Children of the Storm

Rating:
Summary: Multiple Motives Mystify Amelia
Review: Before commenting on this novel, let me observe that it would be an unhappy error to begin the 15 book Amelia Peabody series with Children of the Storm. You would have a very hard time keeping track of all the characters and the mystery's solution would be totally invisible to you before the solution is revealed. You would probably rate this a one or two star book.

My rating assumes that you have read at least the last 8 novels in the series.

The setting and cast of characters are a major shift from the books in the series set during World War I. With the War to End All Wars having ended, all of the Emerson clan (and I do mean ALL) come together in Children of the Storm. Ramses and Nefret are now parents of active two-year-old twins, so the family has also expanded into a third generation. Those with faulty memories will appreciate the Editor's Note which describes who all these people are and how they are related.

The book opens in Luxor with Cyrus Vandergelt concerned about how much of his large archeological find involving four princesses will have to be presented to the Cairo Museum. The Emersons are working on a messy site with seemingly limited potential which looters and poorly disciplined archeologists have ravaged in the past. M. Lacau from the Department of Antiquities arrives to inspect the Vandergelt artifacts and mummies. Soon he will choose what will remain in Egypt. Consternation reigns when "reformed" antiquities thief, Signor Martinelli, disappears as do several of the best pieces of ancient jewelry. The Emersons vow to recover the jewelry before M. Lacau discovers it is missing. Their search takes them to Cairo where Ramses responds to a note offering a warning only to find himself abducted, drugged and manipulated by a beautiful young woman dressed as the Veiled Goddess Hathor. As the mystery develops, there are mysterious deaths, attacks on individuals, sabotage of conveyances and a reappearance of Hathor in Luxor! Amelia and the rest of the clan are more than usually puzzled. They cannot see a pattern in what purpose could lie behind the baffling activities. When the pattern becomes clear, there's deadly danger to overcome and an exciting finish!

Children of the Storm is exceptional from two perspectives. First, the title captures a myriad of meanings in the context of the story that will enrich your appreciation of the story. Nicely done! Second, I cannot think of a novel that weaves so many characters and story lines together with accuracy and meaning. It must be like carrying the world on your shoulders to plot and develop this complex a story. And it works.

Some things are lost in the process. The story often feels over peopled. This requires a lot of development to fit everyone together in a meaningful way. This development sometimes feels bulky. In addition, a third of the book's length is caught up with details of day-to-day life like looking after for the children, arranging work schedules to appease Emerson, organizing Nefret's clinic in Luxor, and dealing with Emerson's latest toy. The mystery itself would have required about 250 pages, and would have been a page turner. The mystery feels diluted amidst all of this detail of daily life.

The Emersons focus on domesticity also limits the amount of detecting they do compared to earlier novels. So you get less of Emerson's investigative derring-do in Cairo, fewer forays by Amelia on her own, and limited searching by Ramses and David. Sethos plays his mildest role yet even though he is involved throughout the book.

As a result, much of the material in the book feels more like The Forsythe Saga than an early Amelia Peabody thriller. In fact, the book almost felt like a whole new genre . . . the three-generation extended family as detective.

A bright light to look out for in future novels is that the twins seem destined to be very interesting characters which may ignite all of this clan expansion into something more exciting.

After you finish this book, think about how you balance your family, your friends, your work, and your personal interests. How could you make them more positively integrated?

Rating:
Summary: Number 15 and going strong...
Review: Children of the Storm continues the adventures of the archeologist and investigator Amelia Emerson and her family. This story, the fifteenth in the series, opens in Egypt in 1919 after the close of World War I. Although the Great War has come to an end, the dangers that surround the Emerson family show no sign of ending.

Within the vividly depicted context of Egyptian dissatisfaction with British rule, a series of mysterious occurrences begin to trouble individuals close to Amelia. Thefts, murder and peculiar encounters with a mysterious woman set the heroine on a mission to solve the riddle buries within layers of intrigue.

