This book, like the similarly themed “Pharaoh” by the Polish writer Boleslaw Prus, provides the reader with a pleasant and at times gripping tale an reminds us that the human condition has changed little over the millenia.

Indeed, all of Waltari’s books would benefit from a review of their translations. With the English translation of “The Egyptian” there are long passages that are found in French and Spanish translations and in the original that were not translated into the English version.