Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1475332 in Books
• Published on: 1999-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Review
'Holland is a literary excavator, stripping away layer after layer of history and legend...' OBSERVER 'If you have a yearning for the arcane and the unusual this is a novel to read into the wee small hours.' HISTORICAL NOVEL REVIEW 'An exciting tale and an enjoyable Arabian nightmare.' LITERARY REVIEW

About the Author
Tom Holland was brought up near Salisbury and now lives with his wife and baby daughter in Brixton, South London. He has written extensively for radio as well as writing five other novels. He is currently at work on a new novel, THE BONE HUNTER, which will be published by Little, Brown in 2000.

Customer Reviews

What was the Curse of the Pharoahs?
I was drawn to this book by the cover, which features a representation of a statue of Akhenaten, perhaps the most intriguing and mysterious of the Egyptian pharoahs. Anyone who has ever read anything about Akhenaten will understand what I mean. His unusual life and ambiguous demise have been the basis of several novels (The Watch Gods by Barbara Woods, Pillar of Fire by Judith Tarr, and others I can't remember the names of just now). For anyone with a passing interest in this fascinating period of Ancient Egyptian history, 'The Sleeper in the Sands' is a intruiging read, if only to get this rather unusual dimension of the mystery.

'The Sleeper in the Sands' has been described as "combining the Curse of the Pharoahs, with Indana Jones, a good measure of the Arabian Nights, a touch of Rider Haggard and a hint of late Burroughs" and I cannot argue with that description. Like Indiana Jones and Rider Haggard's works, it is a 'ripping yarn'. Like the Arabian Nights, it contains a story within a story within a story.

Without giving too much away, it starts with Howard Carter's story of his 30 year quest for the tomb of Tutankhamen and reveals the document that spurred him on. We then follow that writer's story, and so on, back and forth through various eras of Egyptian history - medieval, Arab-ruled Cairo, ancient Thebes - until the culmination we all know (it's no secret the tomb was opened!)

Like other well written historically based fiction, you find yourself believing this is what really happened. Some of it may have. Even if it didn't, perhaps it could have. The well researched and beautifully written journey through time on which Tom Holland leads us is certainly rewarding. This is the first book I've read by Tom Holland, and it won't be the last.

Not a sleeper
I borrowed this book from a friend and couldn't put it down. I will be purchasing it to read it again. Needless to say, I feel this is one of the best books I have read in a long time. As one reads this it feels like one is peeling an onion, removing layer after layer until you finally hit the core. The use of different voices enhances this feeling and takes one through different times times periods in history until you almost feel like you're reliving a real story. I recommend this to anyone with any interest in ancient history.

Egyptian mysteries
I did not find The Sleeper in the Sands as compelling as Holland's earlier novels, Lord of the Dead and Slave of My Thirst, but it was still a fairly engrossing adventure story with something of interest for admirers of his previous works (some character origins, for one).

Holland paints on a very broad canvas: this story is partly a sweeping Arabian Nights fable, partly an imaginative depiction of Howard Carter's search for the tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen and his parallel attempt to unravel the mysteries of the heretic Pharaoh, Akh-en-Aten. Still, the novel managed to evoke the human dimension of these larger-than-life characters, making me care about them and the outcome of their stories.

My one complaint is that the technique of switching between several narrators which Holland used successfully in Slave of My Thirst is a bit off-putting in the first part of this book. At first, the revolving storytellers made it hard to hold onto the characters and relate to them. The novel picks up speed and personality as it goes on, however, and winds up being Holland's usual blend of intelligence and entertainment--and a very satisfying read overall.