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ellelainey's review against another edition
3.0
They say that Elizabeth Peters wrote a third of the novel before she died, including the last pages, which were given verbatim. Joan Hess took on the arduous task of finishing the novel. I'm not familiar with Hess' work, but I have to admit that I could tell the difference.
The novel lacked the humour, the coherence, and the cleverness of all the previous Amelia Peabody books. Sometimes, conversations were used as descriptors for events and actions that would have been better served as setting than dialogue. Ramses, in particular, wasn't himself. In that, I mean that he said and did things that were irrational to the character of Ramses that has been formulated over the past 19 books. So too were Nefret and David unaccountably strange; Nefret was viciously rude and often arrogant and single-minded rather than the repentant and withdrawn girl she was made out to be in the subsequent books, while David made violent remarks and behaved like a boorish, snappish version of the gentle soul we've always known him to be. Amelia herself acted without logic or reason, at times when she would normally be at her most logical. The only person who acted as they were meant to was Emerson.
Sadly, I found the plot a little fantastical and stupid, in places. It had the air of a farce rather than the clever plotting and twists that I've become used to. There is a large drop of ridiculousness about the plot that was never part of the Amelia Peabody charm. The solution didn't make sense as it would in previous books, but left a lot unaccounted for and felt incomplete and rushed to a conclusion that didn't feel right.
In the end, the book was a tribute from Hess to Peters, but it didn't do the Amelia Peabody series justice. I'd highly recommend reading it within chronological order within the series, so that it's not your final memory of the series. At least when read in order, there are a further half dozen books to return you to the genius that is a true Amelia Peabody mystery written by Elizabeth Peters.
~
The saddest part of this being the final Amelia Peabody novel is that I feel like it's been left without a conclusion. There is no Happily Ever After ending to Book 18: Tomb of the Golden Bird, which is the last book, in terms of chronology. Neither is there a hint of one here, the final book in the series. This could be due to Peters not anticipating the end of the series so suddenly, and not having the time to reach a conclusion.
It would have been nice to have an Epilogue to this novel, or perhaps an Author's Note at the end, by Amelia's so-called editor. A few pages would have been enough to give us that final exit from the world that was left so open-ended. Something about how the Emerson family managed to finally have a peaceful excavation year, after the discover of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 (Book 18) and thus, there were no more papers to be transcribed. A note on Ramses and Nefret's children could have been included, with a little bit about David and Lia's family, to round it off.
Without that, I will always end Book 18 feeling like there will be another Amelia Peabody adventure, somewhere in the future.
The novel lacked the humour, the coherence, and the cleverness of all the previous Amelia Peabody books. Sometimes, conversations were used as descriptors for events and actions that would have been better served as setting than dialogue. Ramses, in particular, wasn't himself. In that, I mean that he said and did things that were irrational to the character of Ramses that has been formulated over the past 19 books. So too were Nefret and David unaccountably strange; Nefret was viciously rude and often arrogant and single-minded rather than the repentant and withdrawn girl she was made out to be in the subsequent books, while David made violent remarks and behaved like a boorish, snappish version of the gentle soul we've always known him to be. Amelia herself acted without logic or reason, at times when she would normally be at her most logical. The only person who acted as they were meant to was Emerson.
Sadly, I found the plot a little fantastical and stupid, in places. It had the air of a farce rather than the clever plotting and twists that I've become used to. There is a large drop of ridiculousness about the plot that was never part of the Amelia Peabody charm. The solution didn't make sense as it would in previous books, but left a lot unaccounted for and felt incomplete and rushed to a conclusion that didn't feel right.
In the end, the book was a tribute from Hess to Peters, but it didn't do the Amelia Peabody series justice. I'd highly recommend reading it within chronological order within the series, so that it's not your final memory of the series. At least when read in order, there are a further half dozen books to return you to the genius that is a true Amelia Peabody mystery written by Elizabeth Peters.
~
The saddest part of this being the final Amelia Peabody novel is that I feel like it's been left without a conclusion. There is no Happily Ever After ending to Book 18: Tomb of the Golden Bird, which is the last book, in terms of chronology. Neither is there a hint of one here, the final book in the series. This could be due to Peters not anticipating the end of the series so suddenly, and not having the time to reach a conclusion.
It would have been nice to have an Epilogue to this novel, or perhaps an Author's Note at the end, by Amelia's so-called editor. A few pages would have been enough to give us that final exit from the world that was left so open-ended. Something about how the Emerson family managed to finally have a peaceful excavation year, after the discover of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 (Book 18) and thus, there were no more papers to be transcribed. A note on Ramses and Nefret's children could have been included, with a little bit about David and Lia's family, to round it off.
Without that, I will always end Book 18 feeling like there will be another Amelia Peabody adventure, somewhere in the future.
issyjanejane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
holl3640's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
tsenko2's review against another edition
2.0
This book (chronologically) follows a significant change in the relationship between Ramses and Nefret but there is almost no interaction between them. Also a new character, Sennia, introduced in the previous book is not mentioned at all. Horus, the cat, is another character I missed, as well as the kitten Ramses had started bonding with. Sethos shows up a few times and has an interesting episode with Ramses. Elizabeth Peters died before completing this book and it was completed by Joan Hess. This led to many errors (detailed by other reviewers) and very inconsistent characterizations. The editor did not protect his authors, the readers, or the Amelia Peabody franchise.
sandy_h's review against another edition
3.0
Well it’s not the best Amelia Peabody book I’ve ever read but I did find the ending surprising.
minna17's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
3.0
blueberry's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
msvenner's review against another edition
5.0
Joan Hess proves herself as a master story teller picking up where Elizabeth Peters left off after her tragic demise. Not many writers could capture the humour, practically and recklessness of Amelia Peabody. Thank you Ms. Hess for keeping the Emerson clan alive for one more story!
ewil6681's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
rlse's review against another edition
2.0
Definitely a few weird characterization errors by Hess here, but I’m grateful she has finished off the series.