The Book of the Dead

by Jared Shurin (Editor), Garen Ewing (Illustrator), Maurice Broaddus

The Book of the Dead addresses the most fascinating of all the undead: the mummy. With 19 brand new stories ranging from the humorous to the horrific, this is the definitive collection of this classic creature.

The mummy can be a figure of imperial dignity or one of shambling terror, at home in pulp adventure, contemporary drama, or apocalyptic horror - all explored in depth by Gail Carriger, Paul Cornell, Jesse Bullington, Maria Dahvana Headley, Maurice Broaddus, Lou Morgan, Molly Tanzer, Will Hill and many, many more.

The anthology is published in collaboration with the Egypt Exploration Society, the UK's oldest independent funder of archaeological fieldwork and research in Egypt, dedicated to the promotion and understanding of ancient Egyptian history and culture.

Contents:
Introduction: "Some Words from an Egyptologist" by John J. Johnston (Egypt Exploration Society)
"Ramesses on the Frontier" by Paul Cornell
"Escape from the Mummy's Tomb" by Jesse Bullington
"Old Souls" by David Thomas Moore
"Her Heartbeat, An Echo" by Lou Morgan
"Mysterium Tremendum" by Molly Tanzer
"Tollund" by Adam Roberts
"The Curious Case of the Werewolf that Wasn't, The Mummy that Was and the Cat in the Jar" by Gail Carriger
"The Cats of Beni Hasan" by Jenni Hill
"Cerulean Memories" by Maurice Broaddus
"Inner Goddess" by Michael West
"The Roof of the World" by Sarah Newton
"Henry" by Glen Mehn
"The Dedication of Sweetheart Abbey" by David Bryher
"All is Dust" by Den Patrick
"Bit-U-Men" by Maria Dahvana Headley
"Egyptian death and the afterlife: mummies (Rooms 62-3)" by Jonathan Green
"Akhenaten Goes to Paris" by Louis Greenberg
"The Thing of Wrath" by Roger Luckhurst
"Three Memories of Death" by Will Hill
Illustrated by Garen Ewing
Edited by Jared Shurin

The anthology is published in collaboration with the Egypt Exploration Society, the UK's oldest independent funder of archaeological fieldwork and research in Egypt, dedicated to the promotion and understanding of ancient Egyptian history and culture.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Science Fiction, Paranormal

364 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2012

About the author

Jared Shurin has edited or co-edited over two dozen anthologies of original and reprint fiction, including The Djinn Falls in Love, The Lowest Heaven, The Outcast Hours, the Best of British Fantasy series, and The Big Book of Cyberpunk.

He has been a finalist for the World Fantasy (twice!), Shirley Jackson (twice!), and Hugo Awards (twice!), and won the British Fantasy Award (twice!).

He currently writes about strategy, books and pop culture at Raptor Velocity.

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mummies...the original walking dead. Love them. Was so excited to see a new anthology on the ancient subject. Having binge read the entire massive volume in 24 hours, which is retrospect might not have been the way to go with this one, I have to say I didn't love it. The first story, usually the strongest, really wasn't, then it picked up nicely, about half way though dropped down to average at best (muddled tales of eternal life through social media and so on, sure sure, one must keep up with the times, but didn't do a thing for me), then slightly picked back up toward the end. It's an interesting collection, certainly, there is a variety of stories approaching the topic from different angles and in different genres from horror to scifi to drama to historical fiction to humor, it just isn't a great one. There are so many authors I haven't heard of that it's tough to remember whose stories I really liked. Too many is sort of a thing here...optimally it would have been nice to see some constraint, maybe tigher editing for a slimmer volume of higher overall quality. Still...it's a pretty entertaining read that has a lot to offer, especially for any fan of the mummy stories.

[Mieneke · Rating 5 out of 5]

@pornokitsch Finished Book of the Dead last night. You do realise it's quite disgustingly good, don't you?

— Mieneke van der Salm (@Pallekenl) November 20, 2013

The above tweet might serve as the most adequate and succinct review of Jurassic London's latest anthology, The Book of the Dead. However, I realise that it's not really enough to sell those who read my reviews on the anthology, so I'll elaborate further below. But said tweet is the TL;DR summary of this review.

My dislike terror of zombies is well-documented, but what isn't as well-known is that I harbