-- Reviews by the Famous and well Known
Over 500 pages of glorious detailed Egyptian history turned into an unforgettable educational story of adventure, desire, conspiracy and spiritual control over reality. Romance With Death strips away the razzamatazz of an, ‘Indiana Jones’, to reveal a compelling account of Howard Carter and his ‘boy king’. Surely, a documentary drama in the waiting. Excellent! Hats off with a nod of approval to the author, Michael. J. Marfleet.
Mark S. Bennison, Author of 'Military Rule'
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An incredibly well written and researched novel. Quite relevant too, with the BBC TV series ‘Egypt’, and the story of Carter in that programme. An immense read. The quality of the book, and its look, do both the author and publisher credit. Well done, and highly recommended.
Robert Auty, Author of 'Trance Warriors: The Siege of Scarn'
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This book has been very well researched and is full of knowledge around Egypt. Well written and I found it fascinating.
Sheila Woods, Author of 'Maud's Stone'
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-- Newspaper and Website Reviews
Tutankhamun Uncovered: The Adventure Behind The Curse, by Michael J.Marfleet.
The celebrated boy king Tutankhamun and English Egyptologist Howard Carter lived over 3,000 years apart ... but when their worlds collided a terrible curse was unleashed
Marfleet's brilliant evocation of two very different men and the momentous events that led to the death of both is a novel of both daring imagination and impressive scholarly research.
A lifetime's interest in Carter's quest to discover the tomb of Tutankhamun has paid dividends for Marfleet who hopes his thrilling tale of the explorer's consistent and unflinching efforts will stand as a fitting epitaph.
The story opens as Carter is laid to rest in Putney Vale Cemetery on a grey day in March 1939 ... the small party of mourners and his undistinguished grave seem 'a common departure for so uncommon a man' whispers one observer.
But his passing had been no less unusual than his extraordinary life...
Weaving seamlessly between the last years of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun and one man's inexorable journey towards the discovery of the sun king's long-buried tomb, Marfleet introduces us to the cast of characters who helped to make history.
The young Tutankhamun's life has been overshadowed by the death of most of his family from 'the sickness,' a pestilence that has stalked Egypt for 12 years, and his grandfather's rejection of the old religion and adherence to a new cult of sun worship.
For many, the powerful General Horemheb included, this was nothing more than heresy and when Tutankhamun's father, Akhetaten, took over the royal throne, his insistence on worship above administration led to insurrections, corruption, bureaucratic chaos and a great plague.
When Tutankhamun became Pharaoh at the tender age of eight, he was easily manipulated into returning to the old religious order but this wasn't enough for Horemheb who believed that the entire royal bloodline must be wiped out.
And so Tutankhamun's days are numbered ... his end must be speedy and to distance himself from suspicion, Horemheb plans to spare no expense on the boy king's magnificent funerary dispatch to the all-important afterlife.
Thousands of years later, a teenage boy in Norfolk, small, thin and pale but with a remarkable strength of character and single-mindedness, spends all his leisure time learning about the ancient Egyptians and the fabulous land they inhabited.
After a stint at the British Museum in London, he lands a dream job as inspector of antiquities to the Egyptian government responsible for excavating at the Valley of the Kings ... but discovers that there are dangerous rivalries and obsessions surrounding the hunt for archaeological glory.
And when unimaginable treasures are eventually unearthed, a fascinating scenario is played out involving a vengeful Tutankhamun and other figures who played a part in Egypt's rich history...
Marfleet combines his gripping story with fascinating period detail ... the elaborate preparations for Tutankhamun's magnificent funeral, ancient methods of embalming and mummification, the conspiracies and dangers that surrounded Carter's mission.
There's everything here you ever wanted to know about one of the greatest adventures the world has ever seen ... the facts, the feats and an entertaining sprinkling of fantasy!
(Apex, hardback, £15.99)
Lancashire Evening Post
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An epic work of well over five-hundred pages, Romance with Death should be required reading for every student of ancient Egyptology. With great skill Marfleet weaves together two separate tapestries into one, seamless garment. In the first we have the tumultuous life of the young Pharaoh Tutankhamun, and in the second the cavalier times of the adventurer Howard Carter.
