Rating: 
Summary: A classic Anne Rice Read.
Review: Anne Rice has introduced us to many characters over the years that are never what they appear to be on the surface.
Ramses is no exception. She goes to great lengths to bring Ramses to life on many levels, and makes him a little more understandable, or reachable than Lestat, and Rowan. The book is full of rich imagery of Egypt, and Edwardian London, but as Anne Rice tends to, there are many climaxes and some are very long winded, and repetitive. I have thouroughly enjoyed this novel and would highly recomend it to any one who believes
Rating: 
Summary: Well, written, leaves you gasping for a sequel
Review: Starts out captivating, and doesn't let go until you finis
Rating:
Summary: One of Rice's best to date
Review: Of all the pre-vampire and Mayfair witches books written by Rice, this is by far the best. It is a science fiction, time-travel story of Rameses the Pharoah, trying to function in a more modern society. It is a love story. It is a must-read for any Anne Rice fan, or anyone who would like to know what her writing is all about
Rating:
Summary: The best book that I've ever read, and I read a lot.
Review: This book has a bit of everything in it. I must admit that
it took me the first fifty pages to get into the story but
once that was over I had to stay up until four in the morning,
I couldn't put it down. I can't help wishing that it were a
true story, yet at the same time dreading it, lest the remains
of Cleopatra came to me in my sleep. I thought that this was
a wonderful book and if there was a sequal I would buy it, no
matter what the cost.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating and suspensful!
Review: Ramses will capture your heart along with your attention.
His adventures in "rebirth" and exceptionally written and
not only entertains, but amazes the reader!
Rating:
Summary: The mummy walks!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating !!!
Review: I've read a handful of books from Anne Rice but I have to say The Mummy is by far the best and I haven't even finished it yet ... the way everything has been described, you feel like your actually there, you feel like your the character in the book, it isn't scary but spellbinding, keeps you wanting more!!! I'll put off supper anytime to finish the book :)
Rating:
Summary: Loved it
Review: I first read this book when it came out, still waiting for book 2!
To be honest, this is the ONLY book of hers that I ever enjoyed.
I did like Interview..the movie tho. And I would love this in a movie. But when I read this I was into romance novels of this type, that may be why I liked/like it.
All her other books are to dark for me, so if you are a die hard fan, maybe this won't be your cup of tea, but I still love it.
Rating: 
Summary: Not my cup of Edwardian tea
Review: "The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned" tells the story of what happens when a supposed Egyptian mummy is found, but it turns out that, three thousand years ago, Ramses the Great drank a potion to make himself immortal. One thousand years after that, he fell in love with Cleopatra, who eventually suicided when she was unable to defend Egypt from the Roman armies of Octavius Caesar. Ramses, deprived of his true love, locked himself in a tomb-like library, until he is found by a British millionaire-archaeologist. Ramses gradually awakens from his long sleep, and discovers the technological wonders of the "modern" world.
You know, this is a great premise and could have been a great story. Instead, it quickly degenerates into a somewhat bland romance story, as Julie (the archaeologist's daughter) makes goo-goo eyes at Ramses, and Ramses alternates between basking in her adoration, learning everything he can, eating everything in sight, and wearing out the doormats on every brothel in town. Ramses is portrayed as the perfect man: intelligent, strong, charismatic, handsome, charming, and regal. That's a lot of talent to waste in a seemingly-endless debauchery-binge.
I also struggled with Anne Rice's writing style in this book. She is not only somewhat repetitive, but she also has a tendency to write incomplete sentences. Fragments. Words missing. Poorly edited.
I bought this book used, for a very low price. Now, I think that price was too high. It's a shame, too, because the premise IS really good.
Rating:
Summary: Still waiting for "Cleopatra's Revenge" ???
Review: 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?
|
