Unfortunately I didn't love this book as much as the rest of the Anne Rice novels I've read in the past. I wanted to love it, but the characters fell short for me. There was no depth in this story.

The Passion of Cleopatra is the sequel to Anne Rice’s novel The Mummy, originally published in 1989. The sequel was just published in November, but I very much enjoyed it. In order to read it, I had to read the original novel, and I must say that, while both were enjoyable, I enjoyed the sequel far more. If you haven’t read The Mummy, you may want to avoid this review (I’m not going to try and be spoiler-y, but it’s kind of inevitable).
Picking up pretty much where the last novel left off, the premise of this novel is mostly about Ramses (yes, ancient Egyptian pharaoh) living his life with Julie, and also worrying about Cleopatra (yes, ancient Egyptian queen) popping up. While I don’t really think she’s the threat he does, I expected this aspect based on happenings near the end of the first novel. Also in play are other ancients, a queen older than Egypt and her traitorous prime minister, who have opposing desires regarding the elixir of life, and a young woman who mysteriously fits in. All of these stories intersect as the novel goes on, and come to a cohesive story, and also leave it open enough for additional books, which I would welcome.

The overall plot of the novel is pretty simplistic, but I really enjoyed that it jumped right into the action, whereas the original novel took a few hundred pages to get to more horror, action-y things. All of the set-up in that novel, however, pays off very well in this one. There’s very little to be bored at here, and alternating perspectives help the reader piece together some of the mystery long before the players do. I felt like the alternating perspectives were done better here than in the first novel as well, with much clearer delineation of whose POV we are reading when. All of the POV characters are interesting and I love that they each had distinctive voices. I do really wish we would’ve seen more of Elliott in this book, as I rather liked him in the first, but I’ll just have to hope for future installments.

I also loved the poignancy in the writing, which is something I’ve always admired about Rice. Immortality is hard to deal with, I would assume, and the Rices do a very good job illuminating some of the presumptive struggles and challenges such a life would bring. Some of the characters handle it with brutality, some with grace, and some with a little bit of both. I also appreciated the interactions between the characters, and the formation of what feels a little like a family.

I would recommend reading the original novel if you haven’t yet, because without it, this one does not make much sense. If you are an Anne Rice fan, I do recommend this one for its action and characters and lovely writing, and let’s all keep our fingers crossed that the next installment will come in fewer than 28 years.

Note: I received a copy of this book from Netgalley & the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The first Ramses was a lot better. I was expecting this to be just as good and it wasn't

Long-awaited sequel to Anne Rice's 'The Mummy'
I couldn't be more of a fan of this author and was thrilled to receive a copy of this title for review. Anything written by Rice is an automatic 5* for me, I just love to throw myself into the stories she creates.
Long live the queen of the supernatural genre.

When I was asked if I wanted an advanced copy of this book, I jumped at the chance. I’ve been a huge Anne Rice fan since I picked up a well-loved copy of Interview with a Vampire at a garage sale when I was about 12 years old. (I still have that paperback, and it is still in the exact same shape it was then…on the verge of disintegration.)


Too Soon?

Anyway, I picked up the book and dove in, not realizing until I was about halfway through that this was the second in a series. (I maybe found out because I’d been bragging about my advanced copy, and that was pretty much instant karma.)

The good news is, I didn’t really feel that there was such a lack of depth and worldbuilding that I didn’t know what was going on in this book. There was enough of the backstory present to make curious about the details that came before and to make me comfortable that I was running in the dark with a story I didn’t know enough about.

The story is, as to be expected, elaborate, slow-building, and meandering. There is a lot of detail, and at times it’s easy to get bogged down in all the things. It was a slower read than usual (I’m generally a very speedy reader), but it was still gorgeous, intriguing, and gripping.


Beautiful immortals doing rich, immortal things

I enjoyed the duality of Cleopatra and Sibyl, even with the too on-the-nose name, loved the story of Ramses and Julia, but gotta admit, all my love was for Bektaten and her immortal cat (who, presumably, as learned to use a toilet by now).


