Cleopatra's Needle

Rating:
Summary: Good story, fun to read
Review: As far as the writing goes, hey, it's not Shakespeare, but the author tells a good story. Sometimes I'm willing to settle for that. I found the Egyptology and the ancient story interwoven with the present day story a lot of fun. The two main characters were sympathetic, as well (although no Scully and Mulder as a blurb on the jacket implies).

Rating:
Summary: Less Than Its Parts
Review: Cleopatra's Needle contains some very fine moments. The allure of resurrection of the dead by an ancient relic is a mesmerizing one, especially surrounded by the intrigue and mystery of the ancient Egyptian culture. Siebert introduces an interesting idea late in the book about the preternatural-- that which seems to be supernatural only because mankind's level of knowledge hasn't caught up with reality. Of the Horite Cross Rawlins exclaims, "... what we're dealing with is not magic. I'm sure of that. It's an ancient wisdom, or technology, or both." However, toward the end of the novel, one of the characters remarks, "The whole idea never made any sense." And there are times when that almost becomes the epitaph for Cleopatra's Needle itself. Siebert appears to want to create an intelligent thriller-- something more than a Raiders of the Lost Ark, but he makes too many missteps to pull it off completely. Siebert's plotting and ever-changing cast of characters becomes nearly incoherent at times and the introduction of juvenile comic-relief with the reappearance of Liam McMay in the climatic battle within the Washington Monument (or is it the Temple of Isis at Mennufer?) is unfortunate and distracting when it could have been terrifying. There are times when it is not clear if Siebert is taking his story too seriously, or not seriously enough. It might have been better had the author stuck to a straightforward thriller ala Indiana Jones or H. Rider Haggard without the cluttered plotting, characters, and unbefitting humor. If he had, Cleopatra's Needle would be a better tale than it is. As is exists now, the reader has to do a little more excavation than should really be necessary to fully enjoy the story.

Rating:
Summary: No recommedation here.
Review: Forgetable characters & creatures performing forgetable feats! I felt more for the dying elephant than I did for Dan, Jacinda, Mother Superior & all the sisters put together.

Rating:
Summary: Really Disappointing
Review: I brought this book because I also love books about Egypt and its past. But like another reviewer, I didn't like Dan from the start and although I like the middle section,it was too long and drawn out for a background story. I also hate books where all the women are perfectly shape and ready to jump into bed with the hero straight away.

Rating:
Summary: Fast paced
Review: I enjoyed the book. It was fast paced and I particularly liked the jump to the past. After that I thought it was going to be pretty predictable with the whole reincarnation story but it managed to surprise me!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I expected this book to be a great thriller, and it was at first. But then it was bogged down by cliches and predictability. Also, I disliked the protagonist almost immediately. An archaology professor, he was a shameless womanizer who seemed more interested in having sex with his students than studying ancient cultures (and he was supposed to be one of the good guys!) It's hard to enjoy a book when you don't really care what happens to the main character. Some of the scenes with the mummies were so rediculous they were almost comical. The historical flashback scenes were hard to connect with the plot and they were tedious and confusing. The idea behind this book was a good one, but the numerous cliches and other glaring flaws render this tale barely readable.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: I have read alot of books about Egypt or that use Egypt as there back drop, being what im most interested in. I though that Cleopatra's Needle was a wonderful book, and was written by a great author. I was just disapointed to find out that he has no other books. Everytime i see the book on my bookcase i pick it up and read it again!

Rating:
Summary: Doesn't work
Review: I picked up "Cleopatra's Needle" in the library and was intrigued by the idea of a thriller combining ancient Egypt, the Mossad, and the occult.. The book sounded like a fun read--a nice way to while away a few hours. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to its billing. The book does have some high points, but they're few and far between.

The book is divided into three parts. The first and last take place in the present and the middle in 18th dynasty Egypt. This middle section seems like a detour, but it's essential to understanding what's going on in the present. It's probably the most interesting part of the book and the best written, but there are large chunks that seem irrelevant to the main plot line. In the other two sections, the pacing is fast--basically what one would expect from a screenwriter-author who may have had hopes of turning the book into a script. Unfortunately, the story isn't fleshed out enough to carry the plot. It just hurtles on at breakneck speed, throwing out ideas and motifs and then dropping them almost as quickly. Too many intriguing elements are left underdeveloped.

Also, those hoping to catch a glimpse of Cleopatra will be disappointed. The needles mentioned in the title refer to obelisks generally, and this particular Egyptian queen makes no appearance (there are a few references to Hatshepsut, however).


Rating:
Summary: Melting pot of ideas...
Review: I think perhaps that my expectations were too high for this novel. The book summary hooked me because it sounds so interesting: Mossad agents, Egyptian mythology, modern-day technology, and a power-hungry terrorist seeking an ancient relic that threatens to destroy the world as we know it. I was even interested in the story for the first 75 pages or so. And then it was downhill from there.

Siebert has some great ideas for this novel. However, there are, in my opinion, too many ideas because none of them seems to be fleshed out for a sufficiently tight story. The continent and time jumping are distracting, and it is difficult to keep up with each character any of which could support a book on his/her own. There is a section devoted to characters in ancient Egypt--it is fascinating (even with modern vernacular) and provides information to tie all the characters together. I think this would have been a better way to begin the novel because it seems too out of place shoved into the middle of this lengthy story. The writing itself is not bad, but the book would benefit greatly from more observant editing! There are many distracting typos and repeated bits of text that kept throwing me off of the storyline. A cat that opens a window nearly caused me to give up on this story, and the murderous Ba was diminished by its annoying modern-day taunts.

I give this 2 stars because, as I said, I like the basic ideas presented in the story. I think Siebert has the potential to create a fascinating story. I'm sorry to say that this one didn't do it for me. I let myself be swept up in "The Mummy" craze, but I'll be a bit more discerning when choosing my next Egyptian tale.

Rating:
Summary: Mindless Adventure in Egyptology
Review: If I could give this dog a "0" I would because it ismindless, boring, contrived and a useless waste of time. That prettymuch describes "Cleopatra's Needle". I was turned off as soon as people began to be mysteriously killed and then just turned to dust. Or how about the guy who is riddled with machine gun bullets, but miraculously is alive. Hmmm??? Then there are the killings in the museum featuring a cat, something with alot of feathers etc. Oh please!! Enough. I found as I read more that I cared nothing about the characters including Dan, the museum man, who seemed to be as dumb as his assistant who was killed by something resembling a bird of prey. Sort of reminiscent of Jarassic Park only with a long wing span.Then there was the ship that the Israeli agent boarded only to wake up and find that hoards of "The Undead" had taken over, but she was miraculously rescued by a heliocopter just in the neck of time and then. . . . . .Oh well. . . . . . . . .