Rating: 
Summary: Mummy Dearest
Review: "Hither the Gods come not at any summons. The Nameless One has insulted them and is forever alone. Go not nigh, lest their vengeance wither you away!"There are certain story elements I can't resist: Egyptology is one of them. Throw in a mummy's curse and I can be convinced to do all sorts of reckless things--like buying SPHINX, that appalling movie with Lesley-Anne Down. Thus I came to read THE JEWEL OF SEVEN STARS even though it was written by Bram Stoker, the author of DRACULA (vampires being one of my least favorite story elements). Originally published in 1903, JEWEL tells the story of barrister Malcolm Ross who is summoned in the dead of night by a mysterious letter from lovely Margaret Trelawny, the daughter of a famed Egyptologist. Mr. Trelawny has sunk into a trance-like state following an attack by an unknown assailant--the only clue, the lingering odor of "Nard and Circassia's balmy smells." Trelawny has left strict instructions that in the event of such an attack he is never to be left alone, and no one must remove the peculiar Egyptian bangle around his wrist. Slowly, with dragging mummy footsteps, this horror classic journeys its restrained way to its inevitable climax. Though possibly a bit slow and bloodless for modern audiences, I think Stoker gets full marks. True, the characters are recognizable Edwardian stereotypes: the blushing, virginal heroine, the stalwart hero, the obsessed patriarch, etc. Nor is there much mystery as to where this is all leading. All the same, JEWEL is an entertaining read; the ideal choice for a muggy summer night. A number of scenes, like the discovery of the tomb in the cliffs and the story's final tragic zenith, remain in one's memory like the persistent scent of bitumen drifting in an open window...
Rating:
Summary: Mummy Dearest
Review: "Hither the Gods come not at any summons. The Nameless One has insulted them and is forever alone. Go not nigh, lest their vengeance wither you away!" There are certain story elements I can't resist: Egyptology is one of them. Throw in a mummy's curse and I can be convinced to do all sorts of reckless things--like buying SPHINX, that appalling movie with Lesley-Anne Down. Thus I came to read THE JEWEL OF SEVEN STARS even though it was written by Bram Stoker, the author of DRACULA (vampires being one of my least favorite story elements). Originally published in 1903, JEWEL tells the story of barrister Malcolm Ross who is summoned in the dead of night by a mysterious letter from lovely Margaret Trelawny, the daughter of a famed Egyptologist. Mr. Trelawny has sunk into a trance-like state following an attack by an unknown assailant--the only clue, the lingering odor of "Nard and Circassia's balmy smells." Trelawny has left strict instructions that in the event of such an attack he is never to be left alone, and no one must remove the peculiar Egyptian bangle around his wrist. Slowly, with dragging mummy footsteps, this horror classic journeys its restrained way to its inevitable climax. Though possibly a bit slow and bloodless for modern audiences, I think Stoker gets full marks. True, the characters are recognizable Edwardian stereotypes: the blushing, virginal heroine, the stalwart hero, the obsessed patriarch, etc. Nor is there much mystery as to where this is all leading. All the same, JEWEL is an entertaining read; the ideal choice for a muggy summer night. A number of scenes, like the discovery of the tomb in the cliffs and the story's final tragic zenith, remain in one's memory like the persistent scent of bitumen drifting in an open window...
Rating:
Summary: The Novel that Inspired All the Mummy Films
Review: Amazingly, Bram Stoker's imagination was not only the driving force behind the best of all vampire novels and the million films inspired by it; he must also be credited with the invention of the modern "mummy" tale (if there is such a thing). Movies like the classic Karloff "The Mummy", the later Hammer version (which is more gruesome), the 1960s movie "Blood from the Mummy's Tomb", and the Charlton Heston "The Awakening" (which, despite bad reviews, has a few genuinely frightening moments) were all inspired by this novel. Check it out and enjoy some good ol' page-turnin' horror melodrama.
