Rewind to 1378 BC and the land of ancient Egypt. After thousands of years of polytheistic worship, Akhenaten, along with his wife Nefertiti, step to the throne. Together they find a new capital city and close the temples of all prior gods. From now on, Egyptians will worship one god only: Aten, the sun-god. For 17 years, Akhenaten ruled Egypt, giving birth to monotheism. Upon his death, he was execrated as a heretic, his name banished from monuments, his city all but destroyed. Now fast forward to 1976. Dorothy Porter, a self-professed feminist, heads off to Berlin to check out the famous bust of Nefertiti. Much to her amazement, however, it"s the beautiful visage of Nefertiti"s husband that captures her imagination. The result: a verse novel chronicling the lustful, incestuous, megalomaniacal life of Egypt"s premier cult of personality. With startling frankness, Porter assumes the voices of Akhenaten, Nefertiti and assorted offspring about subjects ranging from flatulence to first sex, from the desire to birth daughters to his majesty"s own royal decree: I am a dance you will learn I am the cliff you will leap I am lover"s breath you will break off in my sweet hand Sensuous, historically accurate, deceptively simple, Porter"s poems erupt from these sun- drenched pages where worshippers "cluster on Amun / like flies on a dead ram"s eye" and where Egypt"s first pharaoh predicts "I"ll enjoy shrivelling up / in the end / I"ll run finer / than powdered sand / and fly everywhere." Over 3000 years later, his forecast is proved true. -- Martha Silano