Monday, April 20, 2009

Thebes of the Hundred Gates by Robert Silverberg

I don't think that I had any idea what this book was about when I bought it. No doubt I read the title, looked at the cover, and decided it was worth a try. And it was worth it, I guess. Though I'm left feeling perplexed by the book.

Edward Davis works for something called The Service. He is time-jumping thirty-five thousand years into the past - to ancient Egypt. His goal is to find two agents who have gone missing. He finds them, they don't want to go back and force Davis to stay so that he won't give them away to The Service.

That's the whole book.

Sounds like a short story to me. In truth, it was only 116 pages - thus it practically was a short story. The whole thing seemed kind of pointless. The descriptions were amazing. I felt that I could see everything exactly as the characters saw it. Ancient Egypt is very much alive in this book. The plot, however, is on a respirator and not doing so well. Maybe I jumped into the middle of a series. Maybe there's a history or reason for this book that I'm unaware of. Having randomly picked it up, it left me clueless.

I'd recommend this book as a light read that requires no real investment in the story. Perfect for waiting rooms and trips to the beach.

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