“Closeness without conflict only exists in the grave, little one.”
Eyes of Isis: Serpent’s Sting by Brian Coggins Jr.
The Story:
Pharaoh Isis is a ruler torn between her role as a mother and the burdens of the crown. As dark forces begin to stir across her kingdom, she must navigate ancient secrets, political intrigue, and a personal sacrifice that could unravel everything she holds dear. Her journy is one of inner conflict, impossible choices, and the pursuit of truth in a world full of deception
Key Elements:
Sci-fi, Mythology, Mystery, High-stakes Adventure, Family, Grief, Mother, Son, Ancient Egyptian Gods,
Why This Rating?
I received a ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review
I felt like this was an all around ok story. Sci-fi is one genre that I either click with or I’m just trying so hard to comprehend all of it, I focus on the little details rather than the big picture. This one unfortunately fell into the second category. The retellings and almost revival for these deities and myths was a really enjoyable experience. I will admit that I love reading about mythologies of nearly all types. So whenever they get a fresh breath of air, I love it! But there is SO much happening in this book. My. Goodness. Ready for a quick wrap up?
This story spans a vast, multi-world galaxy, each realm ruled by its own deities and governing bodies. It blends high-concept sci-fi tech with fantasy elements like magic-wielding gods. At the center of it all is Pharaoh Isis and her expansive, empire-like Dynasty. Ok maybe not the “center of it all” but the she is our main character, so she’s the center of our glimpse into this universe. And through it all we are equally trying to find Osiris’ shattered fragments that could be literally anywhere in existence, get Isis to be the Pharaoh and mom she is supposed be, figure out who the Fallen One is, get answers to this mysterious insanity that is taking over cities, and finally get the flickering power issues figured out. I think that was everything on the check list.
The writing I feel a bit conflicted on. I loved the descriptions this author used. The level of details given from the outfits to the buildings were so pretty! There was absolute care given to those moments and helped me really see the beauty that surrounded the characters. The conversations were overall smooth between characters. I enjoyed most of the interactions and having Oh! moments when I recoginzed someone from stories. All of this made it a fun read. Two things made the story harder to enjoy: the spatial placement of scenes and the handling of time and numbers. Often leaving me quite confused. We have the whole first section laying the ground work but then we jump Eons into the future. Yet, the characters feel like they are acting like its only been maybe 5-8 years into the future. There was also a fight scene where the gods begin battling in a city, but suddenly it seems as if they’re all over the globe. Yet by the time the fight ends, the city guard is only just arriving and I believe we’ve landed back in the original city. Or another particularly confusing moment involves a 300-foot monster appearing. It feels like there is just an understanding that you know how large that is which I don’t think most would be able to do. The numbers appear to be tossed on to things because they are impressive. Just so all of you know, A Boeing 747 airplane is roughly 230 feet long – yes. I did look up something that I could judge size on so I can comprehend the scale of this thing.
The world building is huge! I can see these entire universe and all the galaxies mixed in being absolutely massive. Full of adventures and so many stories, it could be impossible to keep up with. I lost track of the amount of realms that were visited throughout this one, but each place was vibrant! The stories that could be told make you just want to dream about them. This is a great leaping point into other stories if the series continues especially since there is a search happening for … things. Although, I would need to see a bit more character development for me to stay invested in some of the individuals we have currently.
I liked the approach of mixing Sci-fi and Fantasy into these stories. However, I think the only way you would be able to fully enjoy all of the little nods and deeper connections this story has would be to have an understand of Ancient Egyptian pantheon. They were almost Easter Eggs hidden throughout the pages that I enjoyed digging around for. That isn’t me saying you wouldn’t enjoy it if you didn’t. There is certainly the chance that you can make it through this story and absolutely love it. But having the knowledge of the different deities certainly brought a bit more to the book for me. This being said, this would be a great book for big Sci-fi fans or fans of Ancient Egypt that want a fun and creative retellings of those myths.
TL;DR – This was an okay but overwhelming read. The mix of sci-fi and fantasy—with magic-wielding gods, vast galaxies, impressive tech, and a retelling of Egyptian mythology—was creative and enjoyable in concept. The author’s descriptive writing and smooth dialogue helped bring the world to life. However, confusing spatial scenes, jarring time jumps, and poorly handled scale made it hard to follow. There’s a lot going on: finding Osiris’ fragments, solving power issues, uncovering a mysterious madness, and more. Knowing Egyptian mythology adds depth, but isn’t required. Overall, a good pick for fans of expansive sci-fi and mythological retellings, but it might be too much for casual readers.
Time to get lost in the next story!
