by Merrie
P Wycoff
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BOOK DESCRIPTION
Jealousy, Lies, Betrayal, Murder…and MagicA reign of terror has kept Egypt in shadow, even at the apex of her power and glory. The greedy and corrupt priests of the dark god Amun maintain a tight grip on the people through the use of fear, superstition, brutality, and, when necessary, diabolical sorcery.
Now, there is the promise of a new hope, a new light, but that promise is not welcomed by all. When the ambitious Queen Nefertiti and her consort, the gentle King Akhenaten, introduce a peaceful--and revolutionary--form of Sun worship in the hope of bringing about harmony and unification, and unification, Egypt is instead torn into warring factions on all levels of society .
Into this deadly conflict is born the first Royal Daughter, Merit-Aten, whose ability to see vivid auras and converse with animals comes with a price. Before her birth, she entered into a sacred contract to save her family and restore peace to her country. But, with danger threatening from every side--even from within her own family--will she be able to honor her contract without destroying everyone she loves?
AUTHOR BIO
At the age of ten, while on a school field trip to a local museum, Merrie P. Wycoff saw a colossal statue of Pharaoh Ahkenaten. She was instantly mesmerized, and so was born her passion for Egypt, its history, and its ancient people. That passion has stayed with her from her growing-up years through today, fueled by her long-ago vow to write Ahkenaten's story. Now, with the publication of Shadow of the Sun, she has fulfilled that vow.
In addition to a B.A in Public Relations, an M.A. in Metaphysical Studies, and a Ph.D. in Comparative Religion, Merrie is in the process of finishing her Egyptology Certificate with the University of Manchester in Great Britain. But she feels that perhaps the most important part of her education was her time spent with Abd'El Hakim Awyan, a recognized Elder and Indigenous Egyptian Wisdom Keeper of the Eye Tribe and Keeper of the Keys, whom she met on one of her visits to Egypt. Her studies with him taught her things that could not be learned from books, invaluable teachings of ritual, magic, and history, all of which she has put to good use in this book, and in her personal life.
Merrie resides in Colorado with her family, close to the majesty and the magic of the Rocky Mountains. There she follows her dual calling as a Vibrational Healer and writer. Shadow of the Sun is her first novel.
REVIEWS
5.0 out of 5 stars FAMILY LIFE IN ANCIENT EGYPT, July 9, 2012
By
Red Rock Bookworm (St. George Utah USA) -
This review is from: Shadow of the Sun (Paperback)
For those interested in ancient Egyptian history coupled with a bit of romance and a touch of the paranormal, may I heartily recommend SHADOW OF THE SUN by Merrie P. Wycoff. There have been literally dozens of books written about the eighteenth dynasty of Egypt and each of us has our favorites. Those who read Michelle Moran's look at the ancient Egyptian Royal Court as depicted in NEFERTITI and deemed the writing to be amateurish and the subject matter a course in "history lite", will find SHADOW OF THE SUN a welcome and stimulating example of what compelling writing coupled with meticulous research can produce. It is obvious that Wycoff's fictional account of the tumultuous world of Akhenaten and Nefertiti as described by their daughter Princess Merit-Aten has been thoroughly assessed in it's exploration of the political and religious aspects of the duo's reign. Reading about this dynamic duo is akin to boarding a time machine and venturing back in history to another time when religion was still a "touchy subject" and treachery seemed to be the order of the day.
While the lives of the "major players" in the novel are engrossing, I found the presence of dwarves and their connection to the royals particularly fascinating, as was the use of the word Easting to describe giving birth - ("just as the sun is born each morning in the East, all new life emerges from the same direction").
Ms. Wycoff's love of her subject matter is evident in her writing and she has a definite gift for bringing her characters and her settings to life. The difference between SHADOW OF THE SUN and other books in this genre would be comparable to comparing a bottle of Mouton Rothschild to a bottle of Boone's Farm or 2 buck Chuck. If you like your historical fiction full of the mysticism that permeated ancient Egypt as well as vivid descriptions and emotion that jumps off the page then SHADOW OF THE SUN should be your book of choice
While the lives of the "major players" in the novel are engrossing, I found the presence of dwarves and their connection to the royals particularly fascinating, as was the use of the word Easting to describe giving birth - ("just as the sun is born each morning in the East, all new life emerges from the same direction").
