| Title | : | The Eternal Temple (Ramses #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0446673579 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780446673570 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 368 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1995 |
The Eternal Temple (Ramses #2) Reviews
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Ramses, the Temple of a Million Years = The Eternal Temple (Ramses #2), Christian Jacq
The Temple of a Million Years Formerly published as The Eternal Temple (1995). In the second volume of this magnificent saga, for Ramses, the Son of Light, the coronation has arrived. Now he will learn whether the friends of his youth (people such as Moses and the aging Greek poet, Homer) can truly be trusted. Shaanar, the young king's scheming older brother, still has designs on the crown, and in the shadows, the machinations of a mysterious sorcerer threaten the throne.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز یازدهم ماه مارس سال2005میلادی
عنوان: معبد چند هزار ساله کتاب دوم از سری رامسس؛ نویسنده: کریستین ژاک؛ مترجم: ناهید فروغان؛ تهران، ققنوس، سال1381؛ در424ص؛ چاپ دوم سال1382؛ چاپ چهارم سال1394؛ شابک9789643112882؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان فرانسه - سده20م
رامسس در پنج جلد منتشر شده است، عنوان جلد یک «پسر نور»؛ عنوان جلد دوم «معبد چند هزار ساله»؛ عنوان جلد سوم «ن‍ب‍رد ق‍ادش»؛ عنوان جلد چهارم «بانوی ابوسمبل»؛ و عنوان جلد پنجم «زیر اقاقیای مغرب» است
نام «رامسس» نمایانگر شکوه و توانایی تمدن فراعنه ی «مصر» است؛ او که پسر نور، و فرزند آفتاب بود، بیش از شصت سال سلطنت کرد، و «مصر» را به درجه ای از شکوه رسانید، که در تاریخ بیهمانند بود و هست؛ «رامسس»، قهرمان یک رمان نیست، پهلوان چندین رمان، و پهلوان حماسه ای راستین است؛ این حماسه از آشنایی ایشان با رموز کشورداری، زیر هدایت پدرش «ستی»، که به اندازه ی خود «رامسس» در تاریخ اهمیت دارند، آغاز می‌شود، و تا درگذشت «رامسس» پیگیری می‌شود، «رامسس» آزمون‌های فراوانی را از سر می‌گذرانند؛ به همین برهان است که این سلسله رمان‌های دنباله‌دار، در پنج جلد شکل گرفته، و سری «رامسس» نامیده شده، تا بتواند سرنوشت ناباورانه ی «رامسس» را ترسیم کند، که قهرمانان فراموش نشدنی بسیار، همچون «ستی» و همسرش، «تویه»، «نفرتاری»، «ایزت‌زیبا»، «همر شاعر»، «ستائوی مارافسا»، «موسای عبرانی» و بسیاری دیگر، که این اوراق به آنها جان می‌بخشند، و در آن سهیم هستند؛ «کریستین ژاک» با قلم جادویی خود، دوران باستان را از جزوه های درسی بیرون می‌کشند، و به خوانشگر خویش، قلمرو گسترده ای از تاریخ، رؤیا، مبارزه، و شعر هدیه می‌دارند؛ گفتنی است هر یک از این کتاب‌ها به رویدادی جداگانه می‌پردازند، و در پایان خوانشگر باورمند به سرنوشت «رامسس»، می‌تواند با خوانش هر پنج جلد، راز و رمز جاودانگی آنها را دریابد، و داستانها را پی بگیرد
نقل از آغاز متن معبد چند هزار ساله: («رامسس» تنها و در انتظار رسیدن نشانه ای از ناپیدا بود؛ تنها در برابر صحرا؛ در برابر بیکرانیِ منظره ای سوخته و خشک، در برابر سرنوشتی که کلیدش را هنوز نیافته بود، شهزاده رامسس، در بیست و سه سالگی، پهلوانی بود با یک متر و هشتاد سانتیمتر قد، موهای طلایی مایل به حنایی، صورت کشیده، عضلات ظریف و نیرومند، با پیشانی پهن و باز، ابروان برجسته ی کمانی، مژگان پرپشت، چشمان کوچک و زنده، بینی کشیده ی کمی خمیده، گوشهای گرد با لبه های به ظرافت به داخل برگشته، لبان نسبتا کلفت، و آرواره ی مطمئن اش، چهره ای جذاب و مصمم به او بخشیده بود؛
