• August 2, 2022

New Young Adult Book Reveals Secrets of King Tutankhamun’s Lost Manuscript

King Tut is one of the most famous pharaohs of Ancient Egypt due to the discovery of his fabulous tomb, but until now his full story was not known. Young adult author Cheryl Carpinello has created an imaginative yet historical retelling of the full story of King Tutankhamun’s life in her new novel Tutankhamun Speaks.

Both a stand-alone young adult novel and a companion book to Carpinello’s time-travel adventure novel Sons of the Sphinx, Tutankhamen Speaks contains a letter to the author from an Egyptologist named S.W. Lothian. In it, Lothian includes the recently discovered manuscript that makes up the bulk of the novel; that manuscript tells the story of King Tut’s life in his own words. Of course, found manuscripts have long been a staple of adventure fiction, but what makes this one special is that ancient texts from ancient Egypt have long alluded to the scrolls that recorded the history of the King Tut’s life as told from beyond the grave. Of course, the scholars thought that it was impossible for anyone, even a pharaoh, to speak after death.

However, as Carpinello makes clear, King Tut could have spoken through a medium who then wrote the story. And what a story it is! King Tut tells us the whole story of his life since he was a child and was not yet recognized as heir to the throne of Egypt, until the death of his father and his own ascension to the throne; we learn of his love for Ankhesenpaaten, whom he married, the sadness they experienced at the loss of a son, and the politics and hierarchy of ancient Egypt with his court intrigues.

Being written in the form of an ancient manuscript, the story is divided into fragments and in some places parts of the text are missing; another Carpinello literary plot, but one that will make young readers feel that the manuscript and the story are real. I was almost convinced. More importantly, readers will be able to see Ancient Egypt through the eyes of its most famous ruler and step into his shoes to discover what life was like four thousand years ago.

As a companion piece to Sons of the Sphinx, this book expands on many of the incidents from King Tut’s life referenced in that book. Both books stand alone, and either could be read first. Carpinello loves reliving the distant past through his books. Previously, he brought the time of King Arthur to young adult readers in his popular books Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend and The King’s Ransom. She knows how to combine entertainment with information that will leave readers wanting to learn more about her subjects, a skill she has acquired from years of being involved in education. According to her website, she is currently working on more books, including ones set in Atlantis and Pompeii, as well as a sequel to Guinevere: On the Eve of Legend.

Keep them coming back, Cheryl. This adult reader loves them and I would have loved them even more as a kid! If I had read Tutankhamen Speaks when I was in school, it might have inspired me to fulfill my other dream of being an archaeologist instead of an author.

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