Guardian Of The Horizon, by Elizabeth Peters★★★★★ and a ♥Synopsis: A hitherto lost journal of the indomitable Amelia Peabody has been miraculously recovered: a chronicle from one of the "missing years" -- 1907–1908 -- shedding new light on an already exceptional career, a remarkable family . . . and an unexpected terror. Ousted from their most recent archaeological dig and banned forever from the Valley of the Kings, the Emersons are spending a quiet summer at home in Kent, England, when a mysterious messenger arrives. Claiming to be the teenage brother of their dear friend Tarek, prince of the mysterious Lost Oasis, the charismatic herald brings troubling news of a strange malady that has struck down Tarek's heir and conveys his brother's urgent need for help only the Emersons can provide. Driven by loyalty -- and a fear that the evil forces opposing Tarek's rule will now exploit the royal heir's grave illness -- the family sets off in secret for the land time forgot -- a mountain fortress from which they narrowly escaped ten years before. Braving the treacherous desert climate on a trek fraught with danger at every turning, guided only by a crumbling map, the Emersons are unaware that deception is leading them onward into a nest of vipers -- where a dreadful fate may await. For young Ramses, forced to keep his growing love for the beautiful Nefret secret, temptation along the way may prove his ultimate undoing. And a dark past and grim obligation have ensnared Nefret once again, as she is helpless to save those she loves most from the prison of the Lost Oasis. Guardian of the Horizon is rich with suspense, surprises, unforgettable characters, and the intoxicating atmosphere that has earned its author the coveted title of Grand Master two times over. The remarkable Elizabeth Peters proves once again that, in the world of historical adventure fiction, she is truly without peerIn A Sentence: Awesome, but maybe not the best in the seriesMy Thoughts: Okay, technically this book is #16 in the series, but chronologically it immediately follows The Ape Who Guards The Balance. Since I like to read books in chronological order, I bumped this one up.For me, I’m at the part of the series where I absolutely love it, but at the same time, I’m starting to tire of it. We get more and more input from Ramses, who’s 20 years old by this point, and I love reading from his point of view. We started getting Ramses’ POV in Seeing A Large Cat, and I feel it really adds to the story. Elizabeth Peters was mostly successful in her ability to write the narrative from a man’s POV, in my opinion, especially since he’s also in love with Nefret ( who, btw, is completely oblivious). I think it’s rather difficult for a woman author to think more like a man, but Peters pulled it off pretty well.The other reason why I like Ramses’ POV is because he is now considerably more active than his parents. He’s more physically involved in the adventure, thus he is more interesting to read about. Amelia Peabody is now more of an armchair detective, so Ramses’ role creates the excitement. Plus, I have a bit of a fictional crush on him. What can I say, he sounds like a gorgeous archaeologist. I’m crushing on him more than Indiana Jones! :) Okay, back to this book. Because this book was published later, there’s something about this book that starts to bore me a little. I’m not sure what it is, but I’ve noticed it with the last few books in the series, and it makes the story drag a little. It is still a fun read, however, and it does have its full share of excitement.Overall, I enjoyed myself with the read. I mean, it’s Indiana Jones all over again! It’s just good fun. In terms of following Ramses with his adventures and love problems, I would say my favorite stories are Seeing A Large Cat, The Ape Who Guards The Balance, The Falcon At The Portal (which I’m reading now), and He Shall Thunder In The Sky. My favorite Amelia Peabody adventures are the first several books in the series, all the way up to The Hippopotamus Pool (book #8). Like I said, the last few books in the series are the stories where I start to get a little bored, but I still love the entire series as a whole. Strongly recommended.
For the first time, the Amelia Peabody series is jumping back in time to "fill in" one of the missing years from its timeline. This book, which chronologically takes place directly after The Ape Who Guards the Balance, transports us back to a time before Ramses' and Nefret's marriage and children, before Nefret even realized she loved Ramses. If I had read this book right after TAWGTB, I would have loved it more, I think. Amelia, Emerson, and company head back to the Lost Oasis, one of my favorite locations. Also, Selim and Daoud get to go with them and actively participate in the extracurricular action. And anytime we get more Sethos is fun to read, especially pre-reform, still-Amelia-loving-and-helping Sethos. I especially loved hearing about Amelia's first Abdullah dream, as they have become epically well-known in later (chronologically) volumes.So what didn't I like about this jump back in time? Mostly I didn't appreciate the reversion of Ramses' and Nefret's relationship. Some unrequited love and angst is fine, but for the last four novels, the couple has been happily together and married. It is a hard mental switch to make to think of them as anything else. Everytime Nefret called Ramses her brother (and vice versa), I cringed. Also, Ramses relationship with Daria felt so much like illicit cheating. It make me pretty uncomfortable and sad.So, as much as I enjoyed this fun, rollicking adventure, I just wish I could have read it sooner, because I think I would have appreciated it much more. And I hope there don't end up being any more of these "flashback" novels.
Do You like book Guardian Of The Horizon (2005)?
I LOVE the Emerson family, but this book was a big letdown. I suppose it was naïve to think I'd like all of Elizabeth Peters's books. The author's goal seemed to bring the characters into normality. In this novel, Amelia, Emerson, Ramses, and Nefret make mistakes and seem helpless. The whole reason we love them is because they charge in where angels fear to tread and somehow, though sheer force of will, they save the day and emerge unscathed. But most of this book is spent sitting around wondering what to do. Ramses especially shows a weakness of character and an indecisiveness that is certainly uncharacteristic. Since Elizabeth Peters was going back in time, I think she wanted to highlight that Ramses was just a youth and prone to error. But she forgot that we've read stories of his youth and he was never indecisive or prone to error. Even as a child, he was quick to action and smarter and faster than both Emerson and Amelia.To sum up, the Emerson family still accomplishes heroic deeds in this book, but their dithering inner monologue is atypical of their previous fearless crusades.
—Tracy
I love the Emerson family, and I love reading about their adventures. This book wasn't my favourite, mainly because it's a "lost" year of Amelia's journals, and takes us a number of years back into the past, well before the current situation, when the make-up of the Emerson family was quite different.All the things I love about the Amelia Peabody books are here - the laugh-out-loud-funny snappy repartee between Emerson and Amelia, the exciting adventures the family ALWAYS manages to get themselves into, the fun of following along with how the family always manages to not only survive the dramas, but come out on top every time. If this story had been presented in sequence I am sure I would have loved it. As it is, I'm anxious to get back into the present, and find out what happens next for the current Emersom family members so while this was entertaining, it was not a favourite. Still a good read by a fantastic writer.
—Kristen
A great throwback to The Last Camel Died at Noon; it was nice seeing old characters and learning how they evolved in the intervening years. I liked the plot and how everything was wrapped up nicely, and I especially enjoyed the relationships between the Emersons and that of their crew. The only part of the story that was baffling was Ramses's love of Daria--it felt forced and out of left field (though the sub-plot was nicely resolved). Nonetheless, I can't wait to read what happens next to my fa
—Don P