جوان بود اما راهی بسیار طولانی پیموده بود؛ دبیر سلطنتی، آشنای اسرار «آبیدوس»، و نایب الحکومه «مصر» بود، «ستی» با تعیین پسر کهترش به جانشینی خود، او را در تاج و تخت سهیم کرده بود
اما ستی، این فرعون بزرگ، این فرمانروای بی همتا که کشورش را در صلح، سعادت و رونق نگاه داشته بود، پس از پانزده سال سلطنت استثنایی مانند لک لک مصری در غروب روزی تابستانی پر کشیده و جان به جان آفرین تسلیم کرده بود
ستی، این پدر ترسناک و سختگیر، این پدر همواره دور از پسر، بی آن که رامسس متوجه باشد، با تحمیل آزمون هایی که نخستینشان روبروشدن با ورزای وحشی، نماد نیرو و توانایی بود، او را برای اعمال قدرت رفته رفته تربیت کرده بود. نوجوان شهامت مقابله با ورزا را یافته بود، اما قابلیت غالب شدن بر آن را نداشت. اگر ستی دخالت نکرده بود، هیولا بدن رامسس را با شاخ هایش شکافته بود. از همان هنگام، رامسس به نخستین وظیفه فرعون، که حمایت از ضعیف در برابر قوی بود، آشنا شده بود
راز قدرت واقعی را فرعون و فقط فرعون در اختیار داشت؛ ستی آن را مرحله به مرحله با جادوی تجربه به رامسس انتقال داد، بی آن که از نقشه خود چیزی بر او فاش سازد؛ با گذشت سال ها، پسر به پدر نزدیک شده بود، روح آن دو که در آتش ایمان و جذبه واحدی میسوخت، با یکدیگر یکی شده بود؛ ستی جدی، خویشتندار و کم حرف بود، اما امتیاز منحصر به فرد گفتگو با فرعون را به رامسس بخشیده بود؛ طی این گفتگوها او کوشیده بود مبادی حرفه سلطنت بر مصر علیا و سفلا را به او بیاموزد.)؛ پایان
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 22/01/1401هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی -
প্রাচীন মিশর নিয়ে রামেসিস সিরিজের দ্বিতীয় বই দ্য ইটারনাল টেম্পল। প্রথম বইয়ের চেয়ে দ্বিতীয় বইয়ের ভালো দিকগুলোর মধ্যে একটা হচ্ছে ক্যারেক্টারগুলোর ডেভেলপমেন্ট। রামেসিস এ বইয়ে আরও শক্তিশালী চরিত্র হিসেবে আবির্ভূত হয়েছে। প্রথম বইয়ে মোজেসের প্রভাব ছিল না তেমন। এ বইয়ে মোজেস আরও শক্তিশালী ও প্রভাবশালী চরিত্র হিসেবে হাজির হয়েছে। আরও ছিলেন হেলেন, হোমার, মেনেলাউসের মতো কয়েকজন চরিত্র। সব মিলিয়ে বেশ উপভোগ্য একটা বই ছিল।
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In the course of reviewing this book I've come to understand why Book 1 received such a more wide ranging set of reviews than this, Book 2 in the series - those who were underwhelmed by the first book understandably did not continue reading the series. I bought a stack of Christian Jacq novels from a bookstore a couple of years ago whilst on the prowl for historical fiction to do with ancient Egypt. Christian Jacq seemed to be prominently displayed, and the words "international bestseller" were printed boldly on the front of every book, leading me to believe that I couldn't go wrong with a bulk buy of several of his books at once. I soon realised that I had made a critical error when I read the "Queen of Freedom" trilogy set at the end of the 17th Dynasty, which proved to be simplistic, unimaginative, poorly written and frankly awful. That soon got shipped off to the charity shop, but I was left with the dilemma of what to do with the remaining six books that I had bought. I reluctantly decided that, as an avid reader who truly hates to give up on a book halfway through, or even the idea of giving up on a series or author, that I ought to read them - I happened to have Book 2 but not Book 1 in this "Ramses" series, hence why I've reviewed this book but not the first one. Unfortunately, I swiftly regretted my decision as my sense of good literature gagged at the utter drivel liquefying my brain whilst I was reading this book.
