Akhenaten: Son of the Sun
Encyclopedia
Akhenaten: Son of the Sun is a novel
written by Moyra Caldecott
in 1986. It was first published in 1986 as The Son of the Sun in hardback by Alison & Busby, UK.
in Eighteenth Dynasty Egypt
, this story is told as if by a contemporary of his, Djehuti-kheper-Ra. It follows history
as closely as possible on the evidence we have, and describes the political machinations of the time. But it also traces the spiritual journey of the protagonists, the journey on which we are all engaged whether we know it or not.
Akhenaten: Son Of The Sun is part of Moyra Caldecott
’s Egyptian sequence, which also includes Hatshepsut: Daughter of Amun
and Tutankhamun and the Daughter of Ra
. Chronologically, Akhenaten: Son of the Sun takes place between the other two books, but it was written first.
, or medium, about to be sealed alive into a pyramid
chamber for three days so that he may "astral-travel" to the realms of the gods and plead for the waters of the Nile
to rise, bringing life-giving silt to the farmlands. The story follows him through his lonely despair until he becomes the honoured companion of a king and an important figure in an extraordinary revolution.
At this time the high priests of the god Amun
, brought to prominence by the female pharaoh Hatshepsut
about a century before, are rich and powerful enough to challenge a king...
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by Moyra Caldecott
Moyra Caldecott
Moyra Caldecott is a British author of historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction and non-fiction. Her works include "Guardians of the Tall Stones" and The Egyptian Sequence....
in 1986. It was first published in 1986 as The Son of the Sun in hardback by Alison & Busby, UK.
Plot introduction
Based on the remarkable reign of AkhenatenAkhenaten
Akhenaten also spelled Echnaton,Ikhnaton,and Khuenaten;meaning "living spirit of Aten") known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV , was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt who ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC...
in Eighteenth Dynasty Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
, this story is told as if by a contemporary of his, Djehuti-kheper-Ra. It follows history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
as closely as possible on the evidence we have, and describes the political machinations of the time. But it also traces the spiritual journey of the protagonists, the journey on which we are all engaged whether we know it or not.
Akhenaten: Son Of The Sun is part of Moyra Caldecott
Moyra Caldecott
Moyra Caldecott is a British author of historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction and non-fiction. Her works include "Guardians of the Tall Stones" and The Egyptian Sequence....
’s Egyptian sequence, which also includes Hatshepsut: Daughter of Amun
Hatshepsut: Daughter of Amun
Hatshepsut: Daughter of Amun is a novel written by Moyra Caldecott in 1989. It was first published in Great Britain in 1989 as a paperback by Arrow Books Limited .-Plot introduction:...
and Tutankhamun and the Daughter of Ra
Tutankhamun and the Daughter of Ra
Tutankhamun and the Daughter of Ra is a novel written by Moyra Caldecott in 1989. It was first published in 1990 as Daughter of Ra in paperback by Arrow Books Limited .-Plot introduction:...
. Chronologically, Akhenaten: Son of the Sun takes place between the other two books, but it was written first.
Plot summary
The story begins with the suffering of a boy oracleOracle
In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
, or medium, about to be sealed alive into a pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
chamber for three days so that he may "astral-travel" to the realms of the gods and plead for the waters of the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
to rise, bringing life-giving silt to the farmlands. The story follows him through his lonely despair until he becomes the honoured companion of a king and an important figure in an extraordinary revolution.
At this time the high priests of the god Amun
Amun
Amun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a god in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...
, brought to prominence by the female pharaoh Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut also Hatchepsut; meaning Foremost of Noble Ladies;1508–1458 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt...
about a century before, are rich and powerful enough to challenge a king...
Characters in "Akhenaten: Son of the Sun"
- Akhenaten – the main protagonist
- Nefertiti – his queen
- Djehuti-kheper-Ra – the narrator
Release details
- 1986, UK, Alison & Busby ISBN 0-85031-647-2, Pub date 12 June 1986, Hardback (as The Son of the Sun)
- 1987, USA, Knopf Publishing Group ?, Pub date ? ? 1987, Hardback (as The Son of the Sun)
- 1990, UK, Arrow Books Limited ISBN 0-09-959860-4, Pub date 18 January 1990, 1st paperback edition (with revisions)
- 1998, UK, Bladud Books ISBN 1-899142-25-8, Pub date 1 June 1998, paperback as a print on demandPrint on demandPrint on demand , sometimes called, in error, publish on demand, is a printing technology and business process in which new copies of a book are not printed until an order has been received...
- 2001, UK, Mushroom Ebooks ISBN 1-899142-15-0, Pub date ? May 2001, ebook
- 2003, UK, Mushroom Ebooks ISBN 1-899142-86-X, Pub date ? ? 2003, ebook