‘Napoleon’s Pyramids’ an excellent historical adventure

  This is why browsing through a bookstore is infinitely more fun than cruising Barnes & Noble or Amazon on the Internet: You never know what little treasure you’re going to unexpectedly discover as you stroll through a store or shop. 
  I was in the Cheesecake and Crime, Inc. bookstore on South Eastern Avenue (I’ll call it a shop because it’s small and perfectly decorated and filled with more mysteries and crime novels than any reader could possibly dream about, not to mention delicious cheesecakes) a few weeks ago. I was looking for something in particular, but instead, I ran across William Dietrich’s newest historical novel, “The Rosetta Key,” which deals with adventurer and frontiersman Ethan Gage and his search for the Egyptian Book of Thoth and the Ark of the Covenant in Israel during Napoleon’s invasion of 1799.
  The book’s beautifully designed cover drew me to it like the gleam of golden doubloons in a treasure chest. Though I don’t usually read historical novels, this one intrigued me enough to do some research on the Internet when I got home that evening. I wanted to find out about this novel and its author. What I discovered is that this was the second book in a series and that “Napoleon’s Pyramids” by Dietrich is the first. I managed to get a copy of it and quickly immersed myself in an “Indiana Jones” type of adventure that turned out to be a roller-coaster ride of fun and thrills in the grand tradition of authors H. Rider Haggard and Edgar Rice Burroughs.
  “Napoleon’s Pyramids” opens up with Ethan Gage living in Paris in 1798 after the death of his mentor, Benjamin Franklin, and the aftermath of the French Revolution. He wins an old, strange-looking Egyptian medallion in a card game and soon discovers that it’s cursed. In less than 24 hours, he’s beaten and his room is trashed, he’s accused of murdering a prostitute, he finds himself hiding in a horse-drawn carriage on its way to the French coast where Napoleon’s army is being boarded onto ships for the planned invasion of Egypt, and the villains are still hot on his trail.
  The person who truly desires the medallion is the evil Count Silano, and he has a following of thugs who are led by a cold-hearted killer who worships and handles poisonous snakes. Managing to squeeze his way into Napoleon’s good graces, Gage soon finds himself in the land of the ancient pyramids fighting in hand-to-hand combat with the invading French army. It isn’t long before he has acquired a fierce Arab warrior as his slave and a beautiful, alluring priestess, who knows more about the secrets of the medallion than she lets on. Through one peril after another, Gage eventually is led to the Great Pyramid of Giza, where he finds the hidden tomb of the Pharaoh and discovers the ancient mysteries of Egyptian magic and the medallion, and perhaps a power strong enough to rule the world.
  Because of the book’s sequel, we know in advance that Gage survives the countless dangers of “Napoleon’s Pyramids” so that he can continue his journey to Jerusalem and his search for the greatest mystery of all, the Ark of the Covenant and what’s inside of it. While filled with tons of interesting historical information and anecdotes, what makes this novel so good is the character of Ethan Gage and his rogue-type personality. His journey and adventures are loads of fun, reminding me of the serial movies from the ’40s. You have our hero, the evil villains, the beautiful female who the hero falls in love with but isn’t sure he can trust, the constant dangers that arise and which he barely survives, and the array of actual historical figures who color this vast canvas.
  Dietrich’s writing is excellent and his storytelling reminiscent of past times, bringing back the pleasures of reading such wonderful stories. This tale of action and intrigue also gives you a stark look at what Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt was like and the hardships that were faced by his troops and commanding officers, and how the desert took its toll on all involved.
  “Napoleon’s Pyramids” is a novel for those of you who enjoy the magic of adventures to distant lands with dangers lurking around every corner and a hero who just manages to come out ahead at every turn. I’m now gearing up to read “The Rosetta Key” while playing the soundtrack to “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Life couldn’t be better.