Interesting and weird. The idea cannot support the novel. ( )

Pompous, overwrought, overwritten, overdone. This self-congratulatory piece of drivel even starts with a humble-brag in the form of a pre-amble, where the author 'humbly' apologizes that the has used many references and content from other works. Ironically none of it helps to understand the goal and supposed nuances of the book. That is, assuming you can figure out what a specific set of paragraphs refers to. Most of the time you will spend decoding the content of this book. Either because it is not clear that the author jumped in time, or place, or person. Or you need to move over to Wikipedia to understand a certain reference. I could write a short paragraph describing what the narrative is about but that wouldn't help anyone. Just because an author uses peculiar grammar and impenetrable language, doesn't mean he actually has something interesting to say. ( )

I was excited to start reading this...now I'm 20% through (page # meaningless on Kindle) and bored to hell. I dunno...maybe I'll keep going, but....I've got Little, Big now. I think I'll give that a shot.

I was excited to start reading this...now I'm 20% through (page # meaningless on Kindle) and bored to hell. I dunno...maybe I'll keep going, but....I've got Little, Big now. I think I'll give that a shot.

UPDATE May 23th, 2015:
Just re-read this one, almost exactly a year since the first time. Still excellent. My favorite quote:

The last wish: the only wish, in fact. That things could be, not as they are, but in some way different instead. Not better, really, or not better in all ways; a little larger maybe, more full of this and that, but mostly just different. New. That I, Pierce Moffett, could know that it had once been as it was and is that way no longer, that I could know it to have once been remade and so able to be remade again, all new, all other. Then perhaps this grief would at last be lifted from my heart.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: May 18th, 2014:
Both a profound meditation on the nature of history and a moving personal story. A balance that is almost impossible to get right. Usually, you like the ideas enough that the crappy story doesn't matter, or vice versa. But Crowley delivers both in equal measure. A rare treat.

I wholeheartedly, unreservedly and (a little too) insistently recommend this book to any of my friends who are currently professors in subjects related to the history of ideas. There are one or two of you. ;) NB It's much more about the late medieval/early modern period than anything resembling the Egypt the title suggests. Regardless of your particular area of interest, you'll get a lot out of it. I pinky swear.

I'm going to post some choice quotes in my tumblr shortly: http://untravel.tumblr.com ( )