Ethan Gage has returned from Napoleon's Pyramids and he is still on his quest to discover The Book of Thoth. Gage has turned up in Jerusalem during the Napoleon's siege and is nearly executed too many times to count. Gage is a thoroughly engaging character (sorry, couldn't help myself). He's a gambler always looking for the easy way out. He works for the English when it's profitable, but the French seem to find him equally exasperating and useful. Ethan works in Jerusalem to discover what has happened to his beloved Astiza, even as he is falling in love with Miriam. Lots of mayhem ensues, with some history thrown in for good measure. Ethan acquires a few new clues for the location of the book and the legend of the Templars is added for more occult interest. This would make such a wonderful movie; I can't imagine why someone hasn't already done so! It has summer blockbuster written all over it. Imagine the wit and humor of Indiana Jones with the supernatural twists of The Mummy along with the twists and turns of the serial movies from the 1950s and you have Ethan Gage.

In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte set forth to invade and conquer the Holy Land following his successful conquest of Egypt the year before. The difference in this attack is that Napoleon is set apart from his own navy, which had gone down to defeat at the hands of the British Commander, Admiral Nelson. Bonaparte gambled on the premise that a relatively small group of dedicated fighters would be enough to overthrow the Ottoman Empire. If successful in this endeavor, Napoleon would have had the power to change the face of world history and permanently affect the balance of power in the European empire. He did not expect that an unlikely alliance of British, Muslim and French royalists in the city of Acre were preparing to make a stand to stop his siege. This event is the centerpiece of THE ROSETTA KEY.

William Dietrich returns to the familiar genre of historical fiction as the background of this engaging and fast-moving novel. Even though THE ROSETTA KEY is a sequel to NAPOLEON'S PYRAMIDS, it may be enjoyed as a stand-alone tale. The hero this time is American adventurer Ethan Gage, who is sort of like a cross between Indiana Jones and Jack Sparrow --- including all the wisecracks and sarcasm. Gage finds himself torn in allegiance between following Napoleon's French forces and supporting the British military that is opposing Bonaparte.

The bottom line for Gage is that he is involved in this saga due to his own pursuit of adventure and treasure --- and switches allegiances so many times that you begin to lose count. In addition to reclaiming his lost love, Astiza (who was taken from him at the end of NAPOLEON'S PYRAMIDS), Gage is on the trail of the ancient Book of Thoth - which may hold the key to immortality. He is told of an ancient tale that involved the infamous Knights Templar during the Crusades and how their pursuit of the Holy Grail may have ended with their discovery of The Book of Thoth. The story indicates that the Holy Grail has been described as many different objects over time --- even an ancient book. Following clues that he finds during his adventures through the Holy Land, Gage learns that he is not alone in its pursuit. Apparently, Napoleon has been made aware of the Book and the promise of immortality and endless power it may bring to whoever possesses it.

Gage and his small band of allies set off in pursuit of The Book of Thoth --- which is actually a scroll said to have been stolen from the Great Pyramid by Moses and carried by the Jews to their new kingdom of Israel 3,000 years earlier. The American expatriate discovers that finding the scroll isn't the difficult part --- it's the interpretation of text written in a long-dead language that provides the biggest hurdle. Gage is told of a Rosetta Key that can be used as the template for interpreting this ancient scroll. What's more interesting in this tale is the fact that the Rosetta Key is in the possession of Gage's small group of allies --- in an unexpected form.

Gage is a morally ambiguous protagonist who is a lot of fun to follow. His ever-changing shifts in allegiance sometimes make it difficult to tell who is a friend or foe --- but are never boring. Once events unfold in THE ROSETTA KEY and the quest is determined, it is a non-stop race to the finish as Gage attempts to get "the key," rescue Astiza and help the British allied forces stop Bonaparte's siege of Acre. Complicating matters is that Gage falls for Miriam, the sister of one of his colleagues, early in the novel. This event provides Gage with additional turmoil as to which love interest he will end up with when the dust settles --- if either!

THE ROSETTA KEY is a well-researched historical adventure that will appeal to readers of both historical nonfiction and some of today's top historical fiction writers, such as Dan Brown, Steve Berry and James Rollins. This is the perfect summer novel as it provides non-stop escapist thrills while describing a pivotal event in world history. Not all of the questions and issues are resolved by the end of the book, which indicates that Dietrich hopefully will return to the adventurous Ethan Gage so we can follow him through another tale and find out what happens next.

--- Reviewed by Ray Palen

Unlike another reviewer, I hate it when authors put gratuitous sex in their novels just to help sales. This book certainly did not need any sexual encounter in it. Otherwise, the book is really a great read.

There are basically two kinds of novels. One is the literary sort that all the intelligentsia consider to be the only ones worthy of reading--and which, as any publisher can tell you, rarely are.

Then there are the ones that do get read--and this is a prime example. It's not that there's anything terribly original about it, but then, there rarely is in a picaresque novel. It's the very familiarity of the form that allows us to settle down with a nice cold beverage and a bag of something crunchy and just have one whale of a good time.

I missed Mr. Dietrich's first book in this series but no matter--he does an excellent job of providing the necessary backstory without allowing it to be intrusive or repetitive. Which is a good thing because pacing is vital to the success of action-adventure. Be prepared to have a hard time getting anything else done, because just when you think you'll have time to catch your breath the next disaster hits and you're off again.

This book is precisely what it needs to be: superb entertainment with a character of both flaws and virtues, the latter sometimes in spite of himself. No cliches here, except for the ones that fans expect--and howl loudly if they don't get them.

Read it. It's fun.

