Red Land, Black Land explains what made up the lives of the people who lived in ancient Egypt and what egyptologists know and don't know about Egyptian history. It tries to focus on the lives of regular people and not just the rulers, when possible. It does this well and with an accessible and quirky tone that makes the book fun.

Barbara Mertz wrote the Amelia Peabody mystery novels, set in Egypt and England, and her creativity is plainly seen, as she gives us stories - both stories that she made up and ones from ancient Egypt - to illustrate her points. This really helps a ton. Not only does it reinforce facts and ideas, but it makes the people seem like people.

I'm not going to critique her takes on Egyptian history, as I don't know much about it. I appreciated that she tells us that there are a lot of things that egyptologists don't agree on. I also appreciate that she really clearly debunks the idea that ancient Egypt had super advanced tech or that the pyramids would have been impossible for humans to build.

My only complaint is that there was a spot where she says that something had been described previously, but it was actually described later. That's an editing error. It happens.

Should you read this? Be aware that it is long and not the most exciting thing you will ever read. As usual, I listened to the audiobook, which made it easier to get through. However, each chapter sets things up enough so that if you had to read it in chunks, that would also work just fine. I expect that people who are already experts on ancient Egypt might not love it, but if you want a good place to start, this is it. Also, be aware that Mertz has opinions on things besides just ancient Egypt. There is definitely a feminist tilt to this book, which is nice for those who have been mainly getting the opinions of old men and would appreciate a bit of diversity.

If you like lighthearted mysteries with some romance, the Amelia Peabody books by the same author (but with a pen name) are pretty good. I don't care for the drama that pops up once she has kids. I ended up giving up after book 10, because I couldn't handle all the angst. However, I've been told that things are resolved in book 12, so I'm going to try that out. I'm also going to read the first few books again, because I really like Amelia's tsundere (initially grouchy but eventually tender) love interest.