The Jewel of Seven Stars
by
Bram Stoker
The fabled Jewel of Seven Stars has been stolen and the ancient Egyptian queen Tera has risen from her tomb to take it back — at any cost! The author of Dracula wrote this enthralling novel of a mummy's curse, a spellbinding blend of Eastern lore and classic horror fiction.
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
October 22nd 2009
by Dover Publications
(first published 1903)
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1st, let's get this misunderstanding out of the way that Bram Stoker invented the Mummy story ("the curse of the Egyptian mummy formula which it introduced" - Keith Deutsch's afterward in the edition I have; "He did invent the Mummy story, and this is the book that started it." - a quote from another Goodreads review). Theophile Gautier, a French author who died in 1872 (long before "The Jewel of Seven Stars" was written & published) wrote "One of Cleopatra's ...more
I had initially been interested at the idea of reading this book because I knew nothing about it. I have read Dracula, but most people are familiar with it's storyline never having read it themselves. I will say that as I was reading the book I was proactively trying to think out the plot in advance to try to guess what the conclusion would be. So I was initially captivated by its mystery and intrigue. Unfortunately, I was disappointed in the ending...because nothing happened. I guess movie...more
So... yeah. I read Dracula recently and was very impressed. I enjoyed the first person narrative and started looking for other books by Stoker. I am not a horror buff in the least. In fact, I will change the channel, leave the room,leave the theatre just because I don't find scaring myself that entertaining. Oh, the masochistic masses. Anyway, I did enjoy The Mummy popcorn flick and figured, why not see if this book was anything like the movie...
I wasted days on this book. days. DAY...more
I wasted days on this book. days. DAY...more
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The Jewel of Seven Stars is a flawed yet compelling book by Stoker. I have found stoker creates interesting female characters, especially for the era in which he lived. They are often educated brave and profoundly forward thinking and at other times (or in other characters) in need of saving.
The plot involves a man in a mysterious trance after a mysterious attack all of which seems to be linked to the Egyptian artifacts he has spent his life studying. As in Dracula, Stoker is intere...more
The plot involves a man in a mysterious trance after a mysterious attack all of which seems to be linked to the Egyptian artifacts he has spent his life studying. As in Dracula, Stoker is intere...more
Wanda
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Those looking for a good Halloween read
This was a good book. I really had not read anything beyond Dracula by Bram Stoker; however, I stumbled upon this one at feedbooks.com (a great website for free downloadable ebooks).
There are points in the book where the author bogs you down with his over-Egyptian information regarding mummy, the mummification process, etc. But, for me, I love all things Egyptian (I find it fascinating) and I appreciated the abundance of information.
There are the usual suspects - a ...more
There are points in the book where the author bogs you down with his over-Egyptian information regarding mummy, the mummification process, etc. But, for me, I love all things Egyptian (I find it fascinating) and I appreciated the abundance of information.
There are the usual suspects - a ...more
I loved Dracula, of course, but Stoker didn't invent the Vampire story. He did invent the Mummy story, and this is the book that started it. If you are an afficianado of Stoker's this is worth the time, but there are whole chapters that digress into lectures on the science of the Egyptians that owe more to esoteric tradition than to the referenced Wallace Budge. Stoker's endings can seem like shaggy dog stories. I've read at least two different endings to this one--one version seems to ...more
I 1st purchased it because I'm crazy about ancient Egypt, and the novella was in ( Return from the Dead ) selected and introduced by David Stuart Davies about tales of mysteries and the supernaturals. The author had obviously been exposed to the Egyptian mythology, and had a great experience in this field.
The story was very detailed, there was even unnecessary details in my opinion. And the love scenes or parts or whatever was hugely ridiculous! I actually laughed at them.
Especially w...more
The story was very detailed, there was even unnecessary details in my opinion. And the love scenes or parts or whatever was hugely ridiculous! I actually laughed at them.
Especially w...more
There are two endings to this book and I have problems with both of them. The unhappy ending, I have no idea what happened. Although I do like the last line of the end. Creepy and sad. The happy ending isn't much better. Doesn't jive with the rest of the book. Too bad. I liked most of the book itself the endings were just strange, and not in a good way. But Dracula was the same way. I mean he died from a guy sticking a knife in his heart? What about the wooden stake? Maybe Mr. Stoker just co...more
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Boooriiinngg... If you've ever read anything about writing fiction, I'd say one of the first rules you come across is 'show, don't tell.' Well, this is book is a prime example of how NOT to write a novel (at least in contemporary terms). It's basically a living room drama, with neverending dicussions (telling) about this and that. There is barely any action (showing) at all. One pistol shot or a tedious description of a character reading a book hardly counts as 'action' in any gripping sense. I ...more
Amy
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
People who love to be scared
Recommended to Amy by:
no one
Shelves:
favorite-reads,
past-read
This is a marvelous little-known novel by the father of European Gothic literature, Bram Stoker.