I'm not even going to cover the little niggles of the odd naming choices and the multiple grammatical and spelling mistakes, which are frankly insignificant in comparison to the bigger issues plaguing this novel. Some people have wondered if the terrible writing in these novels is down to the fact that they are actually translated from an original manuscript in Jacq's native French, and certainly some of the minor niggles above can be attributed to that - the spelling and grammatical mistakes for example are unlikely to have been reproduced by a translator from the original text, and therefore can be attributed to the translator. However, I don't think any translator could have been so bad as to be responsible for the flat characterisations, monotone plot and poor writing. Just to make sure, I checked inside the covers of all my books by Christian Jacq and it turns out that each series is translated by a different person, and yet they all suffer from the same problems. This is definitely an issue with the author, not the translator.
The language was extremely simplistic and basic, you would think almost aimed at a readership of children. Most of the language was as simple as possible, and frequently clumsy or clunky. The dialogue was trite and tedious, peppered with anachronisms such as "You're on!" and "Cat got your tongue?" The characterisations were as flat as the paper they were printed on - everyone was either "a goodie" or "a baddie" with very little in between. It was all very black and white, no room for shades of grey, for subtle or complex characters. This made the entire cast of characters either boring or cheesy and clichéd, usually both at the same time. Historical figures from other periods and parts of the world are plopped in just for the heck of it - Helen of Troy, Menelaus, Homer. There are endless repetitive conversations where Ramses is told by some advisor that what he wants to do is impossible, but he decides to go ahead anyway (this happened a lot in the "Queen of Freedom" trilogy too). Plot devices are often tired and laughably cheesy,
Threads in the plot are often left as loose ends and never tied up; for example, Jacq seems to think up a development in the plot but not think it all the way through, and then drops it and creates a new even more implausible twist to try and move the plot ahead instead and inject a sense of events actually happening and moving forwards.
The plot also jumps about wildly and many scenes feel stunted. From their conversation its implied that further interactions take place between them "off-screen", so to speak, but such a fundamental change in character such as this is a really significant part of any storyline and far more resources and page space needs to be devoted to it to make it seem believable. I can't believe that the readers are asked to swallow this claptrap. Sometimes the plot devices pop up out of absolutely nowhere.
The historical inaccuracies are really just an afterthought. Throughout the book, a secret police force, hospitals, acid, the spinal cord, royal schools or universities and initiation into the "mysteries" at Memphis are mentioned. All of which did not exist in ancient Egypt and the Egyptians had no knowledge of - but an in depth explanation of that is not for this review. When I finished the book I couldn't believe how crushingly bad it all was, but after the "Queen of Freedom" trilogy I wasn't surprised. The entire novel was cringeworthy to the point of making my eyes bleed. As an avid reader who treasures her books, it really galls me to say this, but I'll be sending these books to the charity shop.
Still, there is a lesson to be learned here. Never buy books in bulk from an author you've never read before. If you simply must, just buy the first book and see how you like it. If you can, check out the reviews and try to get it out from the library before buying. -
When I was in highschool, my grandmother bought me this book because I told her once that I loved Ancient Egyptian History (Tombs, Pyramids, Pharaohs and the like). Well, I did! But after I have read this. I AM THOROUGHLY DISAPPOINTED.
I read the first few chapters and it doesn't get any better per chapters! It's just simply BORING. The story revolves around the bold and confident leader, Ramses. We are told that he is in no doubt secure with his leonine, canine, and pirate bodyguards, and most importantly his beautiful wife Nefertari, as well as his choice of friends, Asha, Setau, and Moses. In a plain morning they set out to be an epithet of Egypt through building and restructuring everything under the sun or wherever his intuition dictates. And that so-called ‘intuition’ is his guiding principle. Some might call it magic or divine power but I call it a waste of time. I see Egyptian history as an interesting part of the world but shattered by a poorly written proved to be simplistic, unimaginative and frankly awful novel. -
Little depth, as in the first book, but the tale infers the intrigue of court, back biting, jealousy, all those things that happen around men of power. Only two thousand years separate this ancient Egypt and the reign of the Plantagenets in Europe, but I could be reading about the latter as well as the former.
