Lester Picker's Blog

The Egyptian government, in its desire to jump start tourism, has been releasing archeological information at a faster pace than it has ever done. This week was a particularly good week for those of you interested in the Old Kingdom.

While this week’s announcement doesn’t approach the time period I write about, the First Dynasty, it does take us back to the Fifth. That alone gives us some indication how quickly Egypt developed.

While I’ve always been interested in all things Ancient Egypt, I also wonder how this whole incredible Dynastic tradition began. How did one ruler, or even the first few, unite disparate cultures into one mighty nation that was lightyears ahead of its neighbors in terms of social freedoms, legal systems, religious traditions, literature, medicine and more. My trilogy explores this through the lives of three First Dynasty kings; Narmer, Meryt-Neith and Qa’a.

In this week’s discovery, archeologists report on the excavation of the tomb of Behnui-Ka. Following in the tradition of flowery language, Behnui-Ka was ���The Priest, the Judge, the purifier of kings: Khafre, Userkaf and Niuserre; the priest of goddess Maat, and the elder juridical in the court”. The time period was 2465-2323. Another tomb of a noble was found nearby. What makes this find particularly intriguing is its location, near the burial grounds of common workers.

Fascinating stuff, this is. My hope is it will lead to other finds that bring us still closer to an understanding of the First Dynasty, where it all started.

Exciting news just came out of academic publications this past week, ones that impact all fans and aficionados of First Dynasty era Egypt.

Two mummies, one female and another male, were found buried in the Egyptian desert showing distinct tattoos using recognizable patterns known from artwork of those times.

In my research before and during the writing of my First Dynasty Trilogy (The First Pharaoh, The Dagger of Isis and Qa’a), I never came across any references to tattooing. So this is an exciting find and one I may wrap into future storytelling about Ancient Egypt.

But what does this all mean? What significance do the tattoos represent? Were the mummies of royal origin? The plain fact is we do not know, at least not yet. But a few facts are clear. The mummies were buried directly in sand, in the traditional pre-natal position. The bodies were very well preserved due to the dry desert environment. Don’t forget, this was probably around the pre-Dynastic period, far pre-dating elaborate burial rites. So, we can only stay tuned for more details as they emerge. I’ll report on developments as they occur.

AJ Chaudhury just posted his interview with me. I’m honored to be part of his youthful blogosphere, and hope that the tie-in brings some of that youthful enthusiasm to reading historical fiction.

AJ is an 18-year old author himself. I’m pleased that he has further opened my work to audiences in India. I have noticed that sales of my books have been increasing in India, so I believe that is an emerging market for Western writers, just as Indian writers have done well here in North America.

I was recently interviewed by Scott Peters, the wonderful children and young adult book author. Peters specializes in mysteries that take place in Ancient Egypt.

Peters’ books are funny and absorbing, as his many fans will eagerly tell you. Peters’ questions to me were fun, so I answered them in the same spirit. You can find the interview here.

Take a quick read through it and, while you’re there, why not order a couple of his books for kids on your gift list. They’ll thank you!

It is now time for Passover, one of the two most significant holy days of the Jewish calendar. During the first two nights of Passover, a special meal, known as a Seder, is held that celebrates the Jews’ release from bondage in Egypt. The long-standing question is, did the Exodus really happen?

One of the difficulties in accepting the Exodus as historical fact is that Egyptians, normally meticulous record keepers, never recorded such an event. As well, many scholars in recent decades have cast doubt on the Exodus, at least in terms of how the Bible tells the story.

Today a terrific Op-Ed piece in The Wall Street Journal by Joshua Berman points out how similar the biblical account is to Egyptian accounts of the epic chariot battle at Kadesh. For those of you interested in the fascinating topic of the intersection between Ancient Egypt and Judaism (and Christianity, by extension), I think you will enjoy this article immensely.

In all three novels of my First Dynasty Series, I show how ancient Egyptians used various herbals for prevention of illness or to treat various illnesses. I just came across a wonderful blog post from the Manchester (England) Museum Herbarium that provides a round-up of various herbals in use at that time.

Botany in Ancient Egypt- Part 2 explains the various herbals ancient Egyptians used, from papyrus to juniper. This is a nicely illustrated and well written piece by Jemma. If you are interested in Ancient Egypt it is well worth the read.

As I described in The First Pharaoh, The Dagger of Isis and Qa’a, even as far back as the First Dynasty, some 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians relied on these botanical products. What is amazing to me is that modern medicine has shown some of these herbals to be effective, depending on how they might have been used.

And, by the way, if you read any of the novels in my First Dynasty Series, please do leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Whether positive or negative, your review may help other readers decide whether or not the book is a good fit for them. Thank you!

More good news for my readers! This week, from Monday, January 12 Pacific time through Wednesday, January 14, I will be promoting one of my works of general fiction on Amazon with a FREE promotion of The Underground. 2014 was a wonderful year as sales of my books have grown. I wanted to share that good fortune with my readers and to also bring some new ones into the fold.