Staying with the Rice world, as much as I can



The second half of the book is where the action really picked up, and about 70% in is where I hit “can’t put it down” stage. Don’t get me wrong – I was interested in the entire story, but I wasn’t “oops, I missed my bus stop” into it until 2/3 of the way through. Finding out the answer to the Sibyl/Cleopatra mystery and how it would be resolved (for I carried such deep, deep sympathy for the mad, resurrected queen) was really the point of the whole book, but not something that seemed to be front and center for the first half.





If I had to do it all over again, I would definitely read the first book in the series first, and I definitely would still feel the same deep satisfaction whe Saqnos makes his choice. *no spoilers*

The ending wasn’t as satisfying as I’d prefer, but overall, I’ve no complaints. The story was rich and complex, the characters well-developed and capable of creating great feeling in me, and the world was intriguing and overall, beyond satisfactory.

“The vision receded, leaving her breathless… Only she wasn’t alone. She heard a voice, clear and gentle, speaking to her across the connection that had changed the course of her life.
Come back…”

I did not like the beginning at all, the writing had a very old-fashioned, stilted feel at first and I thought I had make a huge mistake to pick up Rice again after such a long time. But once Ramses popped up, the story moved more smoothly for me.

The alternating POVs of the various main characters made it lively and added a nice tension to the story. The brief recaps of the previous book's plot were nicely done and fitted in well.

It took me a bit to like the story, but especially the unfolding tale of Sibyl made me want to continue. Some nice little twists in an overall predictable plot. Enough suspense and mystery to make me fear for some of the characters briefly.

Unfortunately, once the main plot hade been resolved, the last third of the book became a rambling discourse of the meaning of life, souls, heaven and hell that I could have done without. I was also not entirely satisfied with the way the various storylines were resolved. The happy-for-now ending of the main couple was to be expected, but Sibyl's story petered out pretty listlessly. Lots of potential for at least three more books. That I am unlikely to pick up.

I received this free e-copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra by Anne and Christopher Rice continues the story of the immortal Ramses the Great, a former Pharaoh of Egypt. I read The Mummy decades ago and forgot most but a vague outline if the story. All major plot points in The Mummy are refreshed when relevant to Ramses the Damned. In no way did I feel lost reading the second book this far from the first. I imagine any reader just starting with this installment would not need to read the first to enjoy it.

Ramses and his newly immortal fiancee Julie learn of Cleopatra's escape from the fire they thought ended her existence. Cleopatra is desperate to learn more about the strange things happening to her since her resurrection, driving her to confront Rames after he abandoned her. As Cleopatra nears Rames and Julie, other Immortals reveal themselves. Without knowing the intent of these individuals, Ramses, Julie, and Cleopatra must decide who best to align themselves with to remain safe.

It has been some time since I read an Anne Rice novel. This book was an excellent reminder of how much I enjoy her supernatural beings. The characters were sympathetic in a very human way. They are all trying to find a sense of self, belonging, and humanity, especially those with the gift of immortality. The subject of reincarnation of the soul is a prominent one. My favorite part of this story was how this relates to Cleopatra. Ramses and Cleopatra are everything you would believe ancient Egyptian royalty to be. The addition of Bektaten and Saqnos stirred things up for the characters in a thrilling, edge of your seat kind of way. I almost wanted to just hang out with these characters in their original timeline. Aristocratic England, or even America, in 1914 is not my favorite setting.

The authors paint a very vivid picture when describing their scenes. Instead of a character crumpling a piece of paper an tossing it, one reads this -

“So she took the newspaper clipping and crumpled it in her fist as one might a dispatch from an enemy in war. Then, once she had crushed it into a ball, she dropped it to the floor.”

This attention to detail does an excellent job of immersing one in the world. I am however more of a big picture reader. The new Immortals/ characters introduced paired with the vivid descriptions, was a minor cause of frustration for me. I got a bit bogged down by it on occasion. Getting to the point where all the characters intersected was mildly tedious. In the end, the side stories were necessary, and once everyone's lives came together, it was worth it.

