Sunday, September 15, 2013

Review: Anubis Speaks! by Vicky Alvear Shecter

Title: Anubis Speaks! A Guide to the Afterlife by the Egyptian God of the Dead
Author: Vicky Alvear Shecter
Publication: October 1st 2013 by Boyds Mills Press
Genre: Non-Fiction, Children's
Format: e-arc from NetGalley
Cover Rating: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5/5

e-arc provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

  
Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of death and mummification, takes the reader on a personal tour of the "Dark Lands"--the Egyptian afterworld. While touring, Anubis explains ancient Egyptian death practices and escorts the reader onto Ra's "Night Boat," where they must battle the evil demon of destruction, Apophis, so that Ra can be reborn in the morning as the sun disk.

Based on Egyptology research--particularly the Book of the Dead, The Book of Apophis, the Book of Caverns and others--ANUBIS SPEAKS gives middle-grade readers a fun yet factual look at ancient Egyptian beliefs, rituals and practices.


~My Thoughts:

I think this is the first non-fiction book that I'm reviewing. It's not that I don't like non-fiction books. No, I do enjoy them. Especially if they're about Egyptian mythology. And this one was fantastic. I almost finished it in one time. I do know quite a lot about ancient Egypt, if I do say so myself. Ever since I was a kid I loved to read books about it, whether or not they were fiction or non-fiction and I also watched a lot of docus and movies about it. So yes, very much interested in it. But I've come to learn even more now about ancient egypt and the gods because of this book. So great!

This book is told to us by Anubis, the god with the jackal head. I've always liked that god and read a lot about him before but I definitely like how the author wrote him. He's so funny with his little comments every now and then. That's why I loved this book so much. It's not just a non-fiction read where facts are being told. Anubis makes it freaking hilarious and I'm sure kids as well as adult would love it. I did anyway. There were even the steps to mummification. That was one of my favorite parts. 
The drawings in this book were so nicely done. They were also a big part as to why I enjoyed Anubis Speaks so much. I love drawings about ancient Egypt and these were really great. I wish I could have some of them to hang up. <3

So overall, Anubis Speaks is a fun, non-fiction story that's based on the Book of Dead and others, that takes us on a journey through the Egyptian afterlife told to us by none other than the god Anubis. There are a lot of facts we learn from this book but it's told in an amazingly fun way. I've learned a lot but also laughed a lot and that, people, is how you write a great non-fiction book. Also I'm definitely going to check out this author's other books. I think they'll be really great as well. 

This book is definitely a 2013-favorite of mine because I was really impressed by how much fun I was having and didn't want to put it down one second although I had to eventually to get some sleep. I would definitely recommend it to everyone. Young and old, whether or not you like non-fiction or not. Just try it and you might be really surprised and love it as much as I did.






Favorite Quotes:
"And why, you may ask, did Ra refuse to continue walking among his creations on earth? Because you humans had to go and ruin it for the rest of us. You plotted against him. You rebelled, thinking to steal Ra's power (as if) for yourself.
Ra withdrew into the sky in response to your sacrilege. So it's all your fault, you petty backstabbing, power-hungry, smelly little mortals. But I'm not resentful. Really, I'm not.
Don't be shy! It may seem crowded with all us gods on board---including Horus, Set, Isis, Nephthys ("Hin Mom"), Sekhmet, Thoth, Hathor, Serket, and others---but we'll all fit. It's a magic boat.
The three-headed snake with fourteen human heads on its body is not so unusual. I'm sure you've noticed that most of us gods sport animal heads. And I'm sure you've been particularly admiring my noble jackal's head on my exquisitely muscled human body. Why do I have a jackal head? The better to eat you with me, dear.



About the author:
Vicky Alvear Shecter wishes she had a time machine to go back to the glory days of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. Until she can find one, she writes about the famous and fabulous lives of the ancients and their gods instead. She is also a docent at the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Antiquities at Emory University.
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1 comment:

  1. I don't read non-fiction much but your review has me really interested in this, Steph. Wonderful review!

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