Journey to the centre of the earth

Even though the book filled me with excitement and curiosity, I made me a bit uncomfortable about the level of classism that it portrays. Another issue, which is sadly common in books from those dates, is the racism and discrimination. It has to be said. The concepts Jules Verne explores in the book were, and in my opinion are, groundbreaking but these issues make me not being able to rate this book higher than 3 stars.

Get ready for a hike, it's pretty much all walking or boating around. Minecraft the book?

Verne front loads the racism:
Calls someone So-and-so the Jew;
Describes a sooty figurehead pipe as becoming a "negress";
References savages in South America and Africa.

But mostly just stereotypes an Icelander for the rest of the book.

The Tethered God: Punished for a Crime He Can't Remember by Barrie Condon was a book I knew I had to read as I've had a passion for Ancient Egypt since childhood. With a story that moves seamlessly from the 4th Dynasty Ancient Egypt during a time before the term Pharoah was used and modern day, Condon has written a book that will have you eagerly turning the page for more.

Egyptology and the concept of reincarnation plays heavily in the story as Khafre tries to understand just what he must have done to enter the Afterlife and instead, has his soul intered within a dog in a world he cannot truly understand. I love how visual the writing is both of an Egypt long forgotten but revered and its modern day equivalent so you, as the reader truly see this land through Khafre's eyes both as an arrogant member of the Royal family, and a somewhat lost soul. The narration is one that has wit to it, and I loved Cordon's writing so much that I read and then re-read The Tethered God: Punished for a Crime He Can't Remember so I could fully appreciate the tale fully.

I think Khafre is a character you are supposed to hate but actually quite like because he's unafraid to be himself. Something I am sure most members of Ancient Egypt's vast and problematic dynasties will have been like as they balanced expectation over honour along with personal desire on its narrow blade. He's unapologetic over the way he acts, thinks and his beliefs though there are moments were it wavers due to preference but overall the one-mindedness I believe stems from the fact no one person is greater than Egypt herself, a concept no doubt ingrained in Khafre from birth.

I truly don't want to give spoilers for this book, I will say that there are moments were I wish I hadn't been eating when I ate, and that you do truly see Khafre grow as a character. That Condon has given us a tale I would love to see turned into something on the 'silver screen' and that if you love Egyptology, if you spent hours in museums looking at Mummies, and the finery of the Land of the Pharoahs, and its Gods, you will love The Tethered God: Punished for a Crime He Can't Remember.