Sometimes you hold your breath at a sequel of a really good book. Can the author recapture the magic of the first? You needn't worry about this one-it is as nonstop as the first Ethan Gage book, and then some.
I think Indiana Jones would have a hard time keeping up with the search for the Book of Thoth! That is the magical book Ethan, Astiza, the mysterious pristess of Isis, Silano, the brilliant, evil man who wants to master the world when he masters the mystery of the Book of Thoth, and of course, Napoleon Bonaparte, without his wish to conquer as Alexander the Great did, would never have made history in Egypt, or made a plot for this book or given us knowledge of ancient Egypt.
The Rosetta Stone. To me it is one of the most wonderful historical artifacts I have ever seen. The first time I saw it in the British Museum, light years ago, the guard said 'Go ahead and touch it - it's just stone!' - Okay - I touched the stone and was thrilled. Now it is under glass, protected. It is the key to the ancient language of the Egyptians, all due to Napoleon's people finding it. The Ptolemy family, which Cleopatra was the last Pharoah, was one of the few of that line that wanted to learn the old ways. Through the Greek on the stone, that even I can read a little, the matching words were worked out.
I see wonderful things! All of history opened up!
Dietrich has captured the time of Napoleon in Egypt and the Middle East and brought Ethan Gage, who once had Benjamin Frankin as a mentor, to a place where the mysteries of the medallion, and the knowledge of power beyond any comprehension lays.
It is a fun book, with history sprinkled in. Gage plays side again side (France against England) so many times, your head it spinning, but you want more.
The ending has fans wanting more too - and I hope Dietrich is working hard on it -
Wonderful read!

At the end of his first adventure, "Napoleon's Pyramids," American adventurer Ethan Gage was fleeing Egypt in a hot air balloon when his lover Astiza tumbled over the side and into the Nile with the evil sorcerer Silano. (Trust me, this will not spoil the reading for those who haven't got there yet.)

At the beginning of Gage's second adventure he is again in the Holy Land, now facing a Napoleonic firing squad. And just before the guns blaze, he digresses, falling back to describe what has happened since readers last saw him.

Determined to find Astiza, he had agreed to do a little spying for the British who set him down in Palestine with the names of some allies in Jerusalem, Jericho and his lovely sister Miriam. While there, Gage figured he might as well continue his search for the Book of Thoth, an ancient scroll said to contain the secrets of the universe. The French are determined to beat him to this prize.

Pursuing leads in Jerusalem, he discovered a secret passage under Jerusalem's most sacred mosque. A step ahead of the French, he managed to bring the fury and alarm of Jerusalem's Muslims down on his little group, along with the French, who captured him. And that's how he ends up in front of the firing squad.

Suffice to say, he survives and continues his adventures, romances and intrigues with nary a dull moment from first page to last. Reminiscent of George MacDonald Fraser's Sir Harry Flashman - though not quite as outrageous or hilarious - Gage schemes and blunders his way through pivotal moments of history, roused to heroism despite his baser ambitions.

While greater character development could make the narrative more compelling, the series is entertaining and witty and sure to acquire new fans with every book.

Spoiler ahead:

This sequel to "Napoleon's Pyramid" has great adventure and terrific battle scenes but lousy sex scenes. In Napoleon's Pyramid he had met the woman of his dreams and she of course was stunning, built, blah blah like everytime the woman is "stunning". in this sequel, he meets another woman and now he is in love with her. What??? The romance parts are absurd but the battles and high adventures parts make up for it. I enjoyed both books but the sex scenes stop the book like a brick wall. I mean dude if she is the one then you don't just hop on the next one that comes along and if you were being true to the period women were watched like hawks and to fool around with a foreigner so quickly would have been almost a death sentence. Anyway. Fun read. If he ever gets the romance parts to work, watch out.

It was an interesting enough read. If you like the Indian Jones sort of mystery/action you will probalby think it pretty good. It's just not quite my style. The actual writing is good--especially for a modern writer-- there were no major flaws. Everything was coherent and a near perfect writing style for this type of book; it may have been a little to poetic in its descriptions and not enough raw description, but it worked.

Catapulted into Jerusalem in dogged pursuit of an ancient Egyptian scroll reputed to have magical properties, American adventurer Ethan Gage is forced to apply all his wits and archaeological prowess to prevent dark powers from falling into the wrong hands. BT.
This is a good follow up from William Dietrich's previous Ethan Gage novel. There's something very likeable about Gage that helps make this story so entertaining. With good characters and a suspenseful and mystery solving plot, this is fiction you're sure to enjoy.

In 1799 he was fortunate to survive the evil of NAPOLEON'S PYRAMIDS thanks to a hot air balloon ride across the Sahara but now expatriate Ethan Gage is in danger again in the Holy Land as Napoleon's army march towards Jerusalem. Gage and Bonaparte had gotten into a dispute over the Great Pyramid power leading to the French dictator proclaiming him an enemy of the state.

Napoleon's followers Count Alessandro Silano and his aide Pierre Najac declare Gage a dangerous traitor to France placing a price for his head. Knowing the peril he faces, Gage fears more for his former lover Astiza as a pawn if the lethal sorcerer Silano captures her. Thus he rushes to Jerusalem to keep her safe, which fits with his other quest perfectly as he follows clues in search of the revered legendary Book of Thoth, an ancient tome that allegedly knows the magical underlying secrets of the universe.

Using real persona, sites and events (not just Napoleon), William Dietrich writes a terrific historical thriller starring a late eighteenth century Hans Solo impish rogue. The story line is fast-paced but also brings alive the Holy Land. This is one series worth reading as Mr. Dietrich provides THE ROSETTA KEY to how Napoleon consolidated his power.

Harriet Klausner