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saltycorpse's review against another edition
3.0
In many ways The Mummy is atypical of Anne Rice, and yet totally typical. I love that it taps into a genre of film especially that is culturally familiar and tells this engaging story about immorality and history.
That being said, I read this for the first time when I was pretty young, and I don't recall disliking Ramses or Julie as much as I did this time around. I understand that Julie is a woman of her times - and supposedly ahead of her times - but she just irritates me. Her mewling suitor Alex isn't much better, and Ramses is entirely a hedonistic narcissist, which makes he and Julie's sudden monogamy strange.
It's also a bit irritating that Rice glosses over the colonialism and cultural invasion that is pretty inherent in the 'exploration' of Egypt, and 'discovery' of Pharaoh's tombs during this time. She seems to just decide that's a blind spot she can live with, and not even nod to, even though it would've given the novel a lot more depth and added interest - especially with Ramses awakening into an entirely new world - his feelings about Egypt's changes are pretty superficial, and since he's supposed to be this highly intelligent, philosophical immortal man, it seems strange he'd just basically have an emo spell after seeing "modern" Egypt (which is pretty much fixed by sex, of course).
Basically everyone in this novel is annoying as hell, with maybe the exception of Elliott, especially given his romantic partners of the past, and his bizarre half-dead/rotting sex scene with the newly risen Cleopatra.
This is a book that is great for Anne Rice fans. I'm lukewarm on Anne Rice but I really do love her contribution and even foundation-laying of the paranormal/vampire genre.
That being said, I read this for the first time when I was pretty young, and I don't recall disliking Ramses or Julie as much as I did this time around. I understand that Julie is a woman of her times - and supposedly ahead of her times - but she just irritates me. Her mewling suitor Alex isn't much better, and Ramses is entirely a hedonistic narcissist, which makes he and Julie's sudden monogamy strange.
It's also a bit irritating that Rice glosses over the colonialism and cultural invasion that is pretty inherent in the 'exploration' of Egypt, and 'discovery' of Pharaoh's tombs during this time. She seems to just decide that's a blind spot she can live with, and not even nod to, even though it would've given the novel a lot more depth and added interest - especially with Ramses awakening into an entirely new world - his feelings about Egypt's changes are pretty superficial, and since he's supposed to be this highly intelligent, philosophical immortal man, it seems strange he'd just basically have an emo spell after seeing "modern" Egypt (which is pretty much fixed by sex, of course).
Basically everyone in this novel is annoying as hell, with maybe the exception of Elliott, especially given his romantic partners of the past, and his bizarre half-dead/rotting sex scene with the newly risen Cleopatra.
This is a book that is great for Anne Rice fans. I'm lukewarm on Anne Rice but I really do love her contribution and even foundation-laying of the paranormal/vampire genre.
malakhkelevra's review against another edition
3.0
Indubbiamente un bel libro, scritto bene e con una trama non particolarmente originale ma ben fatta.
Però il mito dell'immortalità che la Rice continua a proporre in varie solfe...insomma diventa un pò ripetitivo. Colpi di scena scontati che rendono il libro una piacevola storiella da leggere, ma non certo un emozionante avventura che lascia incollato il lettore alle pagine.
Però il mito dell'immortalità che la Rice continua a proporre in varie solfe...insomma diventa un pò ripetitivo. Colpi di scena scontati che rendono il libro una piacevola storiella da leggere, ma non certo un emozionante avventura che lascia incollato il lettore alle pagine.
marshmalloes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
randommom's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
peppypenguin's review against another edition
4.0
I really adored this book. Masterful writing tied with an extremely suspenseful story full of twists and turns that defied my expectations. The characters were varied and so colourful and diverse. It's a very exciting, passionate read, with interesting philosophical undertones. It left me thinking for some time after I put it down. By the end of it you feel just as exhausted as the characters.
I think the only thing preventing me from giving a full five stars was the fact that while the characters were amazing and had a lot of depth, there was just something about them that made me feel they weren't quite fully formed yet. They seemed too exaggerated in their traits. Perhaps that's part of the beauty of the writing, but it's not something I particularly cared for.
