First published 2022
Howard Carter faces his final days of excavation in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. His benefactor Lord Carnarvon grows impatient with the costly search that has consumed years without results. Carter's career hangs by a thread as he makes one last desperate attempt to locate an undisturbed royal tomb. When he finally breaks through to Tutankhamun's burial chamber in 1922, Carter discovers a treasure trove of golden artifacts that will spark worldwide Egyptomania. Yet his triumph unfolds against Egypt's fight for independence from British colonial rule, led by revolutionary Saad Zaghloul. The cosmopolitan world of 1920s Egypt pulses with political tension as Carter navigates between his archaeological ambitions and the changing power dynamics around him. His monumental discovery brings him fame but also isolates him from those closest to him. This is the story of one man's consuming passion and the cultural upheaval that surrounded the most famous archaeological find in history.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, archaeology
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Egypt, Valley of the Kings, Britain
Period: 1920s
336 pages · Hardcover · National Geographic
Content warnings: colonialism