THE MYSTERIES OF OSIRIS
2 primary works • 5 total works
Book 1
In the temple of Abydos, an acacia tree is dying. And its death threatens all of Egypt. For this is no ordinary tree: it sprang forth from the tomb of the god Osiris, the first ruler of Egypt, as proof of his triumph over death. The great pharaoh Sesostris III immediately joins battle against the invisible enemy who wishes to lead Egypt to her doom. But unknown to Sesostris, within his closest circle hides a traitor, a man who dreams of power and glory, a man prepared to sell himself to the powers of darkness in order to achieve his aim. A young apprentice scribe, Iker, becomes an unwilling player in the drama. Kidnapped by sailors who refer darkly to a 'state secret', Iker does not know who is trying to kill him, nor indeed who is trying to protect him. Haunted by a vision of a beautiful priestess, Iker senses that he's being guided or manipulated, and that he has sent out on a path whose end he does not know. Will the two of them, Iker and Sesostris, the weak young boy and the great man of power, the innocent and the sage, the scribe and the pharaoh, succeed in preventing Osiris from dying for the last time, thereby saving Egypt?
Book 2
Despite the pharaoh Sesostris III's determination, despite the combined efforts of his generals who are searching, in vain, for the culprit, despite daily prayers and the devoted care of the queen and the seven priestesses of the goddess Hathor, the beautiful acacia tree of Abydos is dying. But the most mysterious of the priestesses, the one who haunts the nights of young Iker the scribe, has an idea: to save the 'Tree of Life', a new pyramid must be built at Dachur, dedicated to Osiris. Sesostris agrees, and work is set to begin. But what Sesostris doesn't know is that a triple conspiracy has been hatched against him. On the one hand, the Herald, the bearded devil who preaches to the desert tribes, has decided to seize power by having the pharaoh murdered. On the other, at the king's court, an ambitious, thieving traitor has only one solution: to get rid of his master. Finally Iker himself, deceived by appearances, believes that the moment has come to settle his scores. The conspirators have only to await their opportunity ...
The young scribe Iker has finally realised that, in pursuing Pharaoh Senusret with his hatred, he chose the wrong target. The real enemy, the one who is attacking the Tree of Life at Abydos, is in fact the Herald, that baleful individual who is rallying troops on the border in order to invade Egypt and annihilate her. Now Senusret has entrusted Iker with a particularly dangerous mission: to enter Canaan and discover the Herald's lair ... Who can save Egypt now? Senusret - constantly faced with savage assassination attempts? Iker - fighting on a thousand fronts to prevent the traitor from succeeding? Or the beautiful priestess Isis who perhaps - deep in her heart - will find the means to pacify the spirit of the Nile?
The young scribe Iker has finally realised that in pursuing Pharaoh Sesostris with his hatred he chose the wrong target, and that the real enemy is elsewhere. Iker is now the Royal Son, a unique title bestowed on him by the pharaoh when he adopted him. The enemy, the one who is attacking the Tree of Life at Abydos is, in fact, the Herald, that baleful individual who is rallying troops on the borders in order to invade Egypt and annihilate her. Now Sesostris has just entrusted Iker with a particularly dangerous mission: to enter Canaan and discover the Herald's lair ...Who can save Egypt now? Sesostris - who is constantly having to withstand savage assassination attempts? Iker, who is fighting on a thousand fronts to prevent the traitor from succeeding? Or the beautiful priestess Isis, who perhaps - deep in her heart - will find the means to pacify the spirit of the Nile?
Unrecognisable, the Herald is hiding at the very heart of Abydos. With his accomplices, he is preparing to commit the supreme crime. By bringing death into the kingdom in order to prevent the resurrection of Osiris, he will at last be able to overthrow Pharaoh Sesostris, seize power and spread his evil doctrine far and wide. Will Iker manage to fulfil his mission, to celebrate the mysteries of Osris? In the face of misfortune, will the priestess Isis bring her Quest for the Impossible to a successful conclusion? And can death really be overcome? After forty years spent fervently studying the doctrines of Ancient Egypt, Christian Jacq closes the series by revealing the Great Secret of resurrection. This mystery was at the very centre of Egyptian thought and pharaonic civilisation, and is the key to a modern understanding of Ancient Egyptian life.