I think the only thing preventing me from giving a full five stars was the fact that while the characters were amazing and had a lot of depth, there was just something about them that made me feel they weren't quite fully formed yet. They seemed too exaggerated in their traits. Perhaps that's part of the beauty of the writing, but it's not something I particularly cared for.
meganlee007's review against another edition
3.0
Typical Anne Rice.
A couple gripes with this one.
I wish Rice had written this with less fluff and romance- this could have been real great.
It was interesting in the beginning but I found it was annoying how quickly the people 'fell in love' or how much people 'loved each other' all the time and suddenly couldn't live without each other.
3 main male characters at one point had had an affair with each other- it just wasn't realistic. I understand her need to write in a gay couple, that's fine, but why does a third party get involved when the man in question is a womanizer? Didn't make any sense to me and that's when I started losing interest.
Julie Stratford- doesn't seem to care that much that her father is dead because Ramses is now the love of her life that she met 5 minutes ago and is the center of there world.
Cleopatra was quite interesting as a monster- she loved to kill and it was fun reading about her healing process as she became whole again. I loved the parts describing of her gaping wounds that wouldn't heal until she had the elixir.
I liked the fact that her and Ramses were real people in Egypt and the imagined story of their immortality.
Overall a pretty ok book- I just wanted to be finished so I can say I read The Mummy and move on to better things... I think I might be finally done with Anne Rice novels.
A couple gripes with this one.
I wish Rice had written this with less fluff and romance- this could have been real great.
It was interesting in the beginning but I found it was annoying how quickly the people 'fell in love' or how much people 'loved each other' all the time and suddenly couldn't live without each other.
3 main male characters at one point had had an affair with each other- it just wasn't realistic. I understand her need to write in a gay couple, that's fine, but why does a third party get involved when the man in question is a womanizer? Didn't make any sense to me and that's when I started losing interest.
Julie Stratford- doesn't seem to care that much that her father is dead because Ramses is now the love of her life that she met 5 minutes ago and is the center of there world.
Cleopatra was quite interesting as a monster- she loved to kill and it was fun reading about her healing process as she became whole again. I loved the parts describing of her gaping wounds that wouldn't heal until she had the elixir.
I liked the fact that her and Ramses were real people in Egypt and the imagined story of their immortality.
Overall a pretty ok book- I just wanted to be finished so I can say I read The Mummy and move on to better things... I think I might be finally done with Anne Rice novels.
lakecake's review against another edition
3.0
I remember liking this book a lot more when I was younger and read it the first time. It's very talky, which doesn't do a lot for the atmosphere, and the ending seems kind of forced. But in the middle it gets going pretty well and is interesting.
alipp's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Historically I’m an Anne Rice fan - have been reading her books for ages but took a break for a few years & im back in!Â
Yes there are the slow moments, but once I got into this I couldn’t stop thinking about it & had to keep going!Â
TheCleopatra character kind of annoyed me but was also fascinating, volatile, and kicked things up a notch. I wish I understood a bit more about her inner world as it was a bit surface level but I understand why.
Yes there are the slow moments, but once I got into this I couldn’t stop thinking about it & had to keep going!Â
The
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
mcfrenret's review against another edition
5.0
No recuerdo cuántas veces releà este libro durante mi adolescencia, pero sà que fueron muchas. Y ahora, con la relectura, esperaba decepcionarme. Mis gustos desde entonces han cambiado bastante, y los últimos libros que leà de Anne Rice me parecieron una bazofia, asà que lo empecé con la impresión de que tal vez tenÃa éste en un pedestal sin merecérselo.
Pues ha resultado que no.
Bueno, en cierto sentido sÃ, por supuesto, porque madre mÃa, Anne Rice, pero por otro lo he disfrutado como cuando tenÃa 15 años, asà que... sÃ, ahà se queda.
Recordaba más de lo que creÃa, y critico más o menos lo mismo que criticaba en su dÃa, aunque fuera uno de mis libros favoritos: la actitud de Julie en cuanto se enamora de Ramsés, los instalove por todas partes, la pasividad y docilidad de Julie, el melodramas supremo que es Ramsés desde que llega al museo de El Cairo y pasa lo que pasa, Julie dejando de ser una mujer inteligente e independiente para ser poco más que un pañuelo lleno de lágrimas y mocos, Ramsés pensando únicamente con la cabeza no pensante...
