Maat-Ka-Re
This is the fifth book in the Maunscripts of the Richard Trust series, but although I have not read the earlier novels, this was not a problem. The story deals with time travel conducted by a joint Russian-American think tank invented at the end of WWII by a Russian émigré and associate of Einstein. The heroes of the story observe certain rules regarding time travel, but bad guys have hacked the secret technology and are planning to change the course of history. I am ahead of myself, though, because this is a second plot, introduced at mid-point in the book. In the first part of the novel, the author winds up the earlier plot lines in which the heroine and her associates engaged in some “principled” tampering.
Their task is to murder an Egyptian pharaoh who is a sinister hybrid alien. It is the oft-used Egyptian/alien connection reiterated in another series, but despite that, I truly enjoyed this novel. The historical sections, set in two separate time periods (Ancient Egypt and 9th-Century France), were impressive and convincing. The characters, highly-trained SEAL-type misfits, were engaging and powerfully imagined. This is a page-turner, professionally edited and presented. The language is sophisticated and intelligent; the fight scenes are compelling. I will definitely read the earlier novels!