Under the guise of fiction, Marfleet allows the reader to explore two different eras separated by several millennia. To be honest he does this brilliantly, and it’s hard to imagine that it isn’t the real Boy Pharaoh or the real Carter whose exploits we are following.
Unlike most works of fiction Romance with Death contains a thorough bibliography and a well set-out glossary. This alone highlights Marfleet’s academic background, for he graduated from the University of Southampton with a BSc (Hons) in Geology.
One of the greatest strengths of this book is the fact that Marfleet has managed to combine great wallops of history with a tension that would not disgrace the works of our greatest thriller writers.
I spoke to the author at his home in the USA and he confessed that his interest in Egyptology developed at such a tender age that he can’t remember what precipitated it. Nevertheless, it took five years of research before he felt ready to begin work on Romance with Death. We may be thankful for his thoroughness. If you’re tired of bland pap and shoot ‘em ups, and want to read something that challenges, get yourself a copy of Romance with Death.
Mike Hallowell, The Shields Gazette
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Ancient Egypt Magazine
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East London Advertiser
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The account of the events surrounding the life and death of Tutankhamun are, in my opinion as good a fictional interpretation as one might wish to find as is the parallel story of of Carter and Carnarvon ... Add a little twist of the supernatural and a dash of "the curse of the mummy" (but neither overdone) and you have all the ingredients for a very good read, which is exactly what this book is.
Bob Partridge, Ancient Egypt Magazine (Editor)
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Tutankhamun Uncovered: The Adventure Behind the Curse is a 500 page epic of intrigue from the Pharaonic 18th Dynasty cleverly interwoven with the 20th century life of a certain Howard Carter. The two stories are told seamlessly side-by-side and propel the reader backwards and forwards through time, setting the scenes for the events that surround the death of the boy king Tutankhamun and the tenacity and skill of the eventual finder of Tutankhamun’s tomb – Howard Carter.
For those of us who are aware of the intrigue surrounding Tutankhamun’s untimely death and the events immediately after, you will be pleased to know that the author has clearly spent considerable time researching and has been able to portray them as accurately as one could expect – this does not mean that the author has not used a degree of poetic license to create a story around a train of events involving all of the usual protagonists of the era. The good news is that this license has in no way diminished the story or the facts and Michael Marfleet has been very successful in creating a fascinating story to carry you along.
The 20th century part of the novel covers the young Howard Carter, his determination and skill, and follows his trials and relationships as he works his way around Egypt and onwards until the ultimate find of the tomb of Tutankhamun. His relationship with Lord Carnarvon is given a new lease of life and his style and brusque mannerisms are about as accurate as you could wish for from an Egyptian themed story.
It must be remembered that this is not a biography of Howard Carter but a story; however there is much to gain from understanding him as an individual and when you can picture him speaking and behaving as laid down in the story it becomes clear that the author has succeeded in creating a character worthy of the original.
Overall this is not a short read and you may find yourself picking the smallest of holes in the story or the use of the facts; above all you must remember that this is just that - a story. However it is a story that was enjoyable and certainly gave new life to sometimes dusty portrayal and for that alone it is worth the read.
www.egyptology-uk.com
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Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald
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The Brit (Madeira Newspaper)
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A TALE OF TUTANKHAMUN
EXPLORING EGYPT – Sherwood resident Michael Marfleet traveled to Egypt after he wrote his book to ensure eveything he wrote about was accurate. This month, Apex Publishing re-releases his prior book under a new title, “Tutankhamun Uncovered: The Adventure Behind the Curse.”
Sherwood author Michael J. Marfleet has always been fascinated with two historical figures, King Tutankhamun and the subsequent discoverer of his unparalleled treasure, British archeologist Howard Carter.
So Marfleet created a novel, weaving together a story of what he thought their lives might have looked like. He even went the extra mile, spending five years researching the pair before publishing his novel “Romance with Death” in 2005.
However, he quickly discovered a problem – too many readers thought they were purchasing a romance novel.
