Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsFull of action and excitement, but thought-provoking too
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 July 2020
Fabergé eggs, created for the Russian Imperial family to present to each other in the last decades of Romanov rule are the ultimate in conspicuous consumption - exquisitely crafted from the most expensive materials anywhere, they are a joy to look at, but ultimately pointless, and arguably an insult to the Russians who suffered terrible deprivation as their masters were commissioning these artworks. Most are in the hands of museums.
So news of a previously unknown example, with provenance linking it directly to the massacre of the Romanovs in Yekaterinburg, is enough to set the pulses racing of collectors everywhere, including, as it turns out, a group of professionals from a parallel world of peace, plenty and considerable advanced technology, linked to our own. There is a deadline, after which it is known the artefact will be destroyed, so every incentive to 'rescue' it first. But some individuals are more ruthless than others about carrying out their plans.
This is an exciting romp in which the danger seems very real, but with some good elements of humour and nifty characterisation to boot. It starts a little slowly, perhaps, but the concept of a civilisation in which Egypt dominates a global culture, because Africa is essentially the centre of learning and research draws the reader in. A protagonist who complains about British weather is one thing, but one who feels the Thames would be much improved by a few crocodiles is something else! The shifting points of view mean that we are constantly slightly unbalanced, never quite able to take anything for granted, and as the climax approaches that becomes ever more the case.
Roll on the next book. I need to know more!