Onto book three and then maybe a rest. -
Questo secondo capitolo della saga mi è piaciuto molto di più del primo; suppongo che questo sia dovuto al fatto che, per forza di cose, nel primo l'autore doveva introdurci tutti i personaggi e quindi farceli conoscere meglio. Qui abbiamo già presente la maggior parte dei protagonisti, quindi c'è più spazio per l'azione, gli intrighi e l'avventura. E poi Ramses adulto mi sta meno antipatico.
Non ultimo, mi sono piaciute le inserzioni, seppure fugaci, di momenti con gli antichi greci, fra cui l'iroso Menelao e il poeta Omero (anche se io non lo immagino per niente schietto e sbrigativo, ma sono pareri!). 4 stelline, e sicuramente proseguirò con la saga. -
বইটা একদম মাস্টারপীস যে, সেটা না। বইটার বিশেষত্ব হচ্ছে বইটা এডিক্টিভ ছিলো। বুঝাতে চাচ্ছি, বার বার রাজত্বে বিভিন্ন ঝামেলা হচ্ছে, থ্রোন নিয়ে কন্সপারেসী হচ্ছে আর রামেসিস সেসব দক্ষ হাতে সামাল দিচ্ছেন। কিভাবে দিচ্ছেন এই তরুণ ফারাও? তাই বই এর প্রতিপাদ্য। সাথে হিস্ট্রি। আছে মোজেস। রামেসিস ফেরাউন কি না, তা নিয়ে অনেক কন্ট্রোভার্সি আছে। লেখক সেসিকে এগুচ্ছেন। এই মোজেসকেই ইহুদি সেইন্ট বা মুসলমানের মুসা (আ) আর রামেসিস কে ফেরাউন হিসেবে দেখিয়েছেন কি না সেটা ক্লিয়ার না। হয়তো বুঝা যাবে পরের খন্ডে।। যদিও আমি আশা করেছিলাম প্রচুর মিথ, ম্যাজিক, ইজিপশিয়ান তৎকালীন সাংস্কৃতিক ব্যাপার থাকবে। সেগুলো তুলনামীলক খুব বেশি কম ছিলো। লেখক প্রাধান্য দিয়েছেন রামেসিসের ব্যাটেল ফর কিপিং দ্য থ্রোন, রামেসিসের সুশাসন দূরদৃষ্টি। কদাচিৎ এসেছে জাদু। মিথ একেবারবি অনুপস্থিত বলা যেতে পারে। অথবা একদম কম পরিমাণে।
সমস্যা হচ্ছে প্লট বিল্ডাপ, ক্যারেক্টার বিল্ডাপ, ডিটেইলিং আর এক্সিকিউশান ও স্টোরিটেলিং এভারেজ। ক্লাসিকাল না। তবু ইজিপশিয়ান হিস্ট্রির প্রত আগ্রহ থাকলে পড়তে পারেন। -
বছটার শুরু ভাল একটা সিরিজ দিয়ে ই করেছি। এখোন শুধু মাথায় ঘুরছে কবে সিরিজটা শেষ করব।
প্রথম আনুবাদ হিসেবে ভালো ই কাজ দেখিয়েছেন অনুবাদক।
হ্যাপি রিডিং :) -
পিতার মৃত্যুর পর রামেসিস আজ মিশরের মহান ফারাও। কিন্তু পুরনো ভাই শানার, বোন-ভগ্নীপতি আর গ্রীক বীর মেনেলাউসের সাথে যোগ হয়েছে নতুন শত্রু যাদুকর ওফির। আছে সিংহাসনের দাবিদার লিটা। একের পর এক মৃত্যুর করাল থাবা ছুয়ে যাচ্ছে রামেসিসের উপর দিয়ে। কালো যাদু দিয়ে হত্যা করার চেষ্টা করা হলো নবজাতক মেয়েকে। এতোসব বাধার বিপরীতে যখন নীল নদে বয়ে গেলো ডাবল বন্যা আর দেখা দিলো কিংবদন্তির ফিনিক্স পাখি তখন রামেসিস পরিনত হলো জীবন্ত কিংবতন্তীতে।
প্রথম বইয়ের চেয়ে কাহিনী কিছুটা ধীর গতির হলেও টাইমপাস বই হিসেবে যথেষ্ট ভালো। -
Far too many names for me to get my head around.
