Book Review: Slayer of Gods by Lynda S. Robinson

A teenager on the great throne of Egypt is a dangerous thing. Tempted by debauchery, unbalanced by power, King Tut is being driven mad by the thought that the unavenged soul of his beloved foster mother Nefertiti wanders lost in eternity. He orders his advisor, Lord Meren, to find her killer and bring her peace. 

Linking up with the seductive female spy Anath, Meren sails upriver to interview the only remaining witness to Nefertiti's death. But a fanatical enemy, trying to stop the investigation, sets a terrifying trap for Meren's son and daughter. 

Now Meren feels the bloodstained sands shifting beneath him. A titanic struggle between old gods and new has begun, and Meren's next move -- to save his family or catch a killer -- will have shattering consequences for this glittering world of palaces, temples and tombs.


For the Eclectic Reader Challenge I needed to read a 'historical mystery' novel, so I chose a period of history that has always fascinated me - Ancient Egypt. Slayer of Gods is the sixth and final book in Lynda S. Robinson's 'Lord Meren Series' and the mystery in question is the death of Nefertiti.

Back when I studied Ancient Egypt at university I was drawn to the reign of Akhenaten - the pharaoh who abolished the worship of multiple gods in favour of just one, Aten. Akhenaten's wife was Nefertiti so when I saw this book was about her death I quickly chose it.

In hindsight it would probably have made more sense to start reading the series from the first book because it was obvious at the beginning of Slayer of Gods that I'd missed a whole host of past Lord Meren adventures. That being said, Robinson did provide past details to fill the reader in so I wasn't completely lost.

Something that bothered me in the first few chapters was Robinson's use of a character mumbling to themselves as a method of exposition. While I appreciated the necessary knowledge being revealed, I found it quite unrealistic that a person would go around mumbling important information to themselves. They might think it but they certainly wouldn't speak it out loud in that way.

But after this initial hiccup I really got into the story. It kept up a quick pace and successfully threw me off guard a couple of times so I wasn't sure who the killer was. Slayer of Gods is a typical mystery novel that follows the formula of this genre. I'm not a huge fan of mystery novels, but the historical appeal was enough to keep me interested. And it was good fun to read a genre that I wouldn't normally.

What I loved most about this book was its setting. While reading I was constantly reminded of my own trip to Egypt and this really helped to make the book come alive in my imagination. It's obvious that Robinson has a love of Egyptian history and has done thorough research to make her book as authentic as is possible for a fiction story. I found reading about Nefertiti, Tutankhamun and Akhenaten very exciting. I'd happily recommend this book to people who enjoy the mystery genre and who have an interest in Ancient Egypt.