Boleslaw Prus

The Throne of Osiris Boleslaw Prus

Egypt 1100 BCE - Old age and disease have weakened Pharaoh's already tenuous grip on power, allowing for Egypt's archpriests to take partial control of the government. But their heavy-handed policies have plunged the kingdom into financial straits and the debasement of human rights. Seeking to avert a crisis, 22-year-old Crown Prince Ramses issues directives to ease the peoples' suffering and at the same time to gain funds for what promises to be his own financially strapped reign. However, the entrenched High Council of Archpriests thwarts his efforts. Conflict ensues. The archpriests have but a few allies, the wealth of the temples, and an unusually smart organizing ability. The rest of the nation - the army, police, most government officials and even many of the younger priests - all side with the young ruler. Uneven as the odds are the outcome is far from certain, and the consequent power struggle threatens the kingdom with the collapse of the social order.

The Throne of Osiris is a saga of intrigue and subterfuge-an epic account of crisis in government and the struggle for dominance. This classic tale offers a rich depiction of life in ancient Egypt, the structure of its society, its religious beliefs and traditions. With its numerous parallels to today's world, it is a study in the raw mechanisms of power and explores the attempts of the young to govern and to right society's wrongs.
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