Chris' Fish Place

In her afterword to this third volume of the She-King Series, Ironside apologizes for playing a little fast and loose with history.  She doesn’t play as fast or as loose as Philipana Gregory, and unlike Gregory, that afterword discusses the changes and presents the reality.  In many ways, the apology is unneeded.  Let’s be far, no historical fiction is going to be 100% completely accurate because, in some cases, that would be boring.  In many ways, historical fiction is about the reader and writer finding common ground on changes.  The Other Boleyn Girl is a trashy novel that I kind of liked.  It wasn’t the change in history that bugged me; it was Gregory’s afterword where she tried to argue that her historical changes were the actual truth.  That is a legitimate gripe. 

                So Ironside, no need for the apology. 

                In fact, I am willing to forgive Ironside so much for one simple – the relationship of Thutmose and Hatshepsut.  This is one of the few (if not the only) fictional books about Hatshepsut that presents Thutmose and Hatshepsut as partners or having mutual respect for each other.  Usually it is Mr. “You Stole My Throne” versus Miss “Of course, Because You Are Cruel Stupid Idiot” or some such variation.  Considering that recent scholarship changes this view, it is nice and interesting to see the different relationship here.  Honestly, if Ironside wanted to turn Hatshepsut into a transformer, I would be cool with that as long as the relationship stayed the same.

                Okay, made that would be a change too far.

                In terms of plot, the story is far more concerned with the question of power and doing what is right as opposed to the great historical battles.  Of most interest is the journey to Punt (and this journey has one of the changes that Ironside talks about her in afterword).  That was well played.

                There is a short novella after this book, but the ending isn’t really a cliff hanger.