THE THREE QUEENS is a fictional account of the life of Pharaoh Menkaure, builder of the third (and smallest) pyramid on the Giza Plateau, as well as his close relationships with his three queens. It covers the period from 2532 B.C. through to 2500 B.C., including the death of Menkaure’s son and heir, Shepseskaf.
Unlike the other two books in the trilogy, THE THREE QUEENS is more about the personal life of the pharaoh rather than military conquests and other adventures. More detail is included in the book about the lifestyle and customs of Ancient Egypt than in the other two books. Where there are gaps in this knowledge such as a day in the life of the pharaoh, artistic but scholarly licence has been employed to fill this gap. Forms of entertainment, clothes, food, drink, and positions of employment within the royal court are also more closely examined. The pyramid, however, is not ignored.
Menkaure’s pyramid was the smallest on the Giza Plateau, far smaller than the other two pyramids of his father and grandfather. His pyramid was also the last to be built on the Giza Plateau. Why was this? Just as important, why did Menkaure build the smaller satellite pyramids for his three queens next to his own pyramid? Was it love, vanity, or perhaps other reasons? In the pages of THE THREE QUEENS, the reader will be drawn into the complex and enigmatic world of the royal court of Pharaoh Menkaure, son of Khafre and grandson of Khufu - into the high point of this monumental and magnificent age of the pyramid builders.
