, as this military general defeats the encroaching Hittites and eventually becomes the next Pharaoh. Brilliantly illuminating life in ancient Egypt, Waltari entertains readers with a tale of love and loss, of war and tragedy, of friendship and betrayal. "The Egyptian" sometimes comes across as plodding or dry by modern standards, but the fascinating and flawed main character entrances readers to reach the final pages.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent history novel!
Review: I love historical books and my favorite time period is Ancient Egypt. Unfortunately there are not too many good novels set in Ancient Egypt, but this one is one of the few good ones. Although some of the events of the book aren't historically accurate (this might be because some historical facts weren't known yet when the book was written), the author succeeds in creating the athmosphere of the era and weaves Egyptian folk stories (like the story of Tabubu) into the novel in a way it fits into the storyline and enrichens it.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderfull novel for patient readers only ....
Review: First published in 1949 and now reprinted this is actually a wonderfull book defining the times of ancient Egypt through the eyes of one of the 'common' folk. The author allows us to see the wold through the eyes of a young man, Sinuhe, who, following in the footsteps of his physician father decides to dedicate his life to furthering his knowledge and become the best physician for both the rich and the poor.... Having a very limited 'social' exposure the the wealthy our hero meets a young nymph, so beautifull and alluring she may as well have been Nefertiti herself. The reader practically squeams in anguish as we see the young Sinhue sell anything and everything, including his own parents burial tomb in order to spend even one night alone with this girl. To say that things go badly would be an understatement and so we see our hero forced to flee his homeland in search for knowledge .... The interesting thing about this book is that we get to see the times through the eyes of a commoner rather than thruogh the eyes of the more obvious royalty of Cleopatra, King Tut or Nefertiti ..... As a reader I did find the story frustrating in that one would almost want to scream out ... no no no no you idiot, can't you see that you are being used .... but I guess thats the whole point of reading a book that allows the reader to get involved ....
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