Fast-forward to this month and Marleet’s book has just been released as a hardback complete with a new name: “Tutankhamun Uncovered: The Adventure Behind the Curse” by Apex Publishing out of Great Britain. The book comes out at the end of the month and pre-orders are available at Amazon.com.
“It’s the way it should have come out in the first place,” said Marfleet, a Parrett Mountain resident.
So detailed was Marfleet’s research into both Tutankhamun and Carter that his book includes both an bibliography and glossary.
Marfleet, who spent 25 years as a oil and gas exploration geologist for BP, said he wanted to write a book that would get people to understand something that’s fascinated him for a long time.
“I’ve been interested in Egyptology since I was a teen but never had time to delve into it until I retired,” he said.
In addition to the boy-king, who is believed to have died at age 18, Marfleet found Carter an intriguing person, pointing out that the archeologist was never given his due as far as the British general public was concerned. Carter wasn’t well-bred and was stubborn to boot, so no one gave him the recognition he deserved, said Marfleet.
That wasn’t the case in the United States where Carter was greeted with open arms, presenting sold-out lectures and receiving an honorary doctorate at Yale.
“It fell upon him on his own wits to find this tomb,” said Marfleet. When he did, it took the archeologist 10 years to empty and explore Tutankhamun’s burial site after uncovering the most treasure ever discovered at a single Egyptian location.
Marfleet praised Carter for not pillaging or destroying the priceless pieces of antiquity as had been the case in the past. Of the 3,000 items discovered, Carter damaged only an estimated 3 percent, a relatively low number, Marfleet pointed out.
“What I’ve tried to do is take the evidence that was found and build a story around it,” Marfleet said of his novel.
While not one of the most famous of Egyptian royalty, Tutankhamun is the most recognized.
“He was an insignificant king, but the tomb – the contents of the tomb – were fabulous,” said Marfleet. “They haven’t found anything like it since.”
The book includes several colorful characters including a real-life villain, General Horemheb.
“He was the leader of Tutankhamun’s forces during the boy king’s reign and had designs on the throne which he himself finally usurped successfully after the death of the old man who succeeded Tut (who Horemheb had previously murdered),” said Marfleet.
Marfleet said there’s a twist to the novel as well, a part when it takes on a supernatural flavor as Tutankhamun tries to stop Carter from removing his body because of the ancient Egyptian belief that removal of the mummy from the tomb would mean eternal death.
“He tries to stop Carter from finding or removing his body,” said Marfleet. “It’s a battle between him and Carter (who doesn’t know what’s going on).”
After Marfleet completed his book, his next chore was to try to find a publisher, which proved a difficult undertaking.
“It took me two years to get published,” he said, noting that he received between 60 and 70 rejection slips.
Marfleet said although he had traveled extensively in his line of work as a geologist, he had never been to Egypt. That changed last year when the author traveled to the Valley of the Kings, the final resting place of numerous Egyptian kings and nobles, located on the west bank of the Nile River.
There, he discovered that everything he had read and written about was exactly as he described it in his novel so he didn’t have to change anything for the reissued book.
While in Egypt, he visited Tutankhamun’s tomb where the king’s unwrapped body is now on display. The only thing Marfleet didn’t get a chance to see was the famed golden coffin that once held the youth, which resides in Cairo. Regardless, the trip was an impressive one, said Marfleet.
“It’s overwhelming,” he said of Egypt. “If anyone’s interested in going, be prepared to be overwhelmed.’
Marfleet is particularly proud of a review of his work by the editor of Britain’s “Ancient Egypt Magazine” (see inset).
Now Marfleet is moving forward with his next work.
“I’ve completed a novel based on my father’s experiences in Afghanistan in the 1930s,” he said.
A member of the Royal Air Force, Marfleet said his father must have had numerous stories but didn’t share many of them during his lifetime. What his father did share, however, was a visual representation of his life in the military.
“He had a passion for photography,” said Marfleet. “He took 300 pictures while he was there.”
Marfleet has used those photos to craft a story regarding what his father likely encountered during his military service.
“It’s a story about atheism, faith and reality,” said Marfleet.
