Page Count:  398

Author:  Anne Rice

Publisher:  Ballantine Books, New York

ISBN:  0-345-36994-7

Category:  Fiction

Genre:  Suspense/Drama/Horror

Dove's (Personal) Review:  Hypnotic! Captivating! Seductive! Exhilarating! Thrilling! One of Rice's best! A real masterpiece!
     Lawrence Stratford, an Archaeologist, uncovers a huge find while digging around in Egypt. A mummy! A very famous mummy! Ramses the Damned; Ramses the Great; Ramses the Immortal! Ramses, Cleopatra's lover!
     Unfortunately, Lawrence is murdered shortly after his discovery, cutting his "fifteen minutes of fame" short. All treasures - including the mummy - are shipped to Julie Stratford, Lawrence's daughter.
     Now in London, the mummified Ramses is placed in direct sunlight. Sunlight, we soon discover, is the key to awakening Ramses from his thousand-year nap.
     A millennium ago, the love of his life - Cleopatra - met her fate in the form of an Asp. She was bitten by the snake, later dying from it's poison. Ramses, distraught with grief, can't go on without her. He'd prefer to kill himself, but thanks to a miraculous elixir he ingested, he's now immortal, doomed to live forever. Since death isn't within his grasp, he locks himself up - away from all sunlight - where he "sleeps" until discovered by Lawrence.
     "Awake" in London, he learns from his new teacher Julie about this "new day and age" that surrounds him; the language, the clothing, the food, the music, the people, the machinery. It's all alien to him, but - as luck would have it - he learns fast.
     Experiencing his first bout with homesickness, he yearns to return to Egypt, to Cairo... back to the Nile, to the desert and to the great pyramids: To pray to the sun-god Ra, and to worship at the feet of the Sphinx.
     Julie understands his pain to return home, and agrees to accompany him. Alex (Julie's fiance), Elliot (Alex's father), Rita (Julie's maid), and Samir (Lawrence's servant and friend) end up going to Egypt also, to keep their eye on this "Ramsey" fellow. Elliot and Samir know Ramses's "immortal" secret, and don't want him getting too far out of their clutches. Elliot secretly dreams of "living forever," while Samir wishes only to serve a true King.
     While in Egypt, they decide to take a museum tour. In this particular museum, Ramses comes face to face with another mummy who he immediately recognizes as Cleopatra. In shock over his discovery, he reaches for the "eternal life" potion, and smears it all over the mummified Cleopatra. She wakes up, but Ramses is horrified at what he sees. He realizes - too late - what he's done, and soon regrets his actions.
     There's something up with Cleopatra. She's not herself. In fact, she's completely "mad." The amount of potion that Ramses gave her was only enough to bring her body back to life, not her [whole] mind. As Cleopatra wreaks havoc throughout Egypt, Ramses and his gang try to capture her before all Hell breaks loose.
     I just can't tell you anymore of the story. You must read it for yourself! Anne Rice's "The Mummy" is an incredible journey through history, with a very imaginative twist! You have to read this one! It's fantastic!!!
     TWO-THUMBS-UP, GOLD STAR!!!!!!!!!