THE HERETIC QUEEN

Set in nineteenth-dynasty Egypt, THE HERETIC QUEEN is the love story of Nefertari, niece of Nefertiti, the heretic queen, and wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II. Cassandra Campbell brings this fictional history of palace and temple intrigue, political wrangling, warfare, and international relations to life with her soft steady voice. From Nefertari's perspective, listeners learn of Egyptian royal society—their education, religious practices, and private lives. Campbell's little-girl intonation disappears as the story evolves and the teenage royalty mature into strong-willed rulers. A few references to dates as "B.C." rather than "in the reign of" jar the listener out of Pharaonic Egypt and into the present—a startling reminder that the audiobook is fiction and Campbell is the storyteller, not Queen Nefertari. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2010]