Básicamente, me encanta la primera mitad del libro. Me EN-CAN-TA. No le tengo ningún pero en ningún sentido. Me encanta la presentación de Ramsés, me encanta Julie y su independencia, me encantan todos y cada uno de los personajes (incluido Henry), la ambientación, las descripciones, el planteamiento de la trama. Me encanta todo eso. Por mÃ, el libro podrÃa terminar justo antes de llegar al museo de El Cairo, y serÃa prácticamente perfecto. Porque lo que viene después no me gustó tanto, y la culpa la tiene, más que nada, el desarrollo de sus protagonistas. Porque lo demás que ocurre sà me gusta. Y los nuevos personajes también. Y cómo acaba todo, también.
Ahora bien, hay una cosa que me ha rechinado mucho y ha sido sobre el personaje de Cleopatra. Anne Rice critica en el propio libro la idea de Cleopatra que se ha tenido durante muchÃsimo tiempo, tanto sobre su personalidad y sus logros como sobre su fÃsico, para luego ir y caer ella misma en esos mismos clichés que criticaba, más propios de Hollywood que de la historia real. Que sÃ, que todos los personajes de Anne Rice son anatómicamente perfectos y de una belleza manifiesta y muy seductores y blablabla, y Cleopatra no iba a ser menos, pero ay la hipocresÃa, Anne Rice.
(Y que conste que el personaje de Cleopatra también me encanta.)
Que la relectura ha venido a cuento de que por fin puedo echarle mano a la secuela. Aunque voy con las expectativas muy bajas porque… en fin. Ya veremos. Pero la relectura de La momia ha merecido la pena.
Pues ha resultado que no.
Bueno, en cierto sentido sÃ, por supuesto, porque madre mÃa, Anne Rice, pero por otro lo he disfrutado como cuando tenÃa 15 años, asà que... sÃ, ahà se queda.
Recordaba más de lo que creÃa, y critico más o menos lo mismo que criticaba en su dÃa, aunque fuera uno de mis libros favoritos: la actitud de Julie en cuanto se enamora de Ramsés, los instalove por todas partes, la pasividad y docilidad de Julie, el melodramas supremo que es Ramsés desde que llega al museo de El Cairo y pasa lo que pasa, Julie dejando de ser una mujer inteligente e independiente para ser poco más que un pañuelo lleno de lágrimas y mocos, Ramsés pensando únicamente con la cabeza no pensante...
Básicamente, me encanta la primera mitad del libro. Me EN-CAN-TA. No le tengo ningún pero en ningún sentido. Me encanta la presentación de Ramsés, me encanta Julie y su independencia, me encantan todos y cada uno de los personajes (incluido Henry), la ambientación, las descripciones, el planteamiento de la trama. Me encanta todo eso. Por mÃ, el libro podrÃa terminar justo antes de llegar al museo de El Cairo, y serÃa prácticamente perfecto. Porque lo que viene después no me gustó tanto, y la culpa la tiene, más que nada, el desarrollo de sus protagonistas. Porque lo demás que ocurre sà me gusta. Y los nuevos personajes también. Y cómo acaba todo, también.
Ahora bien, hay una cosa que me ha rechinado mucho y ha sido sobre el personaje de Cleopatra. Anne Rice critica en el propio libro la idea de Cleopatra que se ha tenido durante muchÃsimo tiempo, tanto sobre su personalidad y sus logros como sobre su fÃsico, para luego ir y caer ella misma en esos mismos clichés que criticaba, más propios de Hollywood que de la historia real. Que sÃ, que todos los personajes de Anne Rice son anatómicamente perfectos y de una belleza manifiesta y muy seductores y blablabla, y Cleopatra no iba a ser menos, pero ay la hipocresÃa, Anne Rice.
(Y que conste que el personaje de Cleopatra también me encanta.)
Que la relectura ha venido a cuento de que por fin puedo echarle mano a la secuela. Aunque voy con las expectativas muy bajas porque… en fin. Ya veremos. Pero la relectura de La momia ha merecido la pena.