''He Shall Thunder in the Sky'' (2000) (also published as ''Thunder in the Sky'') is the 12th in a series of

historical mystery The historical mystery or historical whodunit is a subgenre of two literary genres, historical fiction and mystery fiction. These works are set in a time period considered historical from the author's perspective, and the central plot involves th ...

novels by

Elizabeth Peters Barbara Louise Mertz (September 29, 1927 – August 8, 2013) was an American author who wrote under her own name as well as under the pseudonyms Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels. In 1952, she received a PhD in Egyptology from the Univers ...

, featuring fictional archaeologist and sleuth

Amelia Peabody Amelia Peabody Emerson is the protagonist of the Amelia Peabody series, a series of historical mystery novels written by author Elizabeth Peters (a pseudonym of Egyptologist Barbara Mertz, 1927–2013). Peabody is married to Egyptologist Radcl ...

Plot

The novel takes place in 1914, as

Ramses Emerson The Amelia Peabody series of historical mystery novels is written by Elizabeth Peters, set in Victorian Egypt among a family of eccentric archaeologists. Note that, as with most character lists, the descriptions herein necessarily contain numerou ...

works undercover to gather intelligence for the British military, Nefret returns from studying medicine in Switzerland, and Percy Peabody returns to wreak revenge on the Emerson family for past events. The Emerson have acquired the ''firman'' for part of the Giza concession, but of course are distracted by the criminal element, and eventually by a startling revelation from the Master Criminal, Sethos himself.

Explanation of the novel's title

The title comes from a translation of " The Contendings of Horus and Set" from a papyrus in the

Chester Beatty Library The Chester Beatty Library, now known as the Chester Beatty, is a museum and library in Dublin. It was established in Ireland in 1950, to house the collections of mining magnate, Sir Alfred Chester Beatty. The present museum, on the grounds of ...

: :"Then Re-Harakte said: Let Set be given unto me, to dwell with me and be my son. He shall thunder in the sky and be feared."

References to historical events or persons

The novel's climax coincides with the

First Suez Offensive The Raid on the Suez Canal, also known as Actions on the Suez Canal, took place between 26 January and 4 February 1915 when a German-led Ottoman Army force advanced from Southern Palestine to attack the British Empire-protected Suez Canal, mar ...

, the attack launched by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

on the Suez Canal in January 1915.

Awards

The novel was nominated for an Agatha Award in the "Best Novel" category in 2000 and for the 2001 Anthony Award in the same category.

References

Amelia Peabody 2000 novels Historical mystery novels Fiction set in 1914 Novels set in the 1910s {{2000s-hist-novel-stub

Plot

Explanation of the novel's title

References to historical events or persons

Awards

See also

References