Overall I was very pleased with this book. It made me nostalgic for Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. All opinions are my own and may not match that of others. I encourage all readers to come to their own conclusions. I voluntarily received an ARC copy of this book through NetGalley.

The Mummy or Ramses the Damned is my favorite Anne Rice novel, with Memnoch the Devil, The Tale of the Body Thief and Merrick being my 2nd, 3rd and 4th favorites, respectively. When I was in middle school, (Junior High!) I read every novel and biography of Cleopatra that I could find in my school's library as well as the public library in my town. Years later, when Anne Rice published a book called The Mummy, I was thrilled! What better than a novel about Egypt? Soooo, I was beyond excited to read this second installment, called Ramses the Damned, The Passion of Cleopatra.
This new book is very well written and the story is compelling while we see what is happening with Julie, Ramses and Alex. I didn't rip through this novel like I did The Mummy so many years ago, but it is still good. It begins pretty much where the last book left off, perhaps a few months later. New characters are introduced (Bektaten, Saqnos and my favorite, Sibyl Parker), and older characters have brief appearances (hello Elliot). Many questions are answered in this novel that were not addressed in the first. If you are a fan of The Mummy, know that the writing is actually better here, but there are more characters, a slightly more complicated plot, and less of Anne's trademark sensuality. It's not necessary to have read the first book to enjoy this one, but I think it would be advisable. The Passion of Cleopatra has a grand story-line and now that I've completed reading it, I'm thinking perhaps it is to set the stage for what will be a series? Oh gosh, I hope so! I really would love to see Cleopatra as the lead character in the 3rd installment! Please Anne and Christopher? :)
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Anchor Books for the opportunity to read this novel. Also, thank you to Anne Rice for sharing her imagination with the world. I am so grateful.

This was a fantastic book! This mother, son team did not disappoint!

First: If you have not read book 1 The Mummy then you need to stop here and get it and make sure you are as enamored by this story as I was and still am (this is a sequel that took almost 7 years to be written)

I am not going to talk to much about the story itself, the synopsis and other reviewers are doing that, I want to talk about the whole story that is told in 2 books that took 7-8 years or more to write. I consider this combined story a bit of a masterpiece, there was nothing to scan because you were afraid you would miss something, the characters were riveting and the multiple plots converging was masterful and exceptional.

Both books shared a similar multiple plot style merging and culminating in some event, I loved it and most authors could not have pulled it off. I am not a big Anne Rice fan and sadly these 2 books and her masterpiece Interview with the Vampire are still the only books of hers I would tell anyone to spend their money on but these 3 are worth every penny.

3.5 stars

Ramses the Great, former pharaoh of Egypt became an immortal after drinking the elixir of life. He is engaged and living in Edwardian England with his finance Julie. Julie has changed recently, and no one seems to know why her eyes are now bright blue. Ramses and his immortal finance are not the only immortals - Cleopatra was resurrected when Ramses gave her the elixir, but something is not quite right with her. She is having issues with her memory and a romance writer who has been having visions her entire life is suddenly experiencing what Cleopatra experiences. There are a couple more ancient characters in this book...one which was my favorite- the ancient Queen who has the garden, the elixir, potions and last but not least a pet cat.

This book was difficult to get into. The Author's took a lot of time to build their story and I found myself losing interest and turning to other books to read. This book did not pick up for me until over halfway through - then things started to get interesting. That is when the book earned its 3.5 stars from me. There is a lot going on in this book - present lovers, past lovers, queens, Pharaohs, back stabbing, attempts to find the elixir, those with the elixir, conflict death, revenge, etc.

Anne Rice and her son Christopher wrote this book together. I wish the beginning would have had more action or more "something" because the last part of the book delivered. There is a hump that one needs to get over in reading this book - the slow beginning.