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Hz.Musa hakkında anlatılanlar her ne kadar gerçeğin dışında da olsa yinede güzel bir hikaye.
Mısırın işleyişini seviyorum. Yani saçma Tanrılar yaratmak ve sunular sunmak ama gizemli bir güç vardır elbetteki Allahın yarattığı.. Bürokratik işlemler tanınan özgürlükler ve eşitlik hakları çok güzel.. Insan sadece bir hikaye okumuyor bo yaşam kültürüne de bakış atmış oluyor. -
"Il tempo agiva contro di lui; subito dopo l'incoronazione, gli sarebbe stato chiesto di prendere delle decisioni e di comportarsi come il signore delle Due Terre. Se avesse commesso qualche grosso errore, quali sarebbero state le conseguenze?".
Volume secondo (di cinque) del grande romanzo incentrato sulle gesta di Ramses II, il più grande Faraone dell'Antico Egitto. Nel
primo romanzo abbiamo letto della sua infanzia e della sua crescita spirituale dopo esser stato designato come successore del Faraone Sethi I; in questo nuovo capitolo, leggiamo di un Ramses ormai adulto ed all'apice della sua gloria di Faraone... ma, leggeremo anche, delle tante trame oscure ordite dai suoi nemici (sia fuori che dentro l'Egitto) e dei tanti tranelli in cui cercheranno di farlo cadere i suoi stessi familiari.
Al centro di questo romanzo, comunque, c'è Mosè, il miglior amico del Ramses uomo e miglior confidente del Ramses governante. Mosè... tormentato nel dover scegliere tra la fedeltà all'amico di sempre e la presa di coscienza verso un nuovo (ed unico) Dio.
Anche questo libro, come il
precedente, è abbastanza coinvolgente ma, questa volta, il ritmo è calato parecchio: sia perché è un libro di transizione e sia perché Ramses (almeno sino ad ora) non ha affrontato grandi guerre...
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http://rosatoeu.blogspot.com/2020/08/...] -
Very easy read, book #2 of a five book series, better than book #1. Covers the first 3 years of Ramses II reign as he consolidates his place as Pharaoh. I enjoyed the historical details most about the book. There is little depth in the characters, lots of court intrigue and an interesting take on Moses.
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The story of Ramses continues...and the (most incompetent ever) plotters continue to try and overthrow him...with no result whatever. They are so slow, I don't know why we are interested in their machinations at all ! For all they accomplish, we might as well drop them entirely as a part of the story. I'll try number three but I'm not overly impressed. Ramses is an interesting historical figure who is not shown to best advantage in these novels so far.
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M'ha agradat una mica més que la primera part. I, a més, com a diferència, el final queda encara més obert. Llàstima que ara hauré d'esperar un llarg temps per continuar amb la tercera part!
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পাতায় পাতায় ফারাও এর অলৌকিক কাহিনির বর্ননা ছাড়া তেমন কিছুই নাই
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Vrlo slična priča kao i prvi dio tako da se nema mnogo šta dodati.
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Recensione pubblicata su
Cronache di Betelgeuse
Ramses e Shenar sono di nuovo al centro del romanzo ambientato nell’antico Egitto.
I complotti contro il faraone non si sono fermati con la sua dimostrazione di forza nel libro precedente, ma diventano sempre più serrati. Anche la sorella Dolente, che potrebbe avere una vita agiata, non si accontenta di quanto le ha riservato Ramses, ma vorrebbe ancora più potere. Su questa scena complicata emerge il mago Ofir, che con l’aiuto della magia nera tenta di sovvertire la sorte di Ramses.
