The Mummy or Ramses the Damned

Summary: Lawrence Stratford, wealthy London business man and prominent Egyptologist, has made the find of a lifetime: the tomb of a mummy, filled with Greek and Roman artifacts, but filled with scrolls that proclaim him to be Ramses II, the Pharaoh who had ruled 1000 years earlier. Ramses claims in

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these scrolls to be immortal - an eternal wanderer, teacher, and lover of Cleopatra - and that he is not dead, but merely sleeping beneath his mummy wrappings. However, Lawrence is murdered before he is able to truly investigate his discovery, and the mummy travels to London, to Lawrence's daughter, Julie. She's charmed by the story, but doesn't really believe it - until she sees the mummy come to life to save her from the same fate as her father. She's overwhelmed by Ramses - immortal as he claimed, intelligent, gorgeous, charming, and every inch a king - and is soon swept up in showing him the wonders of the early 20th century, even while trying to protect his secret from those who desire immortality for themselves. Unsurprisingly, she falls hopelessly in love with him, a love that can only be fully returned once Ramses has put his past behind him. But as they travel through modern-day Egypt, his memories of the past, and of his lost love threaten to engulf Ramses... and then a chance discovery at the Cairo Museum will lead him to commit an unspeakable act, one whose horrific consequences will resonate through the rest of eternity.

Review: I read this book so many times as a teen that it's impossible for me to give it a clear-headed evaluation now. While I can't tell how I would have reacted to it if this had been my first read-through (or even my tenth read-through), I was still able to pick out the things that kept me coming back time and time again. Anne Rice is a whiz at evoking historical periods, and her portrayal of colonial Egypt is no exception. The romance is epic and sweeping - hard to get any more epic when a literal eternity hangs in the balance. The characters are recognizable and multi-layered, and intensely sympathetic; it also doesn't hurt that Ramses is a hugely attractive leading man. Finally, Rice effectively plays on the horror conventions of her story on multiple levels - both in the straightforward horror-movie "the mummy walks!" way, but also in a more subtle way, when the characters and the reader are forced to contemplate the horrors of true immortality.

There were also a few things that I picked up on that probably would have annoyed me if this had been my first time reading the book. Rice is a fan of switching her POV character every few paragraphs, which is admittedly effective at moving the story along, but which I think is overused here, making the narrative seem a little jumpy. The main conflict also doesn't really show up until halfway through the book; the first part doesn't ever feel like it's dragging, but there is a somewhat abrupt shift. Finally, I wasn't quite as caught up in the romance this time around as I was half a lifetime ago; although Ramses was definitely still crush-worthy, I found him a wee bit whinier than I remembered.

But honestly, none of these things really mattered; I still enjoyed the heck out of this book - maybe not quite as much as I did when I was fourteen, but definitely enough to let it keep its place on my "favorites" shelf. 5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Is this one of Anne Rice's best books? No. Is it a thoroughly entertaining story? Yes. Is my current love for it based primarily on my fondness for it as a teen? Probably. Do I still think that anyone who likes books set in Egypt or fans of historical romance Gothic horror novels should give it a try? Absolutely!

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Totally unfair that someone already likened this to a rehash of a boris karloff plot. I thought the same thing! Although not with such negative leanings.

I think that The Mummy comes as close to a romance as Rice is likely to get. And I think what adds to the story for me is that it takes place

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during the Edwardian Era.

Wealthy shipping-magnate-turned-archeologist, Lawrence Stratford, discovers an unusual tomb. The "mummy" inside, in its left-behind notes, claims to be the famed pharaoh Ramses II, despite the tomb's dating only to the first century B.C. (the historical Ramses II died in 1224 B.C.).

Unfortunately, Lawrence unexpectedly falls dead (well, not of natural causes), and while a curse is thought to be the cause, the mummy and other belongings are shipped off to London, placed on temporary display in Lawrence's house before they are taken by the British Museum. And the story takes up from there.

This book is less of an Anne Rice horror novel and more of a Edwardian era romance with Egypt, archaeology, murder and mummies coming to life thrown in. It's escapist fantasy: a contemporary twist on your parents' mummy tale with some alchemy mixed in.

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I picked up this book because I’d read Interview With A Vampire and wasn’t that fussed. I thought I’d give Anne Rice a second chance by picking something completely unrelated.