Thank you to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group - Anchor and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have always been a lover of Anne Rice books. This one was something I really wanted to like however I could not stay focused on it. Possibly me more than the actual story line itself but I had a hard time pushing through to the end. As with most Anne Rice novels, this book was filled with details. The main characters are drawn to each other and awaken due to the effects on an ancient elixir. With anything ancient, it never comes free and never without something far more powerful controlling the outcome from the shadows.

Years ago I loved Anne Rice's book The Mummy: Ramses the Damned. The story of a famed Egyptian Pharoah returning to life was chilling, yet totally engaging. It didn't hurt that the now immortal pharoah was incredibly sexy too. When I saw that this new book was coming out....bringing back Ramses and adding in Cleopatra....I was on board immediately. Oh yeah. No question....just gimme the book and I'm reading it! :)

Even though I initially read The Mummy years ago when it first came out, I was easily able to jump into this new story. There was enough background and history given in the first sections of the book to remind me what happened in the first story. The basics: Ramses is preparing to marry his fiance, but makes the poor decision to revive the mummy of Cleopatra first. Cleopatra struggles with the changes in the world and how she will fit into it....and, well......things don't go well. I"m not going to say much more because.....no spoilers from me! Read the book!

If you haven't read The Mummy...you can choose to go back and read that initial book first....or just jump in with this new one. There is plenty of background and explanation given to explain what happened to Ramses in the first novel. It's a great book....I highly recommend it to all fans of the creepy cool stories Anne Rice writes. This new novel is a collaboration with her son, Christopher.

Not sure if there will be more to this story down the road.....I just hope it doesn't take quite so long this time. I was completely stoked when I saw this book was coming out! When you read a book in 1989 and still remember how good it was in 2017......that's a good book! Keep 'em coming, Anne & Christopher! Great story! And the cover art is fantastic!

I did not realize Christopher Rice was a bestselling author. I enjoyed this book and I'm going to check out some of his thrillers! For more info on his books,check out his website: http://www.christopherricebooks.com/

Check out Anne's website as well: http://www.annerice.com/

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Knopf Doubleday via NetGalley. All opinions are entirely my own.**

Anne and Christopher Rice give us the tale of Ramses the Damned : the Passion of Cleopatra. The former pharaoh, immortal Ramses became a councillor to many pharaohs of Egypt until Cleopatra. He then slept until awakened during Edwardian England and in this tale is announcing his engagement to an Englishwoman, Julia, whom he gave the elixir of life to. Cleopatra has reawakened and is damaged. There is also another Queen from the distant past who intrigues. Plots within plots. Read and enjoy

I half expected vampires.. Anne Rice must love Egypt! I really had to slow down and savor this novel. It's been a while since I've read Anne Rice.. and I didn't realize she had started a new series! lol. Silly me. Somehow, I missed it. Luckily, the book tells the reader more than enough of what they may have missed in earlier chapters. I was absolutely enthralled of Cleopatra! To just imagine her walking around the world today.. WOW! I love how her "soul" has moved on.. and she is unsure of who she really is.. but, is connected to her soul.. even though it now resides in a young American author. A fascinating read.. that most readers will enjoy from beginning to end!

I do wish we were given the recipe of the elixir.. I'd love to whip up a batch for myself!

Planning a wedding to his newly immortal partner Julie, Ramses the Great has much to regret and much to look forward to. Now living life as Reginald Ramsay, Egyptologist, Ramses has kept his secrets to a chosen few and has found fresh hope in the modern age of the early 19th century. Always the diplomatic negotiator, Ramses intends never to waste his immortality again on steering the outcomes of those in power. It is enough to have his beloved Julie as his immortal companion, and the company of those intelligent and talented enough to amuse.

It is the last Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, who could bring this new life of his tumbling down. Resurrected by Ramses, Cleopatra is as tantalizing as ever but her memories are not what they were. There is another, an American writer, who is sharing Cleopatra's experiences during frightening fugues, seeing the past and present through the eyes of her ancient other.

