The Throne of Osiris

Egypt 1100 BCE - disease and old age have weakened Pharaoh's grip on power. Egypt's Council of Archpriests seeks to supplant him. But their pride and heavy-handedness have plunged the kingdom into dire straits. In order to avert a crisis twenty-two year old Crown Prince Ramses issues directives that will ease the suffering of his people and gain much needed funding for his own future reign. The priests however thwart his efforts. Conflict erupts. While the high priests have but a few allies and the wealth of the temples as well as an unusually smart organizing capability, a great majority of the people, the police, the army, and even many of the subordinate priests all side with the young fair-minded ruler. Uneven as these odds are the outcome is far from certain, and the consequent power struggle threatens the kingdom and the ancient world with the collapse of the social order. The Throne of Osiris is a historical saga of intrigue and subterfuge, an epic account of crisis in government and the struggle for dominance. This classic tale serves up a lavish depiction of life in ancient Egypt, the structure of its society, its religious beliefs, and traditions. With numerous parallels to today's world it is a study in the raw mechanisms of power and explores the attempts of the young to govern and to right society's wrongs.