Julie Stratford’s archaeologist father uncovers the tomb of Ramses the Great, a pharaoh said to be immortal. The

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archaeologist is promptly murdered and the mummy shipped to Julie in early 20th Century England. Ramses revives in time to save Julie from being similarly murdered and the pair fall in love. The remainder of the book is spent introducing Ramses to modern times and keeping the elixir that rendered him immortal from falling into the wrong hands.

I can’t say that I was all that fussed on this book either. It started out well, but there seemed to be no real depth to the characters. They appeared to be more driven by the story rather than the other way around. Nor did they seem to grow at all, unless you count Alex becoming more cynical or Julie becoming more and more the helpless female. Ramses obsession with Cleopatra seemed forced, considering he was supposed to be in love with Julie.

The ending was disappointing, with no real resolution at all. It actually left me wondering whether there was supposed to be a sequel, there were so many loose ends.

All in all, not my cup of tea. It wouldn’t surprise me, though, if it went through a bit of a revival with Twilight being such a big hit and the current surge in popularity that paranormal romance is undergoing.

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Not a bad novel, but not a good one either. I'm not sure what Rice was trying to accomplish here, truthfully. Was this supposed to be scary? It failed miserably if it was. A love story? That seems to be more likely, but instead of love what we really got was magic masquerading as love. Was she just

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trying to tell a good story? Well, the plot really wasn't that good. It had elements of all these things, but succeeding in none of them.

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absolutely better than the vampires and witches. best book she ever wrote, i think!

Ramses the great or damned awakes after two thousand years of sleep in 1920's England to come to the rescue of Julie Stratford the daughter of Lawrence(the archaeologist who discovered his tomb.) Henry (Julie's cousin) was attempting o poison her just like he did her father. Ramses saves her and

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swears to protect her. They fall in love and journey to Cairo so that he can say good-bye to the past and begin a future with Julie who he now loves. While in Cairo he finds the mummy of his greatest love Cleopatra. In a desperate and foolish moment he breaks into the museum and pours the elixir of immortality on her and she awakens, but not as his beloved but as a suffering, confused and selfish replica of his former queen who has a total disregard of human life in her attempt to satisfy her own wants and needs. Can Ramses find a way to stop an immortal queen and not lose the love of his mortal Julie. Great read author makes you feel the the characters suffering,lonliness and devastating responsibility of processing the elixir of immortality.

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The Mummy. We all watched it growing up. The book begins in Egypt in the 1920's with an archeologist on a dig south of Cario where they come across a great tomb and written upon it in three different languages dating thousands of years apart is a warning/curse that to disturb this tomb will wake

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it's occupents whose wrath cannot be contained. This is the resting places of "Ramses the Damned". We learn that Ramses ingested an immortality elixir which he took from the Hittites. Having grown tired, he sleeps for 1000 years when Cleopatra awakes him. He, of course, is in love with her, as were all the great men of the time. He offers her immortality, but instead she opts for sucide instead of being taken as a prisoner to Rome. He awakes in London almost 2000 years later. Ramses exhibits human natures and qualities and falls in love. Though he is enjoying his lofe, Ramses feels that he must avenge the death of the man that found his tomb and he must say to Egypt before he can start a new life. But while in Egypt he finds the body of his one true love. Read the book to find out what happens. This book is not your normal mummy story. I would have rated it 5 stars; but the ending is a bit open, suggesting a sequel.

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One of the best and most eintertaining Old Egypt fictions, where gods and kings and queens reawakened to immortality undergo unbelievable adventures. A pity Mrs. rice never found the time for the promised sequel - it would have been too interesting what became of Ramses and Cleopatra or of Ramses

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and his mortal love, Julie Stratford.

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I really wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I've had a love/hate relationship with Anne Rice's books. I loathed Interview with a Vampire, but people kept telling me to try more, and so I did, and each book I liked a little better. Mind you, I've only read the first half dozen or so of her

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vampire chronicles (and of course the Sleeping Beauty books), so the recent controversies don't come into the equation yet.

Surprisingly, The Mummy is more like a paranormal romance than a horror novel, and probably would have been shelved in the romance section if not for two things: 1) it was written in 1989, before paranormal romance became a hot genre, and 2) it's by Anne Rice, and she's known for horror, so that's where it goes.

