The Heretic Queen
I'm Kim Alexander and this is Fiction Nation. The book is The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran.
The last time I spoke with Michelle, it was about her face to face meeting with Nefertiti, or anyway the iconic bust of that glamorous antiquity, and how that led to her first book. This time she moves the story into the future with a new cast of characters set in the court of Ramses the Great. The things I loved about Nefertiti are still in evidence — Michelle has a great feel for the domestic details that surround even the high and mighty — because even a queen has to put her makeup on. I also kind of covet the wigs that had perfume cones attached to them — as the party heated up, you actually got to smell better. All bus riders in DC please take note. Nefertiti's proto-diva shadow still hangs over upper and lower Egypt — she is The Heretic Queen of the title — and as we learned from the last book, her reign ended with her statues being torn down and general spitting in the street at the mention of her name. The narrator of this book is her niece, Nefertari, who has her eye on the cutest boy ever, Ramses the aptly named Great. But so does another princess, who has the support of a different group of princes, priestesses and hangers on. OMG — which queen shall reign supreme? In-fighting; we didn't invent it. I liked the narrator of this story a bit better than the constantly put upon Mutny, who told her sister Nefertiti's story as much as her own. Nefertari is no one's victim and cleverly goes after what she wants. There's loads of politics, fascinating history lessons, and a romance that has lasted over two thousand years.
Michelle's website is michellemoran.com and it's loaded with interesting things about ancient Egypt — plus a contest!
Hear my interview with Michelle Moran on Fiction Nation, on Book Radio, XM 163 on Thursday December 18th at 3:00 pm EDT.
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