A royal cry to battle, the clinking clash of weapons, arrows flying into the sky, and a ship sloshing into the Nile as an Egyptian king leads his army – and so is a glimpse of Benjamin Slabak’s graphic novel featuring one of the most important historical and transitionary events of ancient Egypt. Inspired by real events and characters in 16th century B.C , Ahmose: Book I is an ambitious 80-page graphic novel, the first in a two-volume series focusing on the Theban Dynasty’s perspective during the transition from the Second Intermediate Period to the New Kingdom, as Egypt grappled with the Levant-originating Hyksos who ruled much of Egypt. The story follows two real characters, Ahmose, the son of King Seqenenre Taa II, and Ahmose, son of Ibana, a famed soldier whose autobiographical inscriptions provided Egyptologists with knowledge regarding the Hyksos conflict, as they take back control over the land. Early passions and artistic origins Slabak, the Australian author, identifies himself as an IT professional by day, a writer by night, and a traveller. His works, ranging from science fiction to historical graphic novels, have been published in the US,…
