Customer Reviews

The Mummy or Ramses the Damned

5 star:		(138)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Sexy immortals with angst to spare are the cornerstones of Anne Rice's fiction. "The Mummy or Ramses the Damned" takes a different direction, mixing romance with horror and supernatural thrills. It has its flaws, but the raw energy of the book keeps it roaring up to the finale.

Lawrence Stratford uncovers the mummy of Ramses the Second, or "Ramses the Damned." But before he can unravel the mysteries around the mummy, he's murdered by his amoral nephew Henry, and the mummy is shipped to England. Lawrence's daughter Julie takes possession both of the family fortune and the mummy -- only to have the mummy revive when exposed to sunlight, and try to kill the murderous Henry. He's Ramses, an Egyptian king who drank an elixir of eternal life taken from a Hittite priestess.

Long ago, he faked his own death and wandered the world, eventually returning to Egypt and becoming the mentor/lover of the legendary Cleopatra -- only to lose her first to Antony, then to death. At first, Ramses is thrilled by the early-twentieth-century England, and he and Julie start to fall in love. But on a trip to Egypt, he comes across the mummy of Cleopatra, and revives her with a vial of the elixir. Except that this Cleopatra is mad, murderous, torn by her old loves and hates -- and unkillable.

This is not your parents' "Mummy" story. Except for one mildly funny scene where Rameses first revives, there are no stumbling mummies covered in bandages. Instead we have a tortured immortal who wakes up into a new world, while still being rooted in the Egypt of three thousand years ago.

Rice's lush prose is well-suited to the splendor of early twentieth-century England, when Egyptology was the fad -- she has lots of fun with the lace, pearl buttons, and opera houses. Her most awkward points are when Rameses is marveling at/criticizing 1914 England. At the same time, she gives new twists to the tale of the mummy, such as having him romance Cleopatra.

Ramses gives a slightly new twist to the tormented, lonely immortal, by having his almost childlike response to things like faucets and shoes. Julie falls for him a bit too quickly (yes, he's gorgeous, but what else?), but a good love interest. The other characters -- the youth-craving Elliott, his clueless but sweet son Alex, and the money-hungry, evil Henry -- are all intriguing and fully explored. But Cleopatra is what makes the book -- she's seductive but mad, tormented but still loving. Dislike her, but Rice will make you pity her too.

"The Mummy or Ramses the Damned" gives new twists to the story of a mummy come to life. Rather than an undercooked horror novel, Rice gives a thrilling, chilling look at immortality, and how what you want is not what you get.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I read this book. It starts off great, but doesn't really add up. Everyone refers to this as a "great love story," but I found that hard to believe. It's a little contradictory, we're supposed to believe Ramses loves Julie so much, but he spends an entire day sleeping with prostitutes in a brothel and only a couple of days later "batters down her virgin door" in the desert. If he's so insastiable, how will they maintain a one on one relationship when that kind of addiction would kill a mortal woman? Can mummies pass on diseases?
As for the characters, Julie starts off really interesting but gets whiny, boring and weak towards the end. You start off admiring her and by the end want to slap her. She loses something(besides her virgin door).
On the plus side, it does have a "vibe" that sort of stays with you. I love all things Egypt, so I had fun reading that. The flashbacks were interesting enough. All in all, it's entertaining. But the writing in the love scenes is pretty cheesy(see door reference above).

I rarely read any books of Anne Rice's that isn't part of the Vampire Chronicles sereis. I've tried but they never captivated me like her popular vampire books have. The one book by Anne Rice that I do like that has nothing to do with vampires is "The Mummy or Ramses the Dead". This time Anne explores another legendary monster...the mummy but in her book, she makes the mummy, or Ramses as he is called, the hero not the monster we have seen in old horror movies. In a similiar vein to her vampire characters, Anne has Ramses the second immortal. He had drunk the elixir of life making him wander the planet for all eternity. Ramses who had been asleep for thousands of years is excavated in the early 1900s by Lawrence Stratford. Ramses witnesses Lawrence's unexpected passing. Later he finally awakens to save Lawrence's daughter from being murdered by her greedy cousin. In the vein of the vampire chronicles, Anne mixes horror and romance which I actually enjoyed. Critics may have panned this book but I loved it. I especially enjoyed it when Ramses makes the mistake of reawakening an old love only to realize what a mistake that was and the one person he does love is Julie Stratford. Even though the storyline is pretty cheesy and is just a Harlequin novel with a horror twist, "The Mummy" is a good book. It's a different take on the myth of the mummy.