Julie Stratford's father was an archaeologist. Shortly after he discovered the mummy of Ramses II (Ramses the Damned), he was murdered by his nephew Henry.

Back in London, Henry tries the same trick on Julie so he can gain control of the family fortune, but Ramses comes to life and stops him.

Ramses is immortal because of an elixir, but he can also lie dormant for a time. It just takes sunlight to awaken him.

Julie and Ramses fall in love, and there are quite a few light-hearted scenes with them trying to explain his sudden presence and to prevent word from leaking out about the mummy come to life. The romance is complicated by Ramses's betrayal by his first love, Cleopatra, and by Julie's assumed betrothal to Alex, whose father, coincidentally, is the one man who has figured out who Ramses is and is determined to get his hands on the elixir.

There's also quite a lot of serious reflection about immortality. Rice had obviously given the subject a lot of thought (unsurprising, since she'd written about angsty immortals before), and the descriptions of the elixir's effects were very dramatic and believable--what happens, for example, if you use the elixir on crops? The subject comes to a head when Ramses finds Cleopatra's mummy and despite his misgivings, uses the elixir to restore what ends up being a murderous fiend.

One of my favorite things about this book is the ending.

It's also a rather open-ended... er... ending. Whether that's to leave room for a sequel, or just to allow the reader's imagination to continue the story, I'm not sure. I suppose I'll look it up eventually.

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An easy, fun read--but it didn't really grab me like I was hoping it would. For one thing, Julie--the heroine is incredible boring and Alex? Zzzzzzz.

The side/supportive characters are where it's at. Elliott, Henry, Ramses and Cleopatra--and Cleopatra is awesome-

Personally, I think a better story

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would have been Ramses and Cleopatra during Cleopatra's time.

Definitely worth reading if you like Anne Rice or ancient Egypt.

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ok I didnt completely finish, actually I just started the book so im no exactly sure what its all about. Well obviously its about a mummy but I cant go into detail. Anne Rice has been one of my favorite Authors because most of her books have a scarry theme to them. People who love horror should

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give this book a try. I really like the book so far!

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Not incredible, but entertaining. I liked it.

Classic Anne Rice, excellent novel. My only complaint was that the killing rampage was a little much. I think that is more about personal taste, though. And I liked that it was a little naughtier than the Interview with a Vampire Chronicles. I can't tell, but did she right a sequel to this

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particular novel, or does it stand alone?

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This was one of the earlier books that I read by Rice. It is a wonderfully told tale full of great characterizations and exceptional imagery. It tells the tale of a love that spans the ages, that even death can't destroy. Female readers will be helpless to fall in love with Ramses, and male readers

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will identify wth his neverending passon.

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A passionate romance that swept me away, again and again each time I read it. Breathtaking. My favourite Anne Rice book.

This was a book highly recommended. It’s also the first Anne Rice I’ve ever read.

After finishing this novel, I’m don’t feel it’s representative of her best work.

Not that it’s that bad. The beginning popped for me and I was thoroughly engrossed in the story and characters. Bascially,

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this is a love story between a mummy brought to live and the daughter of the man who freed him from his tomb.

Sounds…unique. And it is. But to a point.

By the time Ramses and his modern love Julie return to Egypt, I was a little peeved at the way some of the characters and their storyline were being handled. Not to mention feeling that some of the subplots were more distracting than they should have been.

I had to remind myself I’m not reading a piece of literature that requires such scrutiny. In letting go of these prejudices, I did enjoy the read more, but not enough to post a rave review about it.

The last part of the book, just couldn’t keep me page turning like I did in the beginning.

I can see why she’s a popular writer and I look forward to reading the Mayfair witch series. I also cannot wait to finally read Interview With A Vampire.

So this wasn’t a bad introduction and I’m crossing my fingers I learn to like Anne Rice as much as her fans. I see the potential, but time will tell.

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A good way to introduce weird romance into the life of a vicious mummy murderer.