This latest addition to the series introduces new characters, most notably two year old twin grandchildren of Amelia, while retaining familiar ones that fans will be happy to see return. However, new readers may find this a difficulty, as there are fourteen previous books for many complicated relationships to be developed, a number of which play a role in this novel. A prologue attempts to provide a thumbnail sketch of this history, but as a new reader, I found it most valuable as reference material.

With an intricate plot and likable characters, this novel is an enjoyable read. Fans of the series will likely find it more than enjoyable as they will have a familiarity with the world created by Ms Peters that those readers new to the series will not possess. On the other hand, the history that exists within these books provides a depth to the plot and character interactions that may not otherwise exist.

All in all, Children of the Storm is sure to find a spot on bestseller lists sometime this summer. And this is a book ideal for summer reading.

Rating:
Summary: The Children Will Carry On.
Review: Elizabeth Peters has been one of my favorite mystery writers for many years now. Her Amelia Peabody series is so well written and documented. She's an archeologist, as is her husband, who loves to explore tombs in Egypt. she has a rather long listing of books, many containing hundreds of pages each. She is prolific. None are hard to read. All are interesting.

I think perhaps my favorite is "Night Train to Memphis" or could be "The Love Talker." This one follows Ms. Peabody and entourage again to Egypt. She not only explores antiquities in strange places, she is also a Master Investigator which gets her in 'hot water' on occasion.

Like me, she indulges in the daily horoscopes. The title for this Peabody/Emerson episode comes from an ancient Egyptian horoscope: "The day of the children of the storm. Very dangerous. Do not go on the water this day."

This is the 15th published "journal" of Amelia encompassing three generations of an amazing family saga (35 yrs. of turbulent history) including a diary of son Ramses, named after a pharaoh.

Amelia was called by the natives, "Lady Doctor" while Emerson was "Father of Curses." Ramses accompanied his uncle Sethos as a secret agent because of his use of disguises and fluency in languages.

Justin had tormented Charla, young daughter of Ramses who'd waited to talk until she got ready, like her dad. Like Eric. Ms. Peters who loves cats almost as much as I do, educated at the University of Chicago like my son Geoffrey, never ceases to amaze me with her knowledge.

This is another page turner, always an exciting "adventure" in store. You are kept in suspense about the happenings until the danger is at hand. She is just plain marvelous with her writing abilities and subject matter.

Rating:
Summary: her best since "he shall thunder in the sky"
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. I am an avid fan of Elizabeth Peters (and her sense of humor), and have read, reread, and own her entire Amelia Peabody series. This is, without a doubt, the best since"He Shall Thunder in the Sky." It keeps you on your toes and guessing until literally the very end. Amelia and Emerson are as funny as ever, and Ramses and Nefret...are Ramses and Nefret. I was glad to see several of the old characters again, and some new ones too. I hope she keeps it up, because I'll read anything she writes about the Emerson family.

Rating:
Summary: More than a few shirts ruined
Review: Peters sets up a sprawling ensemble story, with Emerson family members united on the page for the first time in several novels. Yet, the participation of three generations is necessary to the solution of the mystery and to the ultimate understanding of the antagonists' motivations.

I don't think a new reader could step into the series with this book and find it rewarding, yet the details from previous novels that drop in reinforce the set-up that these tales are from the Peabody-Emerson private papers.

More than a few shirts ruined, cats behaving like cats, typical toddler behavior, the sense of world events surrounding the Emerson clan, finally learning Sethos' true name, archaeological projects that play over several seasons & novels, an action-packed finale, my belly laugh at Amelia's disguise, a title that resonants in several threads of the novel, the bittersweet realistic details of well-loved characters aging (from Walter to Nefret), and the fact that Emerson still has it......well, I stayed awake 'til five AM to finish this one.

For me, each Amelia novel now resolves with a sense that an approprate ending to this 28 year long series has been delivered. The series has always been about family, as well as the choices women make for independence. Both these themes play out satisfyingly - and disturbingly - in Children of the Storm.