Ms. Wycoff's love of her subject matter is evident in her writing and she has a definite gift for bringing her characters and her settings to life. The difference between SHADOW OF THE SUN and other books in this genre would be comparable to comparing a bottle of Mouton Rothschild to a bottle of Boone's Farm or 2 buck Chuck. If you like your historical fiction full of the mysticism that permeated ancient Egypt as well as vivid descriptions and emotion that jumps off the page then SHADOW OF THE SUN should be your book of choice
Excellent novel of ancient Egypt, July 6, 2012
By
Bruce Trinque (Amston, CT United States) -
This review is from: Shadow of the Sun (Paperback)
Merrie P. Wycoff's new novel, "Shadow of the Sun," is set in the Amarna Period of Ancient Egypt, the era of Akhenaten and Nefertiti and Tutankamun, surely one of the most fascinating epochs in human history. I don't believe that you have to be a student of Ancient Egyptian history to appreciate "Shadow of the Sun," although being familiar with the main characters and historical themes can only add to your enjoyment. Through archaeology we know a considerable amount about the Amarna Era, when Akhenaten challenged the power of the old gods of Egypt (and their priests), but many, many things we do not know, leaving rich fields for a historical novelist to explore. What was Nefertiti's ancestry? What part did she play in her husband's religious revolution? Was Akhenaten's campaign to worship the god Aten driven by philosophy or by pragmatic politics? Merrie Wycoff provides answers for these and many other questions, not absolutely conclusive answers with which every student of Egyptian history would automatically agree, but answers consistent with the author's richly detailed portrait of this ancient land and its people.
"Shadow of the Sun" is told from the viewpoint of Merit-Aten, eldest daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, who achieved consciousness before her own birth, marked from the moment of that birth as a figure central to the emergence of a radically new way of life and relationship with the world, visible and invisible. Merit-Aten is a commendable creation.
I found the novel almost literally impossible to put down, and raced through it from the first page to the last without a break. Wycoff demonstrates a laudable mastery of characters, settings, and atmosphere. Her characters are genuine individuals with their own quirks, personalities, limitations, and strengths, speaking in believable (and differentiated) dialogue. Physical details of settings and actions are supplied in abundant quantity to make the novel's various episodes remarkably vivid. This is no dry, philosophical tome, but rather an enthralling story whose central figure passes through not only thrilling and wrenching adventures but also through scarcely less challenging episodes of ordinary life. This is, after all, the tale of a small girl and her family, despite their positions of power and majesty.
Wycoff approaches her subject from decades of intense amateur interest (including the mystical aspects of Ancient Egypt) plus formal academic Egyptological training. Although I myself have no personal interest or belief in the supernatural or paranormal, I cannot emphasize too strongly that such are the author's skills in building her story and characters, I had no trouble whatsoever in suspending disbelief and, for purposes of reading and enjoying this novel, fully embracing the novel's depiction of mystic auras and black magic sorcerers. Merit-Aten's battles with the dark forces are riveting.
"Shadow of the Sun" leaves plenty of room for a sequel, and I truly hope that Merrie Wycoff writes that novel soon; I look forward eagerly to reading it.
"Shadow of the Sun" is told from the viewpoint of Merit-Aten, eldest daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, who achieved consciousness before her own birth, marked from the moment of that birth as a figure central to the emergence of a radically new way of life and relationship with the world, visible and invisible. Merit-Aten is a commendable creation.
I found the novel almost literally impossible to put down, and raced through it from the first page to the last without a break. Wycoff demonstrates a laudable mastery of characters, settings, and atmosphere. Her characters are genuine individuals with their own quirks, personalities, limitations, and strengths, speaking in believable (and differentiated) dialogue. Physical details of settings and actions are supplied in abundant quantity to make the novel's various episodes remarkably vivid. This is no dry, philosophical tome, but rather an enthralling story whose central figure passes through not only thrilling and wrenching adventures but also through scarcely less challenging episodes of ordinary life. This is, after all, the tale of a small girl and her family, despite their positions of power and majesty.
Wycoff approaches her subject from decades of intense amateur interest (including the mystical aspects of Ancient Egypt) plus formal academic Egyptological training. Although I myself have no personal interest or belief in the supernatural or paranormal, I cannot emphasize too strongly that such are the author's skills in building her story and characters, I had no trouble whatsoever in suspending disbelief and, for purposes of reading and enjoying this novel, fully embracing the novel's depiction of mystic auras and black magic sorcerers. Merit-Aten's battles with the dark forces are riveting.
"Shadow of the Sun" leaves plenty of room for a sequel, and I truly hope that Merrie Wycoff writes that novel soon; I look forward eagerly to reading it.
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