Great addition the Highlander series. This one gives us some rare insights into Methos and is mostly extended flashbacks to ancient Egypt, to explain a dangerous situation in the present. The resolution seemed a little rushed but the Egyptian sequences were excellent. Duncan (a minor character in this story) and Methos seem handled well with respect to the TV series. I enjoy the character of Methos and it was a pleasant surprise to spend so much time with him in this book.
Note: this novel is set sometime after season two and contains some (unnecessary!) spoilers for those events.
Contains historical notes at the end that I found surprising; while much of the story is fiction it is set in actual historical events with many of the real characters.

Gaming the book:
Highlander: The Card Game still has an active following, with one of the original designers still publishing expansions on a print-on-demand basis. Nice abstraction of the story elements of the show combined with an epic sword fight, customized to the immortal that you choose to play. ( )

Duncan MacLeod, the Highlander, is visiting New York City to attend an important estate sale. While in town he decides to see an exhibition on Hyksos antiquities. As he is looking around he feels the presence of another immortal, Methos. They start talking and realize that someone is performing ritual sacrifices similar to the ones done by the Hyksos back in 1500 BC. It looks like another immortal is in the city for the exhibition and it is one that Methos has encountered before.

My favorite character from the “Highlander” television series is Methos, the 5000 year old man. This is his story. After Duncan and Methos meet up at the exhibition the scene switches to Methos disembarking at a port in Egypt and realizing the country has been conquered by the Hyksos, a race that likes to execute traitors by decapitation. Not the place an immortal would want to be since that is the only way they can die. Methos is at the center of the story so you get to hear his inner voice. This is great because the character becomes much more developed than what you normally see in a television show. The author is very good at understanding his psychology and motivations which are derived from his overwhelming sense of survival.

This is not a literary masterpiece by any means, but an elongated episode of the television show complete with the quickening at the end. If you enjoyed watching “Highlander” and the Methos character is your favorite, then you will really like reading this novel. ( )

The Captive Soul by Josepha Sherman: I watched Highlander back when it was on and naturally my favorite character was Methos, the oldest living Immortal. He’s certainly the most interesting. Though the outer story is of MacLeod and Methos searching for a serial-killer Immortal who happens to be an old enemy of Methos, the majority of the book takes place in ancient Egypt during the reign of the Hyksos. So basically we have one of my favorite characters in one of my favorite historical time periods. Yes, please! Methos’s sarcastic inner monologue is often hilarious, and his general demeanor is very true to the series. It really was a pretty great show. Makes me want to get my hands on the DVDs again. ( )