That, my dear, is me. By the end of my 26th year, that is April 2027, I would love to be educated. To be educated, one should read, understand, drink, eat, sleep books. Okay, now I sound like my high school principal. One should appreciate history. And between multiple Substack articles and a documentary, Cunk on Life, my high school history isn’t helping.

Goal: Read and understand history. Action plan: Find historical fiction books. Goal two: Read fewer fiction and more creative nonfiction books. And ladies and gentlemen, that’s how I ended up reading The Fall of Kings and Heart of Prince.

Guys, I think we need Gumbaru (adult school) for world history. I understand concepts better when someone explains them to me. Ask my campus friends.

They say books reveal things to you. Some reveal your reading habits, others reveal your emptiness. Reading these two books required that I watch a couple of YouTube shorts on the history of Egypt. Why YouTube Shorts? Because another TikTok coach said make the goal easy to achieve, something you cannot resist. Now, a YouTube short isn't enough, but at least I didn’t doom-scroll. See progress!

‘The Fall of Kings’

The Fall of Kings is a prequel to a historical fiction series set in Egypt: Heart of a Prince. It is set during the period after the death of Amenhotep III and the reign of his son Amenhotep IV.

Amenhotep IV, from sculptures, appears to have androgynous features. In this book, Franz slightly deviates from the history. Although there is no historical sighting of people questioning the king’s sexuality, Franz created a scene where Amenhotep IV's sexuality is questioned and linked to that of a god.

Apart from historical documentation, the book highlighted themes in governance and identity as seen with Amenhotep IV. Why would a leader deviate from the ways of his ancestors? Especially if the new reforms contribute to nothing but his ego?

‘Heart of a Prince’

Although Heart of a Prince is the last book in this series, it was written first. In Heart of a Prince, the book follows the life of Moses (Thutmose), from young adult to adulthood. We follow the life of Moses as he enjoys the privileges that come with royalty, the tension in the palace as royalties question where he came from, his self-discovery and morality. Bet we all know the Bible story, right? So, it’s that but with the political side.

Language and Style

In both books, Franz Owano used what I call old English. The English used in Game of Thrones and the like. Had these books been written in “simplified” English, they would have been easier to read but lost their lustre.

There’s something beautiful about reading a sentence that cures your brain rot. As for the style, I enjoyed reading Heart of Prince more as the flashbacks and fast-forwards were fewer than in The Fall of Kings. Reading these books requires that you sit through each scene, read to understand, take notes even (lol); if you blink, you lose. This felt like watching a complex film, the kind you rewind to better understand the plot.

Should you read the books?

Yes. Absolutely. From the history class and the probability of these pages rewiring that damage from late-night doom scrolling, I want you to read them because our African history is often told by foreigners. So, maybe read the life story of Moses that’s not a TikTok clip or old movie. Also, because you promised to read more this year! Gotcha!

Till next time. Stay reading!