The Mummy or Ramses the Damned

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Summary: I want more!
Review: I love this story,one of Anne's best novels! However I am disappointed in the audio version ( they cut alot of the good stuff out!)

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Summary: The Ann Rice book that will make you an Ann Rice fan!
Review: 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 Blessed and cursed with eternal life, he has withdrawn into an ancient tomb only to be released by an archaeological expedition -- that plot device might well be the only cliche used by Ms.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.

Rating:
Summary: Predictable and cliched
Review: Anne Rice may have created an ingeniously imaginative world with her Vampire chronicles revolutionary with their colorfully adrogynous characters of dark sensuality and bloodlust, but she disappointingly seems to fall short of practically everything else that I have happened to read of hers. "The Mummy or Ramses the Damned" is a perfect example; it reads disconcertingly like a fatal collision of the Hollywood cinematic productions The Mummy and Encino Man, leaving intelligence scattered brokenly in it's ruined wake.
This kitsched piece of literature is predictable and sad,
and heart breakenly tragic when coming from an author easily capable of so much more than this cheesy Egyptian adventure that could easily be Brendan Frasier's next film. Also I have no clue as to why this book is constantly being refered to as packed full of egyptian history. As an avid reader of history books I felt there was frighteningly little actual history within Ramses the Damned.

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Summary: Darkly magical
Review: Anne Rice takes you to a world of historical Egypt and fills your imagination with forbidden love, betrayal, and enchanting terror.

I couldn't put the book down after I started reading it. This book has it all: romance, horror, passion, intensity, and tragedy. I was impressed with her historical knowledge of Egyptology and her style of writing. The words just seemed to flow and the story line was very interesting. The book was fast paced and suspensful. The ending will keep you on the edge of your seat. I was hoping that it would end differently that it did, but now I can hope for a second Ramses the Damned from Anne Rice.

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Summary: Just different
Review: First of all let me tell you that I am in love with Cleopatra, so much love that I wrote a novel of her good things (I didn't publish it , is just for my friends and my proud), that doesn't mean that she didn't something wrong, but at the end of the book I made a question: "This question is for the women because they know more exactly the answer: Women, you think that could be physically possible no matter the job of a woman, that a woman could be with 30 man in one night only?
Well, in this book were written only the bad things about her and that I didn't like it, nevertheless is a book that I couldn't put down, definitely is a well written book.
You will learn something of the life of Ramses and the life of Cleopatra, and learning while you read is something very important.
The way Anne Rice describes the early years of the 1900, is not very real, but that it really doesn't matter when you are reading a good book.
At the end of the book could be two things:

1) You just end the book and that's it.

2) You will wait for the sequel (sincerely I won't because it will say things of Cleopatra that I don't like.)

Rating:
Summary: The Mummy or Ramses the Damned
Review: I have been a Anne Rice Fan since interview with a Vampire came out in 1976. I have read everything she has done except the Sleeping Beauty series.
The Mummy or Ramses the Damned was a Very Hypnotic read. Couldn't put it down the first time I picked it up. I am a classic Horror movie fan, and this book took me back to the old Universal/Hammer films, with a touch of Erotica. She expanded where the films cut short! I was only disapointed in one thing, that the book was not longer! Loved this book! Great for a nighttime sit-in read by the fire! This is defenately one of my favorites!

Rating:
Summary: Anything about Egyptology can't be all bad
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Not normally a Rice fan, but a great book!
Review: Which might clue you in that this is not Anne Rice's normal fare. If you're into that, you might find 'The Mummy' a bit too typical-romancey, too lovey dovey and happy-endingish. Those wanting a bit more adoring love in their dark afterlife will like this tale.

This is the story of Ramses the Great, who has drank the elixir of life and is now doomed to live forever without the woman he loved, Cleopatra. For those of you historically inclined out there, don't fret over the timeline. I assure you it's all made quite correct in the story, and you won't mind Ramses meeting Cleopatra meeting the modern heroine Julie. It's sort of a mix of time travel, supernatural, and just plain old romance as well as horror. I didn't think it was possible to mix the four of those together and come up with a book that would please all genres, but here it is.

I was completely surprised by this book (bought it on a whim) and I hope you will be too. I'm not normally a follower of Rice's writings, but this turned me around. It's a bit more romancey and fictionesque than her other books, but don't let that stop you. I still thoroughly enjoyed it, and it actually made me go out and buy several of her other books!

Rating:
Summary: Pretty farfetched story
Review: Before a long road trip, I picked up the abridged audio book from the library. I figured you couldn't go wrong with such a proficient novelist as Anne Rice. Well, I was mistaken. Though not even close to as bad as the audio version of Queen of the Damned, this book is far too unbelievable for me to take seriously.

A mummy, named Ramses, is discovered, and with a little help from sunlight, rejuvenates himself and falls madly in love with the discoverer's daughter. You with me here? He prevents a relative from murdering her, and goes back to Egypt to look for his lover ancient lover Cleopatra. Stop laughing please. He finds her, gives her a potion of immortality, and she turns evil and starts killing. Then she seduces the discoverer's daughter's ex-fiancée. Got it so far? Then there is a final battle between the good Ramses and the evil Cleopatra. You already knows who wins.

This book switches back and forth from a lousy story to a wanna-be soft porn and should be avoided. Maybe the unabridged book is better, but I could not see how.

I would not recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Batter down the what?!
Review: 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).