Books › The Cat of Bubastes
The Cat of Bubastes
a tale of ancient Egypt
First published 1888 · 694 pages
A classic, sweeping journey of survival and exile set against the sun-baked monuments of the ancient world.
What it feels like
Reading this classic adventure feels like stepping into a meticulously constructed, sun-baked diorama of the ancient world. The narrative moves at a steady, deliberate pace, characteristic of nineteenth-century storytelling, balancing moments of high-stakes peril with earnest, educational detours into the daily life and customs of antiquity. There is a sweeping, cinematic quality to the atmosphere, steeped in the grandeur of temples and the tension of a desperate flight across unforgiving landscapes. The prose is formal and slightly archaic, lending a mythic weight to a coming-of-age journey driven by loyalty and survival. It will delight readers who crave old-fashioned, earnest historical fiction where grand historical backdrops serve as the testing ground for youthful courage and enduring friendship.
- Mood
- sun-baked
- perilous
- sweeping
- antiquarian
- Tone
- earnest
- didactic
- adventurous
- dramatic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- coming of age through adversity · loyalty and friendship · cultural collision · survival and exile · the weight of tradition
- The writing
- Formal, descriptive, and slightly archaic, blending Victorian educational earnestness with rousing action sequences.
- The arc
- Moves from the comfortable certainty of privilege into desperate, high-stakes flight, culminating in hard-won maturity and sanctuary.
- Who it's for
- Readers who enjoy classic, old-fashioned historical adventures and appreciate a deliberate, educational approach to world-building.
Content notes
- animal death
- slavery
- outdated cultural depictions
- mild violence
About the book
In 1250 B.C. the teenaged son of the Egyptian high priest sets off a series of harrowing events when he accidentally kills the sacred cat of Bubastes and, accompanied by his sister and two foreign slaves, embarks on a dangerous journey to find safe haven beyond the borders of Egypt.
Description from Open Library.
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