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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Loved this book. This stirred up my interest in Ancient Egypt and have been mesmerized it ever since. I wish Rice would write a sequel to this book.
Some of Rice's best work, in my opinion . . .
I enjoy Anne Rice's work, and like many of her fans, I first came to her through the Vampire Chronicles. "The Mummy" is not part of those Chronicles (though it is set in the same world, I think - I believe there are references to Ramses the Damned in the Chronicles), in the early 20th century, as the archaeological excavations of Egypt and Egyptomania dovetailed together, and tells the story of a mummy who is in fact an immortal man. He cannot die or be destroyed, but has slept since before the fall of Rome. In a classically Anne Rice sensuous account, Ramses comes to terms with the "modern" world, and the nature of true bodily immortality is explored - the ethics of making someone immortal, of resurrecting the dead, the potential peril of rushing ahead with the best intentions . . . This is Anne Rice at her best, and somewhat similar in its way to "The Servant of the Bones" - I loved this one, and was happy to re-read it again! Incidentally, I wonder if Anne Rice really realizes what would be involved in fluency in Ancient Greek and Latin, let alone Egyptian, as several of the characters in the book are. I *AM* fairly fluent in Latin, and it makes me think :)
I enjoy Anne Rice's work, and like many of her fans, I first came to her through the Vampire Chronicles. "The Mummy" is not part of those Chronicles (though it is set in the same world, I think - I believe there are references to Ramses the Damned in the Chronicles), in the early 20th century, as the archaeological excavations of Egypt and Egyptomania dovetailed together, and tells the story of a mummy who is in fact an immortal man. He cannot die or be destroyed, but has slept since before the fall of Rome. In a classically Anne Rice sensuous account, Ramses comes to terms with the "modern" world, and the nature of true bodily immortality is explored - the ethics of making someone immortal, of resurrecting the dead, the potential peril of rushing ahead with the best intentions . . . This is Anne Rice at her best, and somewhat similar in its way to "The Servant of the Bones" - I loved this one, and was happy to re-read it again! Incidentally, I wonder if Anne Rice really realizes what would be involved in fluency in Ancient Greek and Latin, let alone Egyptian, as several of the characters in the book are. I *AM* fairly fluent in Latin, and it makes me think :)
I would've enjoyed this book much more I had I read it in high school when I first started reading Anne Rice, but it was still entertaining.
It was an easier read because the writing was more along the lines of a romance novel. I liked the story, but it wasn't her best work.
This was my first time reading this and I feel a bit let down. I quite enjoyed the first half but then things seemed to deteriorate. I didn’t really understand the motivations of Ramses or Cleopatra. In the first act, Julie was an intriguing, independent women and then she became a simpering damsel in distress.
The language throughout is much more spare than Rice’s other work. It’s almost as if it’s unfinished. There are sections that feel more like an outline than a finished product. Rice is a sensualist but here I missed her usual “romantic descriptions”, what some have referred to as “purple prose.” I love Rice’s beautiful descriptions of art, music, clothing, and furniture but those were all but missing here.
That said, the concept is intriguing. I’m curious to read the new sequel to see what happens.
The language throughout is much more spare than Rice’s other work. It’s almost as if it’s unfinished. There are sections that feel more like an outline than a finished product. Rice is a sensualist but here I missed her usual “romantic descriptions”, what some have referred to as “purple prose.” I love Rice’s beautiful descriptions of art, music, clothing, and furniture but those were all but missing here.
That said, the concept is intriguing. I’m curious to read the new sequel to see what happens.
I read a lot of Anne Rice in my late teens. I think I was hoping for another Lestat (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1343302639?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1) somewhere in her cannon, but alas, there is only one! “The Mummy” interested me because it reminded me of those super-cheesy B-horror movies à la Hammer, but with sex (I was 17, cut me some slack!). Flipping through it now, I can’t help but think of how my tastes and standards for books has changed over the last fifteen year…
The plot is classic creature horror: the mummy of Ramses II is brought back to England, where it is accidently brought back to life by virtue of a mysterious elixir of immortality. This elixir makes him eternally young, incredibly strong and… permanently horny! He saves the life of a beautiful, feisty heiress and they fall in love, and decide to go to Egypt together so that he can get some closure on his long and complicated past.
Of course Ramses is incredibly handsome and irresistible. Of course he learns English in like 5 minutes. Of course he can’t resist resurrecting Cleopatra when they find her mummified body. Of course that turns into a huge, violent mess with sexy interludes. It’s an Anne Rice novel, for Pete’s sake! But it’s also fun and I do love the kitschy homage to 19th century Egyptomania.
Rice apparently wrote a sequel, where Ramses and Cleopatra are reunited, but I don’t intend on reading it: I’m kind of over her emo immortals and bizarre psychosexual relationship dynamics. But “The Mummy” is good and silly Gothic fun.
The plot is classic creature horror: the mummy of Ramses II is brought back to England, where it is accidently brought back to life by virtue of a mysterious elixir of immortality. This elixir makes him eternally young, incredibly strong and… permanently horny! He saves the life of a beautiful, feisty heiress and they fall in love, and decide to go to Egypt together so that he can get some closure on his long and complicated past.
Of course Ramses is incredibly handsome and irresistible. Of course he learns English in like 5 minutes. Of course he can’t resist resurrecting Cleopatra when they find her mummified body. Of course that turns into a huge, violent mess with sexy interludes. It’s an Anne Rice novel, for Pete’s sake! But it’s also fun and I do love the kitschy homage to 19th century Egyptomania.
Rice apparently wrote a sequel, where Ramses and Cleopatra are reunited, but I don’t intend on reading it: I’m kind of over her emo immortals and bizarre psychosexual relationship dynamics. But “The Mummy” is good and silly Gothic fun.
3.5 stars! This was a fun read, just a little long in some places but I enjoyed it!
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read my review here:
https://fantasticfictions.com/the-mummy-or-ramses-the-damned/
https://fantasticfictions.com/the-mummy-or-ramses-the-damned/