Pillar of Fire

By: Judith Tarr

Narrated by: Anna Fields

This monumental novel of ancient Egypt is set during the turbulent reigns of the Pharaoh Akhenaton and his successors, including Tutankhamen.

Egypt's long history has no more mysterious reign than that of Akhenaton, disciple of the One God, the Aten. Akhenaton abolished the worship of all other gods in Egypt and built a city devoted to the Aten, ruling for a decade of increasing civil unrest. Without a son of his own, he was forced to accept his brother, Smenkhkare, as co-pharaoh.

The story unfolds through the eyes of Nofret, a slave girl, who comes to know more of the king and of his city than most.

©1995 Judith Tarr (P)1995 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Anna Fields' narration is consistently fresh, bringing immediacy to the novel's events, while at the same time creating personas for a large cast of characters who develop and grow as they gain age and experience....This is a well-produced, intriguing story that makes the hours fly by." (AudioFile)

I enjoyed it~!

This book was great - it spanned the many lives on the throne of Egypt. The main character Nofret is a strong woman who I admired.. Although the narrator was slightly boring, I found I listened to the book twice.

Amaizing, love the Exodis

Very believable well resered as it might have been read this and keep the story alive

King Tut's Time

Covering the time prior to, during and after the pharoah we know as King Tut, the book does a wonderful job of bringing to life the religious complexities of the day. One of the earliest known instances of monotheism, imposed by King Tut's elder brother, caused major disruption in Egypt and was ultimately rejected by the people and priests. An entertaining way to absorb the details of a fascinating period in history!

So, so

The book starts out with a description of the Pharaoh's court as seen through the eyes of Nofret, a girl who was sold into slavery. I found the beginning somewhat interesting, although, with the exception of Nofret, the characters never quite came to life and the description of places and events lacked detail.

The surprise came with part 3 of the book when it turned into a retelling of the biblical story of Israel's Exodus from Egypt, complete with parting of the sea, etc. Where is the suspense in that?

The narrator's attempt to give color to the characters did not help either, especially with the male parts. All in all, its so, so. I've had better.

Outdated history but a rousing story

It's an exciting novel with an appealing and unique viewpoint character. However, almost 30 years have passed, and archeological studies have disproved much of the speculation the plot is based on. Even so, it's a fun read and an entertaining look at an Egypt that never was.