Rating:
Summary: The Novel that Inspired All the Mummy Films
Review: At the time of the novel's writing, the British Empire was still in place. Many artifacts from the outside were brought back to England. Many "gentlemen" were bringing their "discoveries" back for study. All things needed to be explained in terms of modern-day science. Is this Bram Stoker's response to this? Does he feel that some things are better left alone? This story was published in 1904 (seven years after "Dracula"). Unlike its well-known predecessor, this novel was not written in the journal format that does take an edge off of the pace. This story is told from the perspective of a barrister, Malcolm Ross. He is brought into the events by Margaret Trelawny after meeting her days before. Egyptology, a common passion at this time in British history, is at the heart of the novel. Margaret's father, Mr. Trelawny, is an Egyptologist who has made a major discovery of a powerful woman who lived over 14 centuries previous. The story of the find is told late in the novel by him in retrospect. More than the first half of the novel is setting the stage of the mystery and of the telling of the find. Like today's parodies of teen horror, you would think the characters would realize that it is time to leave. The climax of the novel is over in a couple of pages at the end. I felt a little bewildered. Even "Dracula" has a bit of a post script explaining what happens afterward. I would recommend this book for Stoker fans and horror fans. This book is stronger when you reflect on what his readers would be familiar with in the early 1900s.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth the read
Review: At the time of the novel's writing, the British Empire was still in place. Many artifacts from the outside were brought back to England. Many "gentlemen" were bringing their "discoveries" back for study. All things needed to be explained in terms of modern-day science. Is this Bram Stoker's response to this? Does he feel that some things are better left alone? This story was published in 1904 (seven years after "Dracula"). Unlike its well-known predecessor, this novel was not written in the journal format that does take an edge off of the pace. This story is told from the perspective of a barrister, Malcolm Ross. He is brought into the events by Margaret Trelawny after meeting her days before. Egyptology, a common passion at this time in British history, is at the heart of the novel. Margaret's father, Mr. Trelawny, is an Egyptologist who has made a major discovery of a powerful woman who lived over 14 centuries previous. The story of the find is told late in the novel by him in retrospect. More than the first half of the novel is setting the stage of the mystery and of the telling of the find. Like today's parodies of teen horror, you would think the characters would realize that it is time to leave. The climax of the novel is over in a couple of pages at the end. I felt a little bewildered. Even "Dracula" has a bit of a post script explaining what happens afterward. I would recommend this book for Stoker fans and horror fans. This book is stronger when you reflect on what his readers would be familiar with in the early 1900s.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful piece of Edwardian melodrama!
Review: Bram Stoker created the ultimate vampire from which so much popular fiction has arisen. But this tale of a Mummy's curse is not the stuff of popular movies. It is a rather slow story of a fantastic queen and her magical power that survives the grave. "Hither the Gods come not at any summons. The nameless One has insulted them and is forever alone. Go not nigh, lest their vengeance wither you away!" Is the mummy's curse and terrible is her vengence. I can't say I liked this book. But I couldn't stop reading it until the shocking ending. Written in 1903 the language is of the period. The descriptions are often over done, but an interesting read none the less.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the dear old Mummy you might expect.
Review: Bram Stoker created the ultimate vampire from which so much popular fiction has arisen. But this tale of a Mummy's curse is not the stuff of popular movies. It is a rather slow story of a fantastic queen and her magical power that survives the grave. "Hither the Gods come not at any summons. The nameless One has insulted them and is forever alone. Go not nigh, lest their vengeance wither you away!" Is the mummy's curse and terrible is her vengence. I can't say I liked this book. But I couldn't stop reading it until the shocking ending. Written in 1903 the language is of the period. The descriptions are often over done, but an interesting read none the less.
Rating:
Summary: Great story!...but could use a better ending
Review: I read a lot of 19th century and turn-of-the-century literature, and I thought this was a very good story. It is not really horror (of which I am not a big fan; its more mystery and adventure story), and at under 300 pages is not too long of a read. There is a fairly good summary in a review below, so I will only say in my critique that there is a chapter or so midway through the book that gets rather (unnecessarily) caught up in philosophizing on the mysteries of science lost to the ancient Egyptians, and also that the ending (of the paperback, at least) leaves something to be desired. In light of this, there is a great website devoted to Stoker's works, including "The Jewel of Seven Stars". There is an alternative 1912 version of the conclusion. Check it out; it helps a lot with closure... http://www.geocities.com/psmcalduff/2jewel.txt
Rating:
Summary: Great story!...but could use a better ending
Review: I read a lot of 19th century and turn-of-the-century literature, and I thought this was a very good story. It is not really horror (of which I am not a big fan; its more mystery and adventure story), and at under 300 pages is not too long of a read. There is a fairly good summary in a review below, so I will only say in my critique that there is a chapter or so midway through the book that gets rather (unnecessarily) caught up in philosophizing on the mysteries of science lost to the ancient Egyptians, and also that the ending (of the paperback, at least) leaves something to be desired. In light of this, there is a great website devoted to Stoker's works, including "The Jewel of Seven Stars". There is an alternative 1912 version of the conclusion. Check it out; it helps a lot with closure... http://www.geocities.com/psmcalduff/2jewel.txt
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful piece of Edwardian melodrama!
Review: I really love Bram Stoker's writing and this would have to be my second favorite book of his (Dracula being the first of course). Though the pace is slow compared to modern writing, the descriptions are wonderful. The characters are standard Stoker men and women. I have to admit I like them, even if they are a bit over melodramatic in nature. The only thing I didn't like was the ending, which left to many questions in the air. Either way, I recommend this book. If you are a fan of Stoker, definitely purchase a copy. If you are looking for a change in horror fiction or are interested in this periods writing, I'd recommend it too.
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