Meanwhile, Marfleet has almost completed a third book, a murder mystery.
Sherwood Gazette (American Newspaper)
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Dumfries & Galloway Standard
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Bangor and Anglesey Mail
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Ilford Recorder
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Greenock Telegraph
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Bangor and Anglesey Mail
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Full House Magazine
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Newbury Weekly News
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Ashbourne News Telegraph
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Newark Advertiser
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Ipswich 24 Magazine
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Bridlington Free Press
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Burton Mail
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A NEW NOVEL ABOUT HOWARD CARTER AND KING TUT
Ancient Egypt: John William Pye Rare Books Catalogue
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Romance With Death.
KMT - A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt
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ROMANCE WITH DEATH
Christian Market Place Magazine
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-- Readers Comments
Romance with Death is an inspired interpretation of the personal, and yet very public, life of Howard Carter, the discoverer of the Tomb of Tutankhamun; it is a multi-faceted story.
The skeleton of the author's story clearly has been researched in some depth. He has then draped the skeleton with flesh, in the form of an engaging and plausible description and dialogue of trials and tribulations, the like of which Carter must have experienced. In so doing, Carter's character is exposed in all its strengths and weaknesses. But this is only a fraction of the book.
Alternating with the early chapters which recount how Carter became involved with his life-long mission, are chapters that take the reader back in time, some three and a half millennia, and describe daily life in both the court of Tutankhamun and amongst the artisans who spent their entire working lives preparing for the burial of whichever pharoah was reigning at the time. This is where the author's imagination excels; drawing the reader into those long-lost times of power and great wealth. These essentially fictitious chapters, take the reader through an imagined power struggle in the New Kingdom and the murder of Tutankhamun.
The book then evolves into an account of the discovery of Tutankhamun's Tomb by Carter in the early 20th Century while the alternating 'flash back' story is elevated to another plane involving the supposed super-natural life of Tutankhamun, his queen and key courtiers who attempt to impede progress of what they see, from their celestial vantage point, as the desecration of his final resting place. This intertwining of the super-natural with earthly affairs, is not an extravagance of mysticism, but is more an exploration of human feelings, both base instincts and those of a finer nature.
Second to the fertile imagination of recreating plausible past events, perhaps the strongest aspect of this book is the rich description of detailed events, scenes and personal behaviour. No reader will complete the book without having recognised in the narrative some of their own foibles, or re-lived moments of wonderment at witnessing a stunningly beautiful natural event or work of art.
The author's biography indicates that he trained as a geologist. Perhaps it is no coincidence that this book is structured as though he has witnessed history from different angles through a multi-faceted crystal and seen the interplay of human activity like refracted colours of light, sometimes canceling one another, other times being complimentary. This book will appeal to those who enjoy a rich vocabulary and who are interested in Carter and a plausible account of life in the New Kingdom. To this reviewer, Michael J. Marfleet, geologist-turned-author, has created his own gem."
A reader from England
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We have recently got back from a holiday in Egypt. The first week was spent sailing up the Nile from Luxor to Aswan and seeing the sites. On the last day we visited “The Valley of the Kings”, including the tomb of Tutankhamen. At this point I was well under way with “Romance with Death” which I had decided to read during our holiday. Visiting the tomb was a totally enchanting experience. Your book brought the events that took place there, both in the ancient and not quite so ancient past, into wonderful focus; I stayed there for as long as I could. Shortly afterwards I noted the location of Carter´s Castle with great interest.
So I am now in possession of a unique copy of RwD; not only because it has been read from cover to cover with great pleasure but also because it has sailed on the Nile and has been in Tutankhamen´s tomb.
Thank you for making this wonderful, unique experience possible!
A reader from England
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-- Book Signings and Events
9 September 2010 - Michael J. Marfleet talked about and signed copies of his book 'Tutankhamun Uncovered' at Newmarket Library, Newmarket.
Newmarket Library, Newmarket
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11 September 2010 - Michael J. Marfleet signed copies of his book 'Tutankhamun Uncovered' at Waterstone's, Boston.
Waterstone's, Boston
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