Sequenra Tao, prince of Weset, led the revolt. Then the descendants of the last true king of Egypt rallied the native princes of Upper Egypt to rebel against the foreigners and their alien gods and ways. The Hyksos outlanders from Asia Minor with Cretan and Minoan trading connections ruled Egypt for over two hundred years, from about 1830 b.c. The harmony and truth Ma’at embodies is the guiding principal Thu believes in seeking her revenge.Īn epic of the struggle to liberate Egypt from the rule of the ‘Shepherd Kings’. Never again will the reader scoff at these queer religious notions. They enter the daily life of the characters and the mystery begins to make sense. The mysterious Hathor, Thoth, Amun and Ma’at are part of the Egyptian pantheon. While beneath them, these inferior beings are very much a part of the family of the house. Gedge is able to get into the mind of the courtiers and their attitudes to their servants. In a world without soap and little water, natron serves quite well. Daily life and custom are woven into the story. These events took place three thousand years ago. During her exile she writes an account of her court life and the betrayal for which she seeks revenge. House of Illusions opens on Gedge’s vividly recreated Egypt, sixteen years after Thu’s banishment. Pharaoh spares her life but banishes her to serve the priests at the lowly temple of Wepwawet near the first cataract. Thu rises in favor, is betrayed in a court intrigue that threatens her life and falls from grace.

Her talent and guile win her a post in the harem. She is chosen and trained for the court of Pharaoh Ramses. To her good fortune Thu is found and brought to the center of society. Her hero*in, Thu, a peasant girl from the village of Aswat, possesses both beauty and intelligence. Pauline Gedge is a master at recreating the golden age in Egypt.

The eagle and the raven pauline gedge