Cleopatra's Needle [Hardcover]

Steven Siebert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 12, 1999

Dan Rawlins, a famous archeologist working out of New York's Metropolitan Museum, asks his assistant to find half of an Egyptian ankh in the museum's collection. But she disappears, only to turn up murdered at the foot of the obelisk in Central Park known as Cleopatra's Needle. Meanwhile, Jacinda El-Bahri, a Mossad agent, is on the run in Cairo after stealing the other half of the ankh from a terrorist, who plans to use the relic's energy to unleash a power of Biblical proportions. Across three continents and two thousand years the struggle rages. And Dan and Jacinda may be the only hope for the modern world.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Steven Siebert, a screenwriter and comic book artist, combines the speed and flair of both crafts in his lively debut thriller, Cleopatra's Needle. He tells the story of a search for an ancient Egyptian cross, or ankh, that has incredible, mythical powers. This particular relic has been split in half somewhere in the distant past. The half that should be at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is stolen from a curator murdered at the foot of an ancient obelisk (Cleopatra's Needle) in Central Park. The other half has been snatched, at least temporarily, from a top Syrian terrorist named Salameh by a female Israeli intelligence agent. Putting the two halves together, Salameh believes, could result in raising the spirit of the Egyptian Pharaoh Osiris--and boost Salameh's plan for world domination.

Siebert has the energy and skill to rise above the possible foolishness of his material and produce a book full of action and adventure. He tosses in ancient legend and high-tech reanimation to explain how the ankh works. "What I'm saying is, if the idea of the soul is created in an electrochemical mind, after death it is released as pure energy that's given form by the person's own belief system," says Dan Rawlins, the noted archaeologist involved in the search.

Forget all the obvious jokes about "Raiders of the Lost Ankh" or "Ankhs for the Memory," Cleopatra's Needle is serious business. --Dick Adler

From Publishers Weekly

Archeology is a more dangerous occupation than ever in Siebert's sprawling first novel. Dan Rawlins, a leading archeologist at New York's Metropolitan Museum, is as famous for his lusty appetites as for his expertise in Egyptology. Approached by Liam McMay, ostensibly a wheeler-dealer from Sotheby's, he becomes involved in a frantic chase for an ancient Egyptian ankh. Unbeknownst to Rawlin, McMay is actually a transmogrified spirit who can also assume the shape of a huge, murderous bird. He possesses half the ankh and has tracked the other half to Rawlin's collection in the museum's storage area. The boxes belong to Rawlin's father, a leading biblical scholar, and his mother, an authority on the prehistory of the Nile Valley. The day after Rawlins sends his assistant to retrieve the broken relic, she is found dead at the base of Cleopatra's Needle, an obelisk in Central Park. Meanwhile, in Cairo, Mossad agent Jacinda el-Bahri has managed to steal the other half of the ankh from a terrorist linked to McMay. Flashing back to ancient Egypt, the narrative discloses how the ankh came to be split, and then the action returns to the present as good and evil forces struggle to unite the ankh and unleash its otherworldly power to bring the dead to life. Siebert employs half-human creatures, ghosts, goddesses, secret societies and the vividly feuding Rawlins family to enact this violent and intrigue-packed thriller, but the plot is strained with unpersuasive twists. When Rawlins and Jacinda, along with Israeli Colonel Avram Haveli, fight for the ankh during a solar eclipse, hoping to prevent the end of civilization, Siebert's rich historical scenes and taut dialogue become smothered in the over-the-top apocalypse. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (June 12, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312867484
• ISBN-13: 978-0312867485
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,377,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Starts decent, but it's downhill from there..., June 27, 2000

By 

Branden Poole (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cleopatra's Needle (Hardcover)

Like some of the other reviewers who have read this book, there were parts that I enjoyed about this novel....unfortunately, after reading it, I'm far too focused on the faults.

The story starts off promising. We are introduced to archaelogist Dan Rawlins, the beautiful Mossad agent Jacinda, and to the main antagonist of the book, the terrorist Salameh. Things become more interesting when some sort of demonic bird kills at Dan's museum, and then Jacinda is attacked by mummies....it's X-Files-esque, sure, but fun.