A friend of mine recommended this book to me, telling me that of all of the many Anne Rice books she had read, this one was her favorite, even over the vampire books. Besides this book, the only other book by Rice I've read is interview with the Vampire, and I think in a lot of ways that is the

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more impressive book. Interview with the Vampire had its uneven and downright creepy aspects. But it also had a take on vampires that feels original to me even decades after it was published and having read dozens of vampire books. I don't feel The Mummy quite matches that originality, and yet it is a solid story, arguably more tautly written than Interview and with a much more conventional romance. Not that the novel doesn't have a way of making a hoary movie cliche feel fresh, at making us feel and think through what might be the price of immortality--that it indeed might be more a curse, even a form of damnation for the Earth.

In a way this is a story within a story--with layers of history involved. Set in 1914, on the cusp of the modern age, it deals with the pharaoh Ramses the Great, born a thousand years before the infamous Cleopatra, who nevertheless claims to have been her mentor and lover--to be an immortal. He awakes from his wrappings when British Egyptologist Lawrence Stratford finds where he's been entombed and exposes him once again to sunlight. Ramses becomes "Ramsey" and falls in love with the archeologist's brilliant daughter Julie.

So this novel is a blend of horror, dark fantasy, romance and historical fiction--and an absorbing one. The figure of Ramses himself is quite a character--charismatic and complex. This was a gripping yarn from beginning to end. I don't know that I'd exactly call it a favorite, but I am keeping it on my bookshelf despite my limited space, and would recommend it to lovers of stories of Ancient Egypt and gothic romance. It's entertaining and atmospheric. The ending cries sequel and strikes an ominous note, but doesn't feel abrupt or unfinished to me.

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One of my all time favorite romances.

Not that expected much from Anne Rice, I still expected better than this - a romanticised 'mummy' tale, not much horror and weak characters. The first pages seemed to promise so much, and after reading the whole book, I don't know, I felt cheated from some more interesting intrigue, more action,

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better characters, etc.

I suppose it could pretend to be a basic novel, but the whole thing felt like a 'copy and paste' cliché from old movies, with some modern writing thrown in, and, worse of all, the annoying bland characters make the whole thing suitable for people who actually *don't* like Anne Rice, which is a surprise. The mummy itself, Ramses, ended up looking like a complete Edwardian romantic fop! Maybe our modern tastes have been fashioned to expect strong lead characters and/or plots that would be out of the ordinary, I can't say, but seriously, I had expected to find some Anne Rice in Anne Rice.

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This is one of those books that I can read over and over again.

This was the first book that I ever read with a romantic theme, and I've been hooked ever since. My books don't have to be genre romances, but they'd better have a romantic theme in them. Anyway, I read this when I was a sophomore in high school, and loved it. I wanted to find out if I'd enjoy it

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as much now that I'm thirty-four, and I can say that yes, it was just as good. It can be a bit melodramatic at times, but the action is riveting, and the relationships mesmerizing. Though slow to start, don't give up on this book, because the book is well worth reading even if you have to sludge through a few slow chapters. And I will say that all my romantic heroes are sized up against Ramses even though I was unaware of it until I read this book again, twenty years later. Seems that man never left me. LOL

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This was the first book that I ever read with a romantic theme, and I've been hooked ever since. My books don't have to be genre romances, but they'd better have a romantic theme in them. Anyway, I read this when I was a sophomore in high school, and loved it. I wanted to find out if I'd enjoy it

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as much now that I'm thirty-four, and I can say that yes, it was just as good. It can be a bit melodramatic at times, but the action is riveting, and the relationships mesmerizing. Though slow to start, don't give up on this book, because the book is well worth reading even if you have to sludge through a few slow chapters. And I will say that all my romantic heroes are sized up against Ramses even though I was unaware of it until I read this book again, twenty years later. Seems that man never left me. LOL

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I read this when it originally came out in 1989 and promptly forgot about it. I reread it this week because the second book was just released nearly 30 years later, co-authored by Anne Rice and her son Christopher who signed my copy of the book. I started the second novel and realized I really must

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re-read the first.

So, 30 years later, it is still a disappointing read. The most obnoxious character, Henry Stratford ends up a mummy, several more individuals are given the elixir for immortality and in general, everything was left up in the air in the original conclusion. That being said, it is a fast and somewhat engaging read - the characters of Samir and Elliot Rutherford as well as Ramses himself are interesting characters. And the newly arisen psychotic nature of Cleopatra has potential.

Clearly, given the Vampire Chronicles, Anne Rice is fascinated by the concept of immortality and continues to explore this concept.

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