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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All For The Grave of An Heretic's Son, August 20, 2006
The depressing thing about Amelia Peabody, her husband Emerson, and the rest of her archeologist family is that they insist on getting older. One has to give credit to Elizabeth Peters for gradually letting time smooth the harsher lines of her characters. Chaos is always maintained by an influx of fresh youth, but over time even Ramses manages to become less impossible. And now his own children have arrived to keep to take his place. For some time even Emerson has become more socialized, but Tomb of the Golden Bird signals his revival as The Father of Curses.
For those of you who keep track, we have reached the 1922 season for excavation in the Valley of the King's, and a very important find is about to be made. Not by Radcliffe Emerson, unfortunately, but by Howard Carter. Emerson has strong suspicions about the location of Tutankhamon's tomb, but he cannot get permission to dig so he must watch Carter and Carnarvon instead, Because of his frustration he offends Lord Carnarvon and manages to get banned from the site. Infuriating him even more.
Presiding over this disaster is Amelia, as usual. But even this determined woman is confounded when her brother-in-law Sethos - one a tomb thief and not a secret agent - stumbles back into their lives in the middle of a malaria attack. Suddenly the archeological discovery of the century becomes the backdrop for a tense game of spy vs. spy, with no one quite sure exactly who is lying to whom.
And the real story is that of Emerson family themselves. Amelia has come to realize the there are only a few seasons left for excavations in an Egypt which has fallen to increasing political unrest. It is time for Ramses and Nefret to strike out on their own, and Amelia continually reflects on the fact that neither she nor her husband have the strength that they once did. But they remain indomitable, and I dearly hope that there are at least a few more volumes to go in this series. Tomb of the Golden Bird has both action as well as the details of the Emerson's madcap life that continue to make this one of the most entertaining of the 'cozy' genre. In addition, this volume is full of little details and insights into the Tutankhamon excavation and the politics of an emerging Egypt. I'm not sure of the accuracy of either, but they feul the imagination and keep the reader intent on the story.
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55 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
an enjoyable read, April 1, 2006
I'm a fan of the Amelia Peabody series, and have stuck to it through thick and thin, enjoying every single installment, even when the plots sometimes left a little something to be desired and characters that I liked sometimes behaved in a manner that quite tried my patience. Like previous books in the series, this latest Amelia Peabody mystery novel, "The Tomb of the Golden Bird" was a lot of fun to read and a wonderful book to sit down and unwind with. However, honesty also compels me to admit that this wasn't one of the more suspensefully thrilling installments either. Well written and quite humourous in parts, the pacing was, unfortunately, quite uneven, with a rather rushed tying up of loose ends that left me feeling a little disappointed.
Amelia Peabody's eminent Egyptologist husband, Radcliffe Emerson, is in a foul mood: he had hoped that Lord Carnavon and Howard Carter would give up and so relinquish the digging rights to the East Valley to him. But much to his chagrin, Emerson discovers that his interest has spurred the two to have another go at the site instead. Convinced that Carnavon and Carter have finally closed in on the site of the tomb of the little known pharaoh, Tutankhamon, all Emerson and Amelia can do now is watch from the sidelines and wait as Carnavon and Carter begin their dig. Unfortunately, however, events soon conspire to keep the Emersons fully occupied on another level: some rather desperate and disreputable people are looking for a man they are convinced that the Emersons are hiding, Perplexed as to who these people could be on the lookout for and why they would think that the Emersons would hide him, Amelia and her family begin another one of their investigations. And this time the stakes are high indeed, for these are ruthless men who would think nothing of killing in order to get what they want...
Mystery-wise, I'd say that "The Tomb of the Golden Bird" rates about 3 1/2 stars. The plot is not that perplexing and took a long while to gather steam and become compelling (and that ending was just not very satisfying). On the other hand, this was a very well written book, full of warmth, wit and humour. It was nice to read about Amelia and Emerson and their extended families (even if I got a little tired of Elizabeth Peters' continual rhapsodising about the good looks of Emerson, Ramses, Nefret) again. Which makes me wonder about the neat manner in which everything is tied up at the end of the book -- what does this mean for the series? Also nicely done was how Elizabeth Peters incorporated the historical (the Carnovon-Carter discovery of Tutankhamon's tomb) and political happenings (the Egyptian nationalists fight for autonomy) of 1922 into her novel, using them a backdrop for the trouble the Emersons suddenly find themselves in. Ms Peters' attention to fine detail is flawless as is her skill in vividly bringing scenes and landscapes to life. So that even though this was not all that suspenseful, it was, nevertheless, a very engrossing and enjoyable 4 star read.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable continuation of Amelia Peabody series, September 16, 2006
It's 1922. World War I is over and archeology season in Egypt is in full force and Howard Carter decides to have one more go at finding a major tomb--possibly because Emerson pushed too hard for him to abandon and leave the franchise for Emerson to explore. What he discovers is one of the great finds of all time--Tutankhamon's tomb. Although Tutankhamon's tomb had been robbed, the thieves were far less successful than with other tombs, leaving countless treasures behind. Unfortunately, modern tomb raiders were unlikely to be as limited and when Emerson and Amelia Peabody catch Carter robbing his own dig, they are quickly declared unwelcome, having to watch from a distance as one of the great archeological discoveries is gradually uncovered.
Although World War I is over, the middle east remains in turmoil. Super-spy Sethos has come across a code that may point at some conspiracy that crosses from Iraq and Arabia to Egypt. A series of low-level threats keeps Amelia and her family on the edge. Meanwhile, Amelia's continual match-making seems finally to be frustrated. Sethos (Amelia's brother-in-law) can't seem to regain his wife's trust and Bertie remains besotted by the beautiful Jumana, but Jumana seems to have time for every man but him.
Author Elizabeth Peters continues her Amelia Peabody saga into a world disturbingly similar to our own, with imperialistic interests both battling and co-opting local nationalists. The discovery of the Tutankhamon tomb takes second place to the activities of the Emerson/Peabody family, as growing grand-children add both complexities and delights to both Emerson and Amelia. Fortunately, both are healthy enough to continue to enjoy their own company as well as that of their extended family.
TOMB OF THE GOLDEN BIRD lacks the sense of danger and adventure that fills the best of the Amelia Peabody stories. Although she remains active, Amelia is growing older and, perhaps, slowing down. Sethos, too, has gone from a figure of danger and mystery to a man suffering from malaria and love. Still, BIRD has plenty of moments of fun and portrays a fascinating time in history--both for its archeological importance and because of the upheaval in the middle east--an upheaval kicked off by the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I that continues to this day.
Fans of the series will definitely welcome this addition to the Amelia Peabody story.
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