Previously, all Anne Rice books were tedious and extremely difficult to read. Yet, suddenly, I discover a copy of this book and read the back cover--lo and behold, here's the perfect novel for me!! As an ancient Egyptian history buff, I could appreciate the way Rice writes in characters like Rameses the Second and Cleopatra herself, and as a romance/Stephen King fan I could appreciate the twisted love story of Julie and Rameses--and the rebirth of the remains of Cleopatra. I have read this book about 20 times, and the story NEVER gets old to me--the characters are perfectly developed, and all of the events are well plotted and thought out by the author. It is a rare case indeed when one person can find their favorite book of all time and posess it--and I must admit that The Mummy has fully fulfilled my wishes when it comes to the perfect book. Anne Rice--you deserve a big shout out and an adamant THANK YOU!! PS--Why doesn't Ms. Rice write more novels like this??? Books like Pandora and Servant of the Bones bore me to tears, but this jewel of a book is absolutely spellbinding!!!

While my favorite Rice book of all time is The Vampire Lestat (Who couldn't love that rogue?) a close second is The Mummy. I thoroughly loved the book and it's one reason why I remain an Anne Rice fan. I especially liked the vivid description of when Julie meets the Mummy for the first time. I don't often reread books, but this one I've kept close at hand. I've read all of Rice's Witching Chronicles as well as her Vampire Chronicles... and was only really disappointed with Memnoch. But Rice on the final page promises more on the Mummy... Heck, even Lestat hinted at the existence of immortals who walk by day... So let's have more PLEASE! I'm anxiously waiting!

A simply mesmerising book. Forget the Egyptology for a moment and it is the traditional bodice ripper, it sweeps you along on its romantic ride and you will love every second. The scenes on board the ocean liner make you wish that you were there to witness this romance of the century.
Ramses bewilderment at all the technological advances made by man makes you see the world through a childs eyes once again and you really appreciate all we have now.
Free of some of Rice's more flowery prose it is an entirely beliveable book and reminds us of how in vogue Egyptology and its archaeologists really were at the turn of the 20th century.
Not so much of a horror book but a jolly good romp that grips you from page one.
Even if the horror genre normally leaves you cold or romances leave you wanting to kick the dog this book will really deliver the goods.

If you've never read anything by Ann Rice, this is the one to select first. Years after it's release, many of Ms. Rice's fans still claim The Mummy as one of their favorites. And justifiably so, as this work combines an inventive plot, vivid characterizations, subtle eroticism and exquisite Victorian settings in a fascinating novel that rewards the reader from start to finish.

Forget every other mummy you may have read about or seen in movies. The Ramses of this book is elegant, handsome and capable of charming all that he meets. Blessed and cursed with eternal life, he has withdrawn into an ancient tomb only to be released by an archaeological expedition -- that plot device might well be the only cliche used by Ms. Rice throughout the book. With his senses aroused and intrigued by the British civilization during the reign of Queen Victoria, he embarks upon a quest to rediscover his ancient love, Cleopatra, while captivating Julie, the daughter of the archeologist.

The story ends with a promise of continuing adventures for Ramses, Julie and the other characters, however no sequel has been published as yet. At a book signing for her another of her books, I asked Ms. Rice when we could expect more from this fascinating collection of characters. With a smile, she merely confided that "I'm working on it now", however that was in 1995 and we still wait.

If you have been reluctant to read an Ann Rice novel, this particular story will provide a good introduction to her style of writing without subjecting you to the complexities and darker themes of her Vampires or the Mayfair witches. The downside to that is that after reading The Mummy, you may very well want more and find yourself embarked on a figurative Ann Rice literary festival as you read more and more of this wonderful writer's work.

I really enjoyed this book and still wonder why she never wrote a sequel (or sequels) to it, since most of her other creations have become long-running (in some cases, perhaps TOO long...) series. If you have any interest in the Victorian era, Egyptology, archeology, or romance novels with a peculiar twist, you will probably find something of interest in this novel. I have read the "original" mummy (the version made into a movie with Boris Karloff), "She", and a few other classic horror stories in the same genre. Anne Rice's mummy is more of a fantasy story than horror, if you want to get picky about it, but it's loads of good fun anyway. I still want to know what happens to Elliot, if Cleopatra ever finds her way back to civilization (and Ramses, Julie, and Alex) and if Ramses and Julie live happily ever after, or become thoroughly sick of each other after the first hundred years or so... Anne Rice, are you listening?

First, let me say that I absolutely love the Vampire Chronicles, although Interview with a Vampire is still my favorite. I didn't like the Mayfair witches that much, but I never read Taltos and am curious about Merrick. That said, I was leary of a non-vampire Anne Rice novel. Despite my doubts, I loved this book. I have always found Egyptian history fascinating and enjoyed having this book with me on a long plane trip. The only bad side is that when I reached the end of the book, I wanted more. Hopefully, Anne Rice will someday write a sequel to this book so that we can find out more about what happens with Ramses, Cleopatra, Julie Stratford, etc.

Anne Rice is now one of my favorite authors of all time! Normally the long, detailed language of her novels-though written with wonderful precision-make my mind wander into one of its mental naps. This novel is fast-paced and filled with characters that are both unique and three dimensional. Even for those who are not fans of history-especially ancient history- will appreciate and enjoy the taste of ancient Eygpt that lives in this spectacular book. The conclusion is both unexpected and exciting. There is never a dull moment throughout this novel!