The Underground is a psychological mystery. Lisa, a New York Times reporter, was raised by her doting father in New York City. But it isn’t until after her father’s death that she finds out that she had been adopted after her mother’s brutal murder. How much did her father know about the murder? Why was she never told about her adoption? Was he involved?

As Lisa delves further into the mystery she painfully, reluctantly uncovers her surprising roots and learns lessons about life, the many meanings of love and the lasting bonds of family.

You can try The Underground for free as Amazon Kindle book. So, if a good psychological mystery sounds appealing, grab this three-day chance and cuddle up against the winter’s chill as you accompany Lisa on a life-changing quest to find her roots. Just click here to get to my Amazon Author’s Page. where you will find The Undergound.

Once you are done reading The Underground, I do hope you will choose to review the book on Amazon and Goodreads. Reader reviews help both readers and authors. Even if you do not like a book (no book is for everyone’s tastes), it helps readers to understand your likes and dislikes before they buy. And, if you love The Underground - and I hope you will - please sing its praises eloquently online and recommend it to friends.

Best wishes to all my readers for a mostly happy and wonderfully productive 2015!

Great news! This week, December 28-30, I will be promoting my First Dynasty trilogy this week on Amazon with a FREE promotion of The First Pharaoh. That’s free, as in zip, zilch, nada, gornisht.

The First Pharaoh is the start of the series, which chronicles the lives of three of the most prominent Kings of that seminal and most tenuous period, when the very survival of Egypt as a nation hung by delicate threads. The First Pharaoh takes place around 3,150 B.C. in Ancient Egypt. It follows the life, loves, battles and court intrigue of King Narmer, the man who united Upper and Lower Egypt into one country and set the stage for one of the most marvelous civilizations in recorded history, one that lasted for more than 3,000 years! You can try The First Pharaoh for free as Amazon Kindle book and see if the series is for your reading taste. As of this date the book has earned an average of 4.5 stars from readers, something I am so pleased with.

So, if The First Pharaoh has been on your reading list, here’s a three-day chance to grab it and cuddle up against the winter’s chill and transport yourself to a time 5,000 years ago (and a place that is warm and sunny). Just click here to get to my Amazon Author’s Page.

Once you are done reading The First Pharaoh, I do hope you will choose to review the book on Amazon and Goodreads. Reader reviews help both readers and authors. Even if you do not like a book (no book is for everyone’s tastes), it helps readers to understand your issues before they buy. And, if you love The First Pharaoh, and I hope you will, sing its praises eloquently online and recommend it to friends.

Best wishes to all my readers for a mostly happy and wonderfully productive 2015!

The announcement came this afternoon and put a huge damper on my day. Kent Haruf, one of my favorite authors, is dead at the age of 71.

If you have never read Plainsong or Eventide, you are missing out on two literary masterpieces. Haruf’s down-to-earth writing style and his portraits of the people and small town life in his native Colorado are without equal in American literature. I hated to get to the end of his novels.

It was in his ability to convey emotion, to paint portraits of his characters with immense depth and to imbue the stories with a rich sense of place that drew me into his writing. Yet he also did so with what, on the surface, would seem to simplistic story lines. But those story lines were so slice-of-life you find yourself immediately drawn into it. His characters are so real, flaws and all, and his description of small town life so vivid, I find myself captivated from he start.

I’m sorry to hear of Haruf’s death and my heart goes out to his family. I hope they will get some comfort in the joy he gave all his loyal readers.

I just finished reading “Death of a River Guide” by Richard Flanagan, a Tasmanian author. At the risk of sounding a bit like an overzealous missionary, I have to stay that I was stunned, absolutely bowled over by the prose and the inventive story arc. In short, “Death of a River Guide” is one of the best novels I have ever read, over a period of nearly sixty years of reading novels.

On the face of it, the premise of the novel is strange, if not off-putting. We learn in the first chapter that the narrator is drowning. So how can an author sustain a story when we know that the protagonist will die? How can anyone weave such a beautiful, emotionally rich, beautifully descriptive story during the time that it takes a man to drown?

The answer, quite simply, is in the mesmerizing prose. Flanagan’s novels have been nominated for the Mann Booker Prize many times, and no wonder. His writing brought me to tears many times in the novel, and not always from its deep emotionality. The writing is so compelling, so evocative, so beautifully crafted, that I found myself highlighting passages and rereading them. Yes, my own novels have received lavish praise from readers, but reading the work of a true master was both humbling and inspirational.

Without giving away major elects of the story, the narrator, Aljaz, is a mixed-blood aboriginal who knows the river intimately, a sometimes angry, raging river within whose waters he drowns. Flanagan’s descriptions of the wild and unpredictable Tasmanian river sent chills down my spine. In his descriptions of the Tasmanian forests, I could smell, feel and see the tall stands of pine that Aljaz’s ancestors harvested. But it was Flanagan’s ability to reach deep into the soul of the characters that made me shake my head in wonder at how simple words, painstakingly crafted together by a master storyteller, could so thoroughly move me.

I intend to read other of Flanagan’s works. If you are looking for a wonderful read, I cannot recommend “Death of a River Guide” more highly.