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kimmerp's review against another edition
5.0
Another great melodramatic caper with the Emersons. Loved it!
krisrid's review
5.0
This was another great installment in the Amelia Peabody series! Usually, my favourite part is the snappy reparte between Amelia and Emerson, with whatever mystery or mayhem they're trying to solve being secondary. But in this outing, the actual story was pretty fascinating.
The Emerson family become caught up in the mystery involving a long-ago friend of Emerson's who disappeared with his young, beautiful wife years ago, while trying to find a lost civilization. A note has been delivered to the family, suggesting that they are still alive after all this time. Through a typically convoluted set of circumstances, the Emersons end up leading the expedition to find and rescue them.
But, as is always the case when the Emersons are involved, things go awry. The Emersons - including Ramses, who continues to be hilariously precocious and a thorn in his mother's side - not only find the lost civilization, but become either guests or captives - depending on who you listen to.
In order to leave, they must figure out the complicated politics and intrigues related to the competition for who will become the next king of the civilization. Needless to say, both Amelia and Emerson are in their usual fine, interfereing form as they attempt to not only help the right king to ascend, but to figure out a way to not be put to death and get to go home to England.
As always, Elizabeth Peters writes a wonderful story, with the main characters on full display with all their delightful quirks, and the supporting characters interesting, likeable and well-developed. I loved this story!
The Emerson family become caught up in the mystery involving a long-ago friend of Emerson's who disappeared with his young, beautiful wife years ago, while trying to find a lost civilization. A note has been delivered to the family, suggesting that they are still alive after all this time. Through a typically convoluted set of circumstances, the Emersons end up leading the expedition to find and rescue them.
But, as is always the case when the Emersons are involved, things go awry. The Emersons - including Ramses, who continues to be hilariously precocious and a thorn in his mother's side - not only find the lost civilization, but become either guests or captives - depending on who you listen to.
In order to leave, they must figure out the complicated politics and intrigues related to the competition for who will become the next king of the civilization. Needless to say, both Amelia and Emerson are in their usual fine, interfereing form as they attempt to not only help the right king to ascend, but to figure out a way to not be put to death and get to go home to England.
As always, Elizabeth Peters writes a wonderful story, with the main characters on full display with all their delightful quirks, and the supporting characters interesting, likeable and well-developed. I loved this story!
aeder's review
5.0
The Emersons are on another adventure, but not in Egypt this time. They are in search of an ancient site to document. Before they set out, they are asked to look for a mythical city that a couple went in search for years before. My critique is that the story starts at a point in the first chapter then back tracks until the first point is caught up and continued from there. It is the first book in the series that has the story broken up into two parts. But, I do enjoy the main characters and the writing style so I enjoyed the book.
writerlibrarian's review
3.0
Way too long. Too much telling not enough showing. Still Ramses saves the day, again. I can see how it can be annoying and repetitious, I'm not bored with the character. I find him adorable. Less adorable is the underlining colonial mindset of the books. It was even more in evidence in this one.
Still this book gave the series Nefret so it was good for something.
Still this book gave the series Nefret so it was good for something.
pussreboots's review
2.0
Much better on audio than it was in paperback. Could also be a matter of my age, too.
smarkies's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ruthiella's review
3.0
This is the sixth book in the Amelia Peabody series. I found it a little long. I listened to it on audio, read by Susan O’Malley who is fine, but cannot hold a candle to Barbara Rosenblat. Alas, I am subject to what is available via Overdrive and Hoopla.
In a nod to the novels of H. Rider Haggard, we find the Emersons in a “lost” civilization somewhere in the desert of Nubia. In this oasis, a British adventurer and his wife are believed to have found rescue some 14 years earlier. Others believe the couple are dead. The rest is pretty much like any Amelia Peabody mystery. They are very formulaic. I can only read them a year at a time, otherwise the sameness would be too overwhelming for me personally. I also echo goodreads reviewer Jamie Collins in the hope that someday Ramses is able tell his mother to shut up and let him finish a sentence
In a nod to the novels of H. Rider Haggard, we find the Emersons in a “lost” civilization somewhere in the desert of Nubia. In this oasis, a British adventurer and his wife are believed to have found rescue some 14 years earlier. Others believe the couple are dead. The rest is pretty much like any Amelia Peabody mystery. They are very formulaic. I can only read them a year at a time, otherwise the sameness would be too overwhelming for me personally. I also echo goodreads reviewer Jamie Collins in the hope that someday Ramses is able tell his mother to shut up and let him finish a sentence
ecjackson1918's review
3.0
Amelia Peabody-Emerson's voice in this series is wonderful. While I had started reading this book some time ago, I had to put it back on the shelf because lack of time and interest. It wasn't a hard book to pick back up again, and I quickly became re-engaged with the story.
ercm's review
4.0
As always a great audiobook - but this time I like the story a lot - this was probably my favorite plot in this series so far...