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: Not one of her best
Review: I was so excited that a new book was coming out, I couldn't wait. Well after finshing the book it was not the wait. I was excited to read that the family has come back together, but the family is getting way to large. There are just to many people involved. I thought that all of the loose ends were tied up in the last two books Peters surprised me by adding some new twisted to the beloved Emerson family. Overall it was good but not one of her best.
Rating:
Summary: Good to see Amelia and her extended family in fine form
Review: In truth, my five stars are intended for a subset of the general reading population, those who have been enjoying the continuing saga of this most peculiar and lovable Egyptological (and much else) family. In my experience, people either get a kick out of the quasi-Victorian tongue-in-cheek flavor of these adventures and dote on their favorite characters, or they don't have the patience or whimsy for them. I am unabashedly in the pro-Amelia (and Ramses and Emerson and Sethos and so on) group, and I loved this book. Unlike many "mainstream" mysteries, these books will not depress you but are excellent company in a comfortable chair, preferably with a cup of "the genial beverage" nearby. (This is not necessarily tea -- Amelia clarifies that when sufficiently stressed, her choice of genial beverage is a whiskey-and-soda.) I wouldn't say it is the very best in the whole series, but it is definitely in the top half. I enjoyed it very much, and if you like this series, you will too. Besides, who could resist Emerson as a grandpa? I also have a strong amateur interest in archaeology and always value the Egyptological tidbits this knowledgable author shares along the way. I also appreciate her essentially compassionate, constructive and anti-authoritarian worldview. These stories are entertaining, but they're not fluff.
Rating: 
Summary: A bit of a let-down
Review: Maybe even the best mystery series poop out after a while, and perhaps this one desperately needs Abdullah -- alive, not in the occasional dream. I won't bother to explain why I found the first half of this book as eye-glazingly tedious as an issue of GOOD HOUSEBREAKING, since several other reviewers have done that. One of Amelia's most endearing qualities has always been her eccentric attitude toward motherhood and children. Sometimes she reminded me of a female W.C. Fields.We could have used a lot more of that refreshing sarcasm in CHILDREN OF THE STORM, especially during the genealogically bewildering and slow-moving first part. Since Peters is technically a good writer, the second half moved a little better -- but it never came close to the wit and magic and fine character development of the first Peabody story, CROCODILE ON THE SANDBANK, which, after ten or more re-readings, still makes me cheer the heroes. Even so, despite the excellence of the first book, the series kept getting more and more delicious until its high point in the grand H. Rider Haggard pastiche, THE LAST CAMEL DIED AT NOON, which had me rolling on the floor with laughter and bug-eyed from all the cliff-hanging thrills. Since then -- especially since Abdullah's death -- there's been so much soap opera you have to run to escape drowning in the frothy bubbles. Making Sethos into a hero and a family member was as big a mistake as THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK turning Darth Vader into Luke's Sweet Li'l Ole Reedemable Daddy. And just about as convincing. I was especially disappointed in this book, though, and can't imagine how a new reader of the series could have tolerated it for ten minutes. Leave the kiddies in England, Amelia, and let's have more of your tomb-crawling and umbrella-bashing.
Rating:
Summary: A very disappointing Peabody mystery
Review: Maybe even the best mystery series poop out after a while, and perhaps this one desperately needs Abdullah -- alive, not in the occasional dream. I won't bother to explain why I found the first half of this book as eye-glazingly tedious as an issue of GOOD HOUSEBREAKING, since several other reviewers have done that. One of Amelia's most endearing qualities has always been her eccentric attitude toward motherhood and children. Sometimes she reminded me of a female W.C. Fields. We could have used a lot more of that refreshing sarcasm in CHILDREN OF THE STORM, especially during the genealogically bewildering and slow-moving first part. Since Peters is technically a good writer, the second half moved a little better -- but it never came close to the wit and magic and fine character development of the first Peabody story, CROCODILE ON THE SANDBANK, which, after ten or more re-readings, still makes me cheer the heroes. Even so, despite the excellence of the first book, the series kept getting more and more delicious until its high point in the grand H. Rider Haggard pastiche, THE LAST CAMEL DIED AT NOON, which had me rolling on the floor with laughter and bug-eyed from all the cliff-hanging thrills. Since then -- especially since Abdullah's death -- there's been so much soap opera you have to run to escape drowning in the frothy bubbles. Making Sethos into a hero and a family member was as big a mistake as THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK turning Darth Vader into Luke's Sweet Li'l Ole Reedemable Daddy. And just about as convincing. I was especially disappointed in this book, though, and can't imagine how a new reader of the series could have tolerated it for ten minutes. Leave the kiddies in England, Amelia, and let's have more of your tomb-crawling and umbrella-bashing.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow Paced
Review: Not one of her better Peabody books, the first 3rd of this book is very slow paced. It is a great series, and she's a strong writer, but you have to be a dedicated fan to slog through the beginning of the book. If you are new to reading this series, I would recommend starting off with one of her earlier books. There are a lot of characters to follow, and a long history to each character, so it's not an easy series to jump into part way through. Having said that, once you start to read the series, you'll enjoy the family and their travels and tales. It's more of a beach read, than any type of serious intellectual pursuit, but you'll still pick up some interesting trivia along the way.
