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The Scorpion of Avaris

by W. S. Drinnan

134 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #01-0255; ISBN 1-55212-855-5; US$20.00, C$22.95, EUR16.50, £11.50

Young people fight for their lives against hostile traders in Egypt as the Hyksos prepare to invade the Nile Valley.

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About the book      About the author      Sample excerpt      Catalogue info

About the Book The Scorpion of Avaris is a historical novel about Egypt in the 17th Century B.C. At that time, the whole Valley of the Nile was in disarray. No one power was able to take control and the landowners and princes fought amongst themselves up and down the river. Small villages rimmed the desert and their inhabitants lived in constant fear of the marauding bands of "Bedwins" that would rob and destroy their homes and kidnap their young for bartering with slave traders. Nemset is one such young person who, with his sister Tersa is captured and led on a forced trek to the north. Their village destroyed, their parents dead, they have little to live for except a life of slavery. Meanwhile, an historical event of major porportions is about to affect their lives and the people of Egypt. Rakor, King of the tribal groups known as the Hyksos, dreams of a campaign to gain control of the entire Nile valley. His Hyksos are militarily superior in every way to the Egyptians. They have the chariot, the compound bow and iron-shafted arrows. Rakor is so confident of his success he even brings with him his young daughter, Bareena. Guarded by her giant Nubian protector, Bantar, she is bored with the entire expedition. That quickly changes when her father is tricked by one of his own men and is seriously wounded in a surprise attack. The "slavers" leave him and his men for dead but they capture Bareena and she is forced to join the others on the way to the sea and slavery. The story develops on two levels. The struggle of Nemset and his sister and the other kidnapped children to survive the cruelty of the desert raiders parallels the efforts of Rakor and Bantar to escape death and find Bareena. Nemset suffers a head wound and subsequently has "episodes" where he sees visions of places and people he has never met, or so he believes. He and Bareena, over time, become good friends and pool their resources to help them cope with their captors. Rakor's injury leads to an encounter with some Egyptian farm people, Ephrem and Astara, his widowed daughter-in-law. She works tirelessly to help Rakor recover from his wounds, not realizing who he is and what his motives are. Their time spent together during Rakor's convalescence brings them closer until dramatic events suddenly drive them apart. Some surprising revelations occur a the two groups of main characters finally come together. The story is told to blend fact with fantasy, humor with romance. It was written to "humanize" a little known time in history and to give some relevance to a subject too often treated in an uninspiring way.

About the Author Wayne S. Drinnan is a retired teacher from Nanaimo, British Columbia who now lives in Peachland, B.C. with his wife, Janet. He enjoys the lush, hot Okanagan Wine Country in the summers and passes the winters with family and friends on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Sample Excerpt

From Chapter 20 of The Scorpion of Avaris

As he reached for his pack of food, the calmly drifting current suddenly boiled into a violent, foaming explosion. The donkey's head lurched out of the water, its legs trying desperately to run backwards in the mire. A loud, raspy growl rendered Rakor immobile. Something huge and powerful was splashing him with slimy water and lumps of soggy green. The donkey's forelegs buckled. Rakor tried in vain to reach the rope around the poor beast's neck. He had it once but the slime made it slip through his fingers. The great roaring thing now had its thrashing victim by the upper leg and was rolling it over and over into the deeper water. Rakor could see the scaled, grayish green tail of the monster smacking the reddening river into a million scarlet drops. He felt helpless. He had no weapon that could cope with this animal's strength. The frothing water choked off a final pathetic bray as the donkey went under for the last time.

Catalogue Information