Il faraone dalla sua parte ha gli amici più fedeli, la sua sposa e i saggi consigli di sua madre. Setau in particolare si rivela utile per scovare rimedi contro i veleni e i malefici che vengono scagliati contro Ramses. La sua conoscenza della natura è stupefacente, così come la sua dedizione al rispetto di quanto lo circonda. Anche Serramanna è fondamentale per garantire la sicurezza nel grande palazzo e negli spostamenti che la famiglia reale deve affrontare. Ramses non è tipo da stare fermo con le mani in mano, per cui il sardo si troverà a dover portare avanti con molto zelo il suo lavoro.
La guerra però è alle porte e il desiderio del faraone di avere un regno basato sulla pace non sembra potersi realizzare. Tra la Nubia e gli ittiti Ramses dovrà dimostrare più volte il suo valore sul campo, senza mai cedere terreno ai nemici. Riuscire a mantenere i confini del regno è fondamentale, altrimenti una sconfitta potrebbe essere usata dai suoi nemici per indebolirlo sul fronte politico interno.
La magia, che nel libro precedente aveva solo fatto capolino tra le pagine, stavolta diventa parte integrante della trama. La vita del faraone è impregnata di misticismo e ogni sua mossa segue un rituale millenario. Lo stesso Ramses crede profondamente negli insegnamenti antichi e nella protezione degli dei, motivo per cui inizia la costruzione di molti templi, tra cui il Ramesseum.
La ricostruzione della storia fantasiosa, intrecciata con i documenti e i monumenti che sono arrivati fino ai giorni nostri ci trasporta in una trama ricca di avvenimenti e di colpi di scena. Cosa ci riserverà il prossimo libro? -
রামেসিসঃ ইটারনাল টেম্পল, ক্রিশ্চিয়ান জাঁকের রামেসিস সিরিজের দ্বিতীয় বই। প্রকাশ হয়েছে “আদী প্রকাশন” থেকে, আর রূপান্তর করেছেন “মারুফ হোসেন”। কাহিনী সংক্ষেপের আগে রূপান্তরিকের ব্যাপারে কিছু বলতেই হয়। একে হিস্টোরিকাল ফিকশন তার ওপর ফরাসী থেকে ইংলিশ এবং পরে বাংলায় রূপান্তর। সুতরাং প্রথম কাজ হিসেবে একটা টাফ প্রজেক্টই ছিল, যেটা খুব সুন্দর ভাবেই সফল হয়েছে ভ্রাতা মারুফ। সবচেয়ে ভালো লেগেছে ভাষার কারু। এই বারের পর্বে যেটা উল্লেখ্যযোগ্য ছিল তা হলো চরিত্রের গাঁথনি। নতুন অভিষিক্ত ফারাও, রামেসিসের কাঁধে এখন গুরু দায়িত্ব। নিজের রাজধানী গড়ে তুলছে ও। এখনই ওকে চিনে নিতে হবে কে বন্ধু কে শত্রু। কাকে বিশ্বাস করতে হবে, কাকে না। বন্ধু মোজেসে কেও আর বিশ্বাস করতে পারছে না ও। এমনকি মহান গ্রীক কবি হোমার- তার ব্যাপারেও ধুয়াসায় রয়েছে রামেসিস। আর ভাই শানার ত আছেই পিছওয়ারেমে বাঁশ দেনে কে লিয়ে। এরই মাঝে আবার আরেক রিং মাস্টারের আগমন, জাদুকর ওফির। রামেসিসকে নিশ্চিহ্ন করাই যার একমাত্র লক্ষ্য। কি করবে রামেসিস? পারবে কি প্রতিকূলতা কাটিয়ে উঠতে? নাকি বাধ্য হয়ে, মিশরকে অন্ধকারের হাতে রেখে, ব্যার্থতার বোঝা কাঁধে নিয়ে সরে দাঁড়াবে? সব মিলিয়ে একটা উপভোগ্য ছিল। তবে প্রথম বই থেকে একটু কমই ভালো লেগেছে আমার। সেয়াট হয়ত পরীক্ষার কারনে, অনেক বিরতি নিয়েই পড়েছি বইটা। এমনিতে সিরিজটা আমার খুব পছন্দের, কারন আর কিছুই না “মিশর আর এর ফারাও রামেসিস” আছে যে তাই। মিশর প্রেমীরা পড়ে দেখতে পারেন, ভালো লাগতে পারে।
রূপান্তর - ৪/৫
বই- ৩.৫/৫ -
This is the second book in the series and deals with the young Ramses II as he becomes Pharaoh and his early reign. This volume is about the early building projects which Ramses started and the various intrigues in the court designed to overthrow Ramses in favor of his older brother.