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.
Rating:
Summary: Peters scored again
Review: She really just can't seem to write a bad book, and this one is no exception to that rule. Part mystery, part romance, part history, part archaeology, Children of the Storm is a winner.
The setting of early 20th century in the Valley of the Kings will be familiar to anyone who has ever read a book based on archaeology, and there are all the usual potential villains. Amelia Emerson and her thundering husband, now grandparents, find an anticipated family reunion in the Valley interrupted by some nefarious doings that only Amelia seems capable of sorting out - but not till the bitter end do you see the resolution heading your way.
This book delivers on its promise.
Rating:
Summary: Peabody adventure--good. But a tad illogical
Review: The great war is over, but Egypt remains uneasy as peace begins to make its way into the nation. Peace and jewel thiefs--a former associate of Sethos vanishes along with priceless Egyptian jewelery and Amelia Peabody and her entire clan are quick to get into the act. What follows is a fairly long drawn-out series of misfortunes (their boat sinks, their car crashes, a bug threatens the children, a boogie-man appears at the bedroom window, Sethos's long-vanished daughter appears and is assailed. Somehow, Amelia has to make sense of the entire mess. The problem is, this time, she doesn't seem to be the target. Her usual strategy of letting the antagonists capture her won't work this time. Author Elizabeth Peters concludes CHILDREN OF THE STORM with a hundred pages of action, suspense, and emotional impact. Without the background of the great war that played such a key role in her recent novels, Peters turns to family details to fill up the remainder of the pages. We all enjoy hearing how much Amelia appreciates Emerson's manly, uh, manliness, but perhaps Peters goes a little overboard. Of course, their son Ramses is hardly less manly--which causes problems given that he's married now and all the women still want him. Fans of Elizabeth Peters (like me) will enjoy this story and even enjoy most of the family details. Seeing Emerson and his two brothers working together for a change is somehow satisfying. On the downside, Peters doesn't give quite the dose of archeology that I am used to and I found myself missing it. Also, although all of the Amelia Peabody stories are a little over the top, the 'plan' that the criminals are working on this time seems more than a little off. Surely they wouldn't rationally do everything they do here--essentially inviting Amelia and family to investigate them--if their motivation is as described. CHILDREN OF THE STORM is definitely not the book to acquaint new readers with the Elizabeth Peters universe.
Rating:
Summary: Favorite Series
Review: There are two other mystery series that I would say compete with the Amelia Peabody series as my favorite, but I have to say that this one has become my very favorite.
This, the 15th adventure featuring Amelia & family, is one of the best. There is less action than in other episodes, but the writing of the family's daily life is superb. Ms. Peters has done such a good job of incorporating all the extended members of the family - each one has his/her own personality and each one contributes something to the story that the characters have become almost real to me.
In this entry, a series of events take place that are seemingly unrelated, but Amelia realizes that there must be a pattern. As well, she has been warned that the children are in danger and she assumes that the warning applies to the grandchildren - the twins of Ramses & Nefret and the two children of David & Lia. She cannot, however, recognize the pattern of events (a boating accident, a car accident, a runaway horse, the death of a man that has stolen some artifacts from Cyrus, and more) and her inability to see the big picture almost ends in disaster.
The interaction between Amelia and Emerson is sharp, as always; that between Ramses and Nefret, not so well written, but still entertaining.
The ending is exciting to read and most everything is explained in a satisfactory manner. And the very last event is hilarious and foretells of more fun in the future with the grandchildren.
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