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Human mummies, preserved by both accident and intent, have been found on every continent except Antarctica. These enigmatic remains of humanity have fascinated people for centuries. Shrouded in history they have acquired meaning and symbolism quite separate from their value as a source of historic knowledge, inspiring tales of reanimation, reincarnation, loves that outlive death, and curses that bring vengeance from the past. As a figure of horror and the supernatural the mummy has attained iconic status in the popular imagination. The Mammoth Book of the Mummy presents a collection of tales written for the twenty-first century - including some brand-new stories - that explore, subvert and reinvent the mummy mythos; some delve into the past, others explore alternative histories, and some bring mummies into our own world. Here you will find stories of revenge, romance, monsters and mayhem, ranging freely across time periods, genres and styles, by Kage Baker, Gail Carriger, Paul Cornell, Carole Nelson Douglas, Terry Dowling, Noreen Doyle, Steve Duffy, Karen Joy Fowler, Will Hill, Stephen Graham Jones, John Langan, Joe R. Lansdale, Helen Marshall, Kim Newman, Norman Partridge, Adam Roberts, Robert Sharp, Angela Slatter, Keith Taylor and Lois Tilton.… (more)
User reviews
As the characters flag up in John Langan's "On Skua Island" (one of the short stories collected here), the mummy has never been subject to the same level of interpretation as the vampire, the werewolf or
So what a treat this was. Through the small mountain of stories collected here, we get various takes on the mummy as a cultural object; as a representation of colonialism, of the uncanny, of revenge and redemption, of science, and maybe even of love and obligation.
Like any short story collection, there are better entries and worse ones, but the best here are worth the cover price by themselves. For me those include Kim Newman's "Egyptian Avenue" (a Jason King style pastiche of 60s Victoriana that's got me excited for the promised reissue of The Man from the Diogenes Club, the aforementioned "On Skua Island" (possibly the most genuinely horrific story in the collection), and "Tollund"by Adam Roberts (a brilliant alternative history tale in which a group of Egyptian archaeologists travel to colonial Jutland and fall foul of a bog mummy).
Highly recommended for horror fans, Egyptophiles and those in need of a weighty read to get them through a few docile millennia.