Steven Barclay

A realistic description of life in Egypt tangled with a thread of mystery.

The first thing that struck me as I read Barclay's The Crescent Dunes was the sense of realism and accuracy in the description of the places and the culture of Egypt. Having recently moved there for a short while to work in an international school, all the things that I had noted (and that had given me cause to struggle to settle in) were there in the pages of the book and lent a familiarity to the setting that I might not ordinarily have appreciated quite so much. However, Barclay still manages to maintain an air of romanticism in his depiction of a country struggling both socially and economically.

As far as the plot of the book is concerned, I feel that this was less well executed. In attempting to keep the truth of Colbrook's mission a mystery, I think Barclay confounds the reader, throwing in more than one red herring as to what is truly going on, and after a certain number of times of this happening, I found myself throwing up my hands in frustrating and deciding just to read it and not try to figure anything out any more. This diminished my involvement with the book and made my engagement with the main character a little strained. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the book, just that I would have enjoyed it more if there had been clues to follow, leading the reader to be able to work out just who Colbrook was, and what he was up to – delivering a sense of satisfaction at having been with him 'every step of the way,' rather than being dragged along behind him as it seemed many of the other characters (particularly the Egyptologist, Beckwith) were.

Barclay's strength is definitely in his prowess at providing descriptive passages, which dominate at least two thirds of the novel, the remaining third is a somewhat confusing roller coaster ride of twisting action and adventure which, at times, hovers dangerously close to be overdone. While I enjoyed reading this book for the most part, I did lose patience with it toward the end.… (mere)

Steven Barclay has in the book The Crescent Dunes created an awesomely detailed book about Egyptian culture and architecture. While spending the time needed to in great detail create the scenes, Barclay also does a pretty good job of writing a mystery as well.

We are introduced to Martin Colbrook, who is on a mission that takes him to Egypt. Through most of the book we are met with twists and turns that leave you guessing what exactly is going on, right to the last chapter! The characters are developed fairly well, enough to keep me interested in what was going to happen next as the plot continued to unfold and twist and turn.

I think this is a book that will resonate with those readers that want to be immersed in another place (Egypt) and those who like to be a little confused or guessing what the plot will do next as they read. All in all I think it is a pretty good book, that I would recommend giving a try.
3.5 stars out of 5… (mere)