At this point, however, the author decides to switch to ancient Egypt, to give a lengthy account of the Horite Cross and how it destroyed the life of one of the Pharaohs in a narrative told in the words of Amenehab, the Pharaoh's general and life-long friend. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I actually enjoyed the "flashback" story. Perhaps it is my own interest in Egyptian history, but I thought that the flashback story was actually the most entertaining part of the book. The negative side of this, however, is that it doesn't fit in with the rest of the novel. It's placement in the text is just awkward. The author interrupts the flow of the plot to insert an entirely different story (though one that does have bearing on the current plot, as the reader discovers) in the middle of the book. Then, after he's completed this separate narrative, he expects to just pick up where he left off. It doesn't come across well, at least not for me.

As for the final third of the book.....well, it ruined the entire novel for me. Salameh is really Sennemet? Seems a bit like a daemon ex machina. And wait, the hero suddenly discovers that he's part of a historic sect (by birthright) that has prophesied his battle with the evil sorcerer? Please. The last third seemed far too rushed. Siebert could have expanded upon it substantially.

As for his writing style....I applaud him for his portrayal of the ancient Egyptians. He attempted to breathe life into them, and made them seem realistic. The other characters should have been as developed. Finally, and this is just a pet peeve of mine, but Siebert seems to be a member of the "exclamation point!" faction. Perhaps it's a technique he carried with him from his comic book writing days, but not all action scenes have to use an exclamation point liberally to create suspense. However, this is his first feature novel, so he has room to improve.

Overall, I give the book 3 stars, cause it looked like Siebert was trying at least for the first 2/3rds of the book. If you want to read it, save the money and just check it out at your local library.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Melting pot of ideas..., May 27, 2001

By 

mellion108 (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cleopatra's Needle (Mass Market Paperback)

I think perhaps that my expectations were too high for this novel. The book summary hooked me because it sounds so interesting: Mossad agents, Egyptian mythology, modern-day technology, and a power-hungry terrorist seeking an ancient relic that threatens to destroy the world as we know it. I was even interested in the story for the first 75 pages or so. And then it was downhill from there.

Siebert has some great ideas for this novel. However, there are, in my opinion, too many ideas because none of them seems to be fleshed out for a sufficiently tight story. The continent and time jumping are distracting, and it is difficult to keep up with each character any of which could support a book on his/her own. There is a section devoted to characters in ancient Egypt--it is fascinating (even with modern vernacular) and provides information to tie all the characters together. I think this would have been a better way to begin the novel because it seems too out of place shoved into the middle of this lengthy story. The writing itself is not bad, but the book would benefit greatly from more observant editing! There are many distracting typos and repeated bits of text that kept throwing me off of the storyline. A cat that opens a window nearly caused me to give up on this story, and the murderous Ba was diminished by its annoying modern-day taunts.

I give this 2 stars because, as I said, I like the basic ideas presented in the story. I think Siebert has the potential to create a fascinating story. I'm sorry to say that this one didn't do it for me. I let myself be swept up in "The Mummy" craze, but I'll be a bit more discerning when choosing my next Egyptian tale.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't work, October 27, 2004

By 

abt1950 "abt1950" (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cleopatra's Needle (Mass Market Paperback)

I picked up "Cleopatra's Needle" in the library and was intrigued by the idea of a thriller combining ancient Egypt, the Mossad, and the occult.. The book sounded like a fun read--a nice way to while away a few hours. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to its billing. The book does have some high points, but they're few and far between.

The book is divided into three parts. The first and last take place in the present and the middle in 18th dynasty Egypt. This middle section seems like a detour, but it's essential to understanding what's going on in the present. It's probably the most interesting part of the book and the best written, but there are large chunks that seem irrelevant to the main plot line. In the other two sections, the pacing is fast--basically what one would expect from a screenwriter-author who may have had hopes of turning the book into a script. Unfortunately, the story isn't fleshed out enough to carry the plot. It just hurtles on at breakneck speed, throwing out ideas and motifs and then dropping them almost as quickly. Too many intriguing elements are left underdeveloped.

Also, those hoping to catch a glimpse of Cleopatra will be disappointed. The needles mentioned in the title refer to obelisks generally, and this particular Egyptian queen makes no appearance (there are a few references to Hatshepsut, however).