Isis of Egypt: Goddess of Thrones
Isis, Goddess of Magic and Wisdom, Goddess of Thrones and Power, came into being at the same time as her sister Nephthys and her brothers Osiris and Set. Atum is their great-grandfather, Shu and Tefut their grandparents, their father Geb is the earth god, and their mother Nut is the sky goddess. These are the major gods in the novel. An array of minor gods and goddesses pop in and out. Atum created mortals from his tears, but eventually he viewed them as parasites destroying his perfect world of deities.
The epic love of the married Isis and Osiris drives the narrative. Nephthys, who also loves Osiris, has been spurned, so she marries her other brother, Set. Conflict and jealousy among the siblings make for an action-packed, twisty tale. Isis and Osiris take the welfare of Egypt and the mortals to heart while Set is busy with nefarious plots, allowing the serpent of Chaos to spread his chaos to the point of penetrating the veil to the mortal world, spreading human misery. Isis uses her magic to take power from Atum and gives it to Osiris, making him king of the gods. Set’s trickery imprisons Osiris and a lead-sealed box, and the box disappears, while a bereft Isis spends decades searching for him.
It is difficult to keep most of the minor gods straight, especially those making occasional appearances. The gods’ schemes, trickeries, and plots become very convoluted and intricate, making the plot difficult to follow in places. While Isis wanders the known world searching for Osiris, she is disguised as a human. Her human connections and interactions are the stand-out scenes. Selket, gifted with unlimited combinations of human/scorpion features, has her army of scorpions, scuttling and twittering, doing her bidding, and spying for, and protecting her and Isis. – and when have scorpions been so delightful and amusing?