I found the reasoning behind all the buildings and monuments to be fascinating. The thought was that building the temples and tombs was a way of honoring the gods and protecting Egypt. When Ramses was crowned, his nature was bound with the gods and he became their representative on earth. Building various temples would protect Ramses' Kah or eternal soul/spirit and bring prosperity to Egypt.
The last few chapters deal with Moses and his emerging belief in the one God as opposed to Ramses. Moses is shown as the master builder of Ramses temples and ultimately his new Delta city, Pi Ramses. As he builds, he becomes more grounded in his Hebrew faith and the book ends as Moses heads for the desert. -
I am very curious and interested about Ramses II. I quite enjoyed the first book in this series but this sequel was not as good.
The part of the story about Menelaus, Helen of Troy and Homer being in Egypt felt a bit far fetched, though there are certain historians that have proposed them all to have been alive at this time and that the Spartans might have landed there after the war. There is even a school of thought that believes Helen may have spent the entire Trojan was in Egypt.
It was really the choppy story, 2-D characters and the never-ending coincidences confirming Ramses power, that became too much and left me just wanted the book to end. -
Reconozco que el tema me interesa pero Jacq es a ratos demasiado denso para mí. Se me ha hecho cuesta arriba y de momento aplazó la saga hasta nuevo aviso. Eso sí, saga interesante donde las haya para conocer más esta cultura y al gran Ramses
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It's ok as long as you don't look to it for facts
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The book is amazing in that it is brimming with intrigues. When you finish it, simply you can't wait for the remaining three books of the Ramses series...
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Definitely amazing! I liked it more then the first book. Its amazing!
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Well, here we are in Book II of the five-part series. Plenty of intrigue still going on (hardly unexpected, given all that happened in Book I). Since Book II picks up nearly the day after Book I, not much has changed.
We've still got dissatisfied and sneaky older brother Shaanar, quietly poisoning any hypothetical well available. Sister Dolora's husband Sary is not only dissatisfied - he's spreading disastrous gossip in an effort to undermine the new Pharoah. Menelaus the Greek is still in town, waiting for Helen of Troy to agree to go home to Sparta, but thinking about ways to dispose of Ramses in the meantime. Moses-the-Hebrew is finishing Karnak in Seti's honor, but Ramses wants more, more, more. The Hittites are rumbling. And there's a few priests that aren't doing Ramses's bidding, a few priests absconding with funds, plenty to worry about.
Oh, but wait - we've got a new plot line: unknown to Ramses, there's a survivor of monotheist Pharaoh Ankhenaton's bloodline. So that gives us a new potential enemy to chew on - might even give Moses-the-Hebrew a few worried nights about his core values. In fact, Moses is starting to take a few steps in the same direction as his character in the well-known plot of the movie The Ten Commandments (lack of archeological proof notwithstanding).