An even more ancient and powerful queen who holds the secrets of the elixer watches them all - and waits.

If like this reviewer you haven't read an Anne Rice novel for some years, what you might also be anticipating is some lovely floral prose that waxes lyrical about everything from flowers to landscapes. The glorious wallowing can be a bit of an acquired taste and all that navel gazing can come at the expense of plot.
As lovingly gothic and melodramatic the characters may still be, it was an absolute treat to experience Rice's creation King Ramses once again. It's been a long time since we saw his blue eyes on lurid paperback covers way back in 1989. THE MUMMY was gleefully passed around many an office worker back in the day, with all Anne Rice fans anticipating another lust worthy brat in the vein (pardon the pun) of Lestat from the Vampire Chronicles. (Can you believe that we first encountered Lestat in 1976?). Ramses too has had hundreds of years of past plots and relationships to mull over in his noble head, whilst playing God with the ability to keep others young forever, in the same manner as his hedonistic and pompous self.

In the winning fashion of why having one rockstar deity in your novel when you can have two, Rice and Rice have put two giants of history, King Ramses and Queen Cleopatra in the same work. Check your reality at the door of course, as despite having a wig out at the museum and dousing Queen Cleopatra with the immortal elixir, Ramses then sails forth into the world and creates a modern day identity and promptly exposes his baby blues to the social circuit. As one does, when you want to stay safe from scrutiny.

So we're not big on plot planning here but there are many gloriously overblown conversations, angsty experiences and swoon worthy immortals swanning about thinking furiously about what is to come next. Ramses is curiously toothless in this outing, compared to how fierce he was in the first book. More a brooder here than a doer.
The passion of Cleopatra isn't of the between-the-sheets kind as it turns out, but more that she has rediscovered her desire to live.

It was lovely to visit with Ramses once again, and as a co-authored book, you do wonder whose input we will see more of in future works of the (now continuing) series. One for the fans, but not a book you'd recommend for a reader who has never experienced the richness of the works of Anne Rice before. Once you have immersed yourself in the unrestrained narcissism of the immortals, it's an easy and pleasant reading experience just to ride along with their greatness just once again.

I love Anne Rice and so I was slightly disapointed by Ramses the Damned. Since I was a teen I have been enthrawled by Anne Rice's writing and devoured anything in front of me. However, I found this piece a bit lacking. It had a bit of a slow start which I have come to expect however this one never picked up and after I finished I was left wanting and not in the PLEASE GIVE ME MORE! kind of way but in the that was it? kind of way.

I found that the characters lacked depth and were unrealistic and the plot was dull. I honestly put it down multiple times so that I could read something else because I found that I was rereading the same page over and over in a sort of dazed way.

These opinions are my own and I expect that there are hundreds of people that enjoyed it. I am just not one of them.


Characters - 2. The characters almost felt like afterthought instead of integrated parts of the plot

Plot - 2. No just no

Addictiveness - 1.

Thank you to NetGalley, Anne Rice, Christopher Rice, and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the ARC of Ramses the Damned. I'm sorry to say that I just could not get into this book. It's rare that I put a book down for a lengthy amount of time, but unfortunately, it took me many attempts to finish this book. Maybe I had genre burnout because it's not that I didn't enjoy the story. It was interesting and well written. Because this seems to be a personal problem, I give the book four stars. I just wish it had held my interest more.

Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra is the latest release by iconic author Anne Rice and her author son Christopher Rice, and it should satisfy fans of her earlier works.

This book is actually the much-anticipated sequel to Anne Rice's 2011 novel, The Mummy, and picks up with the characters shorty after the end of that book. But thankfully, you don't have to have read The Mummy to get swept up with the story of Ramses and Cleopatra.

Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra is slow to get going, but once all the multiple plotlines converge, it's a can't-put-down story.

We've waited entirely too long for this book, but it does not disappoint. It picks up right where the first one left off. All of the characters are back and some are better than before.