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twistinthetale's review against another edition
3.0
This is the final book of the Amelia Peabody series. Peters had written notes and outlines for the novel and a good friend, Hess, took on the task of bringing this final Peabody offering to life on the page following Peters' death. The characters, so well known to fans, are there and the tone and action are consistent with the rest of the series. These books are always good entertainment and this book was no exception. Hess did a good job taking on such a difficult role. It was certainly difficult to say goodbye to this series. I might just have to start reading them again. from the beginning.
judyflutey's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.25
beeisbooked's review against another edition
3.0
For the final installment of the Amelia Peabody series we get Amelia and her family trying to find the missing Nefertiti bust and investigate Germany's Deustche Orient-Gesellschaft involvment, dodge Geoffrey Godwin's vengeful, monocle-wearing family, and solve a murder at Amarna. First I want to thank Joan Hess for working on and completing this book in Elizabeth Peters stead. It's not an easy task to write in another authors style with their different time period and characters. I know that she worked off of some version of a completed manuscript, but it's still an undertaking.
Now about the actual book, which unfortunately, due to more technical issues than the actual story, falls a bit flat. As other reviewers have mentioned, all the characters at one point or another had strange or stilted dialogue. I know that Amelia and her family bicker, have their jokes etc, but they all truly care about one another, but it doesn't seem as believable in this book. Amelia especially seemed out of character. She would be roaming about one minute, and then damsel in distress the next. She has gotten into many fixes, and faced many adversaries and criminals, but usually persevered through her quick thinking and bravery, being compassionate but strong when difficult things happen. Rameses and David bickered and act more like frenemies than actual brothers. Emerson and Nefret barely show up, and are really just there to fill in the ultimate piece of the mystery rather than engaging in it. Finally the writing itself can be choppy, with many sudden jumps in time or places. I was surprised when one moment they would be having breakfast, and then by the next paragraph it would be the next day after a full day at the dig site. In fact many days at the dig would be mentioned, but never in detail, which I understand because Hess didn't have the same experience Mertz did in archaeology.
Overall, I'm glad that I completed the series, and that one of the "missing journal" years was filled in.
Now about the actual book, which unfortunately, due to more technical issues than the actual story, falls a bit flat. As other reviewers have mentioned, all the characters at one point or another had strange or stilted dialogue. I know that Amelia and her family bicker, have their jokes etc, but they all truly care about one another, but it doesn't seem as believable in this book. Amelia especially seemed out of character. She would be roaming about one minute, and then damsel in distress the next. She has gotten into many fixes, and faced many adversaries and criminals, but usually persevered through her quick thinking and bravery, being compassionate but strong when difficult things happen. Rameses and David bickered and act more like frenemies than actual brothers. Emerson and Nefret barely show up, and are really just there to fill in the ultimate piece of the mystery rather than engaging in it. Finally the writing itself can be choppy, with many sudden jumps in time or places. I was surprised when one moment they would be having breakfast, and then by the next paragraph it would be the next day after a full day at the dig site. In fact many days at the dig would be mentioned, but never in detail, which I understand because Hess didn't have the same experience Mertz did in archaeology.
Overall, I'm glad that I completed the series, and that one of the "missing journal" years was filled in.
lindca's review against another edition
3.0
This book obviously was a labor of love for Joan Hess, a tribute to her good friend Elizabeth Peters (AKA Barbara Michaels and Barbara Mertz) who died in 2013 leaving her last manuscript unfinished.
It must have been a daunting task for Hess. Peters not only had a Ph.D. in Egyptology to lend authenticity to her stories, she also was known as a character and a wit, and she imbued her fictional characters with a delightful combination of those same qualities. I looked forward to this last Amelia Peabody book, hoping to catch a last glimpse of the magic of this series which has been a favorite.
It didn't quite hit the mark.
Hess gave it a good try, even incorporating some of the series titles (like The Last Camel Died at Noon) into the text as kind of a fun discovery for fans. While the characters seemed true to form at the beginning (possibly the part completed by Peters), that didn't carry through the rest of the book. Hess was unable to maintain the essences of most of the main characters, even having some acting contrary to their usual natures. Some details of the series timeline also were off, things that ought to have been caught in the editing process. In addition, the mystery here seemed less compelling than usual, and instead of having the story focus on the archeological aspects of the story, something which made this series unique, Amelia and company spent a lot of time taking tea, eating, and napping. I am sorry to say that for much of the book I was bored.
Despite this, I'm grateful to Hess and am glad I read the story. It was a lovely if bittersweet final glimpse at some favorite characters and a reminder of how much I enjoyed the series.
Farewell, Elizabeth Peters, and farewell, Amelia Peabody. You will be missed.
It must have been a daunting task for Hess. Peters not only had a Ph.D. in Egyptology to lend authenticity to her stories, she also was known as a character and a wit, and she imbued her fictional characters with a delightful combination of those same qualities. I looked forward to this last Amelia Peabody book, hoping to catch a last glimpse of the magic of this series which has been a favorite.
It didn't quite hit the mark.
