The Age of Ra by James Lovegrove

What elevates Lovegrove's eighth novel above much recent military SF - quite apart from the honed precision of his prose and his concern for characterisation - is the unique world he's created: the Egyptian gods have divided Earth into warring factions, each of which pay homage to a different deity.

  1. The Age of Ra
  2. by James Lovegrove

Egyptian mythic lore suffuses everyday life - the soldiers fight with balances, and know that afterlife in Iaru awaits. In a stirring opening sequence, Lt David Westwynter is parachuted into northern Africa on a covert mission which goes terribly wrong. He is captured by the enemy, only to escape and begin an arduous trek across the desert to Freegypt, where he falls in with the mysterious Lightbringer who is seeking to liberate his people from the rule of the gods. Impeccably researched, intricately plotted, this is the first in a series which will explore the impact of ancient gods on the modern world.

• Eric Brown's latest novel is Xenopath (Solaris).

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