A review by leskit
The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

5.0

I first read this book about 40 years ago (how can I be that old?). I had a paperback copy of it and I read it so many times I eventually had to throw the book away because it fell apart. I've thought of the book off and on over the years and thought I'd like to re-read it. It's so easy to find older, out of print books these days and I easily found a hardback copy for not a lot of money. It's even better than I remember it. Forty years later I know more about the world and understand the book better than I did in my late teens/early 20s. It's a masterpiece. I really enjoy reading novels based on ancient history, but not all authors can bring a world to life. Mary Renault is a favorite and Mika Waltari is equally as good at bringing ancient worlds alive. Around the same time I bought the copy of The Eqyptian I also bought The Etrucscan and look forward to reading it. I may also track down some of his other books.