Hess gave it a good try, even incorporating some of the series titles (like The Last Camel Died at Noon) into the text as kind of a fun discovery for fans. While the characters seemed true to form at the beginning (possibly the part completed by Peters), that didn't carry through the rest of the book. Hess was unable to maintain the essences of most of the main characters, even having some acting contrary to their usual natures. Some details of the series timeline also were off, things that ought to have been caught in the editing process. In addition, the mystery here seemed less compelling than usual, and instead of having the story focus on the archeological aspects of the story, something which made this series unique, Amelia and company spent a lot of time taking tea, eating, and napping. I am sorry to say that for much of the book I was bored.
Despite this, I'm grateful to Hess and am glad I read the story. It was a lovely if bittersweet final glimpse at some favorite characters and a reminder of how much I enjoyed the series.
Farewell, Elizabeth Peters, and farewell, Amelia Peabody. You will be missed.
caityree's review against another edition
1.0
If I could have rated this LESS than one star, that’s what I would have given it. I couldn’t finish it, it was ridiculous, and not, as I’d hoped, a tribute to the great Elizabeth Peters, but a completely inadequate hash of some of her characters. I have read better fan fic.
sullivc5's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
It must have been challenging trying to complete the story after Elizabeth Peters's passing. Unfortunately Joan Hess was not up to the challenge. The tone was wrong, basic series history was incorrect, some of the mystery plotting was downright stupid, and all of the characters were inconsistent with the rest of the series. Here are some delightful gems from the novel:
-Emerson and Nefret translate for Peabody because her Arabic isn't very good
-Peabody mentions that Emerson likes to see her without clothes.
-she also weeps into his "manly chest"
-she takes repeated naps and faints
-she finds an argument draining
-Emerson agrees with Christianity
-he also now needs 3 cups of coffee to be coherent in the morning
-Daoud tries to boss Peabody around and is temperamental
-Fatima is bossy and belligerent for some reason...I think they maybe confused her with the dramatic cook from the other books?
-Ramses says Tallyho and later chortles
-while out in disguise, Ramses is given the alias Higginsort by Sethos. It is brought up repeatedly
-At one point, Peabody mentions that the staff like to see it when she and Emerson are physically affectionate with each other. It's a weird sentence until you think about the time, location, and culture that the book is set in and then you are once again reminded how anachronistic this book is.
This is going to seem like a weird aside, but bear with me. Rasputin assumes his name around 1900, wasn't famous in Russia for another 5 years, and likely wouldn't have been known in England for another 2-5 years after that. Despite all this, there is an English character named after Rasputin who is in his mid-twenties when this book is set in 1912. So his English mother would have needed to name her child after a man who wouldn't have been famous in her country for another 20 years. It's the equivalent of naming a child after Obama in 1990. This absolute lack of research and consideration is characteristic of the rest of the novel.
For a casual Peabody fan, I would just skip this one. It adds nothing to the series. For a serious fan, you'll probably have to read it, because it will bother you if you don't. Just know that no matter how bad one particular part is, just wait, because it gets worse.
-Emerson and Nefret translate for Peabody because her Arabic isn't very good
-Peabody mentions that Emerson likes to see her without clothes.
-she also weeps into his "manly chest"
-she takes repeated naps and faints
-she finds an argument draining
-Emerson agrees with Christianity
-he also now needs 3 cups of coffee to be coherent in the morning
-Daoud tries to boss Peabody around and is temperamental
-Fatima is bossy and belligerent for some reason...I think they maybe confused her with the dramatic cook from the other books?
-Ramses says Tallyho and later chortles
-while out in disguise, Ramses is given the alias Higginsort by Sethos. It is brought up repeatedly
-At one point, Peabody mentions that the staff like to see it when she and Emerson are physically affectionate with each other. It's a weird sentence until you think about the time, location, and culture that the book is set in and then you are once again reminded how anachronistic this book is.
This is going to seem like a weird aside, but bear with me. Rasputin assumes his name around 1900, wasn't famous in Russia for another 5 years, and likely wouldn't have been known in England for another 2-5 years after that. Despite all this, there is an English character named after Rasputin who is in his mid-twenties when this book is set in 1912. So his English mother would have needed to name her child after a man who wouldn't have been famous in her country for another 20 years. It's the equivalent of naming a child after Obama in 1990. This absolute lack of research and consideration is characteristic of the rest of the novel.
For a casual Peabody fan, I would just skip this one. It adds nothing to the series. For a serious fan, you'll probably have to read it, because it will bother you if you don't. Just know that no matter how bad one particular part is, just wait, because it gets worse.
elliot_dw's review against another edition
2.0
Honestly, a bummer that this is how the Amelia Peabody series ends. It can’t have been easy for Joan Hess to come in and write this novel from Peters’ notes, but it really doesn’t work. Most of the characters don’t sound or act like themselves. (Since when is Emerson so obsessed with his morning coffee? Why doesn’t Amelia ever DO anything? Why is Daoud such a racist caricature [more than usual]?). And the plot is convoluted, unbelievable, and doesn’t ever quite hang together. (Why are Ramses and David so committed to getting all the forgeries in Cairo? Since when can Amelia hypnotize people? Why doesn’t Amelia take the MDMA-laced schnapps from Morgenstern when she figures it out? Why did no one at any point suspect that Buddle is one of the Godwin’s?) As usual, Barbara Rosenblat’s narration made it fairly enjoyable to listen to, but it just really wasn’t a very good book.