We're still not seeing a lot of character development, but the book is such a quick read it's almost like you're reading a synopsis for a movie. Ramses goes from one event to the next with barely a change of linen or a kiss for Nefertari; he develops kingly demeanor; he meditates. You follow along with the Nile flowing in the background. It's entertaining, not deep - and on some days, that's all you need. -
মিশরের ব্যাপারে আমাদের সবারই ধর্মীয় কিংবা ঐতিহাসিক একটা ধারণা আছে। এই ধারণা মাথায় নিয়ে রামেসিস সিরিজ পড়া যাবে না। এই মিশর ঠিক বাস্তবের মিশর না। বাস্তবের সঙ্গে লেখকের কল্পনার মিশ্রণ। এটুকু মাথায় রেখে পড়লে মন্দ লাগবে না সিরিজটা।
প্রথম বইটার তুলনায় দ্বিতীয় বইটা ঘটনাবহুল না। তবে এখানে রামেসিসের রাজধানী পাই-রামেসিস গড়ে ওঠা, ব্যাটেল অব কাদেশের প্রেক্ষাপট, আবি সিম্বেলের মন্দির বানানোর প্রেরণা, মোজেসের মোজেস হয়ে ওঠা- ইত্যাদি এসেছে। পরবর্তীতে কী হবে জানি না, তবে মোজেস এখানে ইসলাম ধর্মের সেই মূসা (আঃ) নন, যিনি আল্লাহর খোঁজে বেরিয়ে পড়েছিলেন। ওল্ড টেস্টামেন্টের মোজেসও নন তিনি। এই মোজেস আখেনাতেনের সূত্র ধরে একেশ্বরবাদের দিকে যাচ্ছেন, যদিও আখেনাতেন ছিলেন আতেন-এর পূজারী। আর, আতেন ওল্ড বা নিউ টেস্টামেন্টে বর্ণিত স্রষ্টা নন। (প্রথম প্যারায় যেমন বলেছি, এই বই বাস্তব মিশর না, লেখকের কল্পনামিশ্রিত মিশরের গল্প বলে।) তবে মোজেসের মিশর ছেড়ে পালিয়ে যাওয়ার ইতিহাসটা এর মধ্যেই দারুণভাবে গেঁথে দেওয়া হয়েছে।
ন্যারেটিভ অনুযায়ী, রামেসিস-এর কিংবদন্তী হয়ে ওঠার পথটা দেখাচ্ছেন লেখক। গড়ে উঠছে তার মধ্যকার দৈবশক্তি। পরবর্তী বইতে কাদেশের যুদ্ধ হবে। ঐতিহাসিক সেই যুদ্ধের জন্য এই বইটার পুরোটা জুড়ে প্রস্তুত হয়েছেন রামেসিস, লেখকের কলমে। তবে ঘটনার ঘনঘটা যেহেতু কম, একটু দমবন্ধ লাগতে পারে আমার মতো পাঠকের।
অনুবাদ, দুর্দান্ত। মারুফ হোসেনের প্রথম কাজ। আগের বইয়ের অনুবাদের টোন অক্ষুন্ন রেখেছেন। মনেই হয়নি, আলাদা দুজনের অনুবাদ বই দুটো। সেই হিসেবে, শতভাগ নাম্বার পাবেন অনুবাদক।
রেটিং ২স্টার কম দিয়েছি মূল বইয়ের জন্য - ঘটনার ঘনঘটার অনুপস্থিতি, হেলেন ও মেনেলাউসের গল্প এবং মোজেসের ন্যারেটিভ এভাবে সেট করাটা ভাল লাগেনি। সেজন্য উপভোগ করতে অবশ্য সমস্যা হচ্ছে না। সেটাউকে বিশেষ করে পছন্দ হয়ে গেছে। ইসেটের ফেরার অপেক্ষায় আছি। সব মিলে, এই হচ্ছে দ্য ইটারনাল টেম্পল - রামেসিসের শ্বাশত মন্দির নির্মাণের গল্প। -
** spoiler alert ** Follows on from the 1st book in the same easy reading style. R becomes pharoah with key supporters Nefatari, Tuya, Iset, Ahmenhi and Setau and key against him Shaanar, Ofir, Sary, Asha and Dolora. S and A keep their opposition well covered. Massive building projects, tombs at Valley of Kings, Luxor and Karnak temples, temple of a million years (not sure where) and new capitol city Pi Ramses in NE delta region. Various plots against him are foiled, the worst being scorcery against N and baby, narrowly saved by Setau. Iset and N seem happy to be with each other, I accepting she can never be #1. Ofir, scorcerer, is the guardian of great grand daughte of Akhenaton, the pharoah who tried unsuccessfully to introduce only 1 god (monotheism). Not a strong pharoah and hence never succeeded. O is scheming with brother Shanaar to undermine R (both with different objectives). As guessed, the Moses in the 1st book is the OT Moses and at the end of this book he kills an Egyptian and flees a la Bible. M is conflicted a friend to R but as a Hebrew believes in 1 god and so after building all these projects for R his plan was to go off maybe with other Hebrews as he was v well considered, even a Hebrew leader. However after his killing the Hebrews reject him when he tries to intervene a la Bible. He killed accidently, trying to protect fellow Hebrew Abner, from Sary. Book ends with Hittites amassing for war, being encouraged by S and A. to be continued in book 3....
