Review: The Pharaoh's Cat by Maria Luisa Lang

Title: The Pharaoh's Cat
Author: Maria Luisa Lang
Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult
Publication date: May 6th 20153
Pages: 184 (paperback)
Source: own-it

The Pharaoh’s Cat, a tragicomic fantasy narrated in the present tense by the cat himself, tells of a free-spirited, wise-cracking stray in ancient Egypt who suddenly acquires human powers and immediately captivates the young Pharaoh, making him laugh for the first time since his parents’ death.

The cat becomes the Pharaoh’s constant companion and, at the royal palace and on a tour of Egypt, participates in the festivities, developing an insatiable appetite for good food, wine, and gossip. Gradually, he renews the Pharaoh’s ability to enjoy life and inspires him to become a stronger leader. The bond of selfless love they share will change Egypt’s destiny.

The cat has a good friend in the High Priest of the god Amun-Ra and seeks his help in solving the mystery of his human powers and the supernatural manifestations that plague him. He has a mortal enemy in the Vizier—the second most powerful man in Egypt--who hates him for his close relationship with the Pharaoh. The Vizier’s persecution of the cat ultimately results in his fleeing with the High Priest to present-day New York City, where they find an ally in an Egyptologist’s daughter.

Goodreads

Ancient Egypt has always fascinated me in many ways, the way that the pharaoh’s ruled, how they build pyramids, the gods they worshipped… their whole culture is just so intriguing. So when Maria Luisa Lang approached me with the question to read her book I immediately said yes. And I am glad that I did because I got so much more than I expected!

The Pharaoh’s cat tells the adventures of a cat in ancient Egypt through the eyes of a cat. It might sound a bit odd but it was really great story and refreshing as well. It is not every day that you read a book through the eyes of a cat. From the very start I fell in love with Wrappa-Hamen, he really behaves like most cats I know. He’s lazy and basically only thinks about his next meal, but somehow his little adventures always turn into a big mess which was often quite hilarious. What I really loved that Wrappa-Hamen’s thoughts were exactly what I always imagined my cat to think. I do not know how the author managed to get the cats character so spot on but I imagine that she must have studied her own cat for a long while.

I really loved the way how the author decided to tell the story of some big events in Egypt. She managed to weave in the ancient Egyptian culture in her book in a way that it made it light and easy to understand.  I cannot tell how accurate all the events where in this book but I am sure that some of them are based on reality. And it wonderful that the author also gave descriptions of how the temples and the houses looked like. I definitely picked up some new things by reading this book.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick and fun read, it was perfect to fill up a nice Sunday afternoon. I really loved the uniqueness of the point of view of this book, it was interesting and refreshing. I cannot wait to read more of Wrappa-Hamen’s adventures. 

Elien