There's a delicious little murder mystery, gorgeously vivid images, and all kinds of Victorian charm.
I was spurred to read this novel (which I did in one sitting, one dark, cool night in college) when I learned that Victorians were intrigued by all things Egyptian in America in those days, and Stoker tapped into that fascination beautifully. It's perfect for anybody who loves a...more
There's a delicious little murder mystery, gorgeously vivid images, and all kinds of Victorian charm.
I was spurred to read this novel (which I did in one sitting, one dark, cool night in college) when I learned that Victorians were intrigued by all things Egyptian in America in those days, and Stoker tapped into that fascination beautifully. It's perfect for anybody who loves a...more
This was a book of two halves... I loved the start, got really into it, then it almost seemed like Bram Stoker got bored of it himself near the middle. The plot whittled away the further into the book you go, whilst the language took the other path and became far too bloated. After the great build-up, it could've been so much better...
Better story than Stoker's more famous "Dracula" and an early telling of the resucitated mummy stories. The characters were great and much more interesting to me than the characters in "Dracula" and the style was not in the same "diary entry" format as "Dracula", which I liked better.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
A mummy story from Bram Stoker...fairly decent in terms of building suspense, and interesting from a historical perspective in terms of all of the reverence towards assorted psychic phenomena that were taken as either proven or sure to be scientifically proven in the near future.
I found this a refreshing visit to the Egyptian-themed story. Compared to the action-packed movies, this is a quieter confrontation with the supernatural forces of mummies and ancient curses. Parts are a little slow, but overall, I liked this book -- especially Sylvio, the cat.
Not even close to being as awesome as Dracula. The story drags on and on, the characters are rather flat, the suspense doesn't grip you and the ending was just flat out anticlimactic. Don't waste your afternoon.
The book had a really great set-up . . . thousands of years old mummy, dark magic, creepy London setting, Egyptologists and a beautiful girl in danger. It built up to a suspenseful climax and then . . . nothing.
I did like this book, tense at times, mysterious, creepy- but the ending was rewritten and there's a note about it and i have to say i was a bit confused by the finish. Now i want to go check out tales of mummies :)
This novel was absolutely horrible. It draged on for what seemed like eternity, I kept falling asleep from boredom while reading it, and I never could get into it. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
It was not nearly as good as Dracula. It was still scary, but the ending felt really abrupt. I'm still wondering if the copy I had was missing the last chapter.
I confess that I found myself attracted to this book because of the Egyptian theme. Stoker didn't overly impress me with Dracula, but now I find myself loving him as an author thanks to this book. I found it to be an engaging story with mystery and romance mixed into the literary formula. Truly it was difficult to put this book down and even after I finished it, I had to fight the urge to return to the first page and begin reading this novel again! Of all the books that I have read so far this y...more
Stoker is best known for 'Dracula,' of course. But this is a nice period piece that has been made into two movies over the last 30 years.
Victorians resurrect a mummy. As mediocre books go, this has been surprisingly influential.
Decent Victorian-era horror novel where people sit around and talk a lot. Also, this novel reinforces my general belief that all Victorian men were not only perverted weirdos but hypocrites about it, too.
I'm glad to have read the unabridged version of "The Jewel of Seven Stars," including the chapter "Powers—Old & New," but I still wish the second half of the novel had been more in keeping with the first half.
3.5 stars.If you are into all things egyptian, then this is the book for you.Slow to read due to the language, good story though, considering it was written a while back.Not easy beach reading but not bad anyway.....
recommended to read by a LA prof when I was flying from Monroe, LA to SLC mar 7, 2009
A mysterious book with the wonderful quote: "What would become of us all, poor atoms of earthly dust whirled in the wind which cometh whence and goeth whither no man may know."
The story can be split into two halves. A barrister (attorney) is drawn into a who-dun-it mystery at the Trelawny household. Next, the Great Experiment with the mummy of Queen Tera... Really gripping stuff, IMHO.
Bram Stoker wrote two endings to this, and it's well worth reading both. ...more
The story can be split into two halves. A barrister (attorney) is drawn into a who-dun-it mystery at the Trelawny household. Next, the Great Experiment with the mummy of Queen Tera... Really gripping stuff, IMHO.
Bram Stoker wrote two endings to this, and it's well worth reading both. ...more
Neil
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Neil by:
Bev Heath-Coleman
Shelves:
bookeen
Egyptology, mystery, history, magic - good plot, well told
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He was born Abraham Stoker in 1847 at 15 Marino Crescent – then as now called "The Crescent" – in Fairview, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland. His parents were Abraham Stoker and the feminist Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornely. Stoker was the third of seven children. Abraham and Charlotte were members of the Clontarf Church of Ireland parish and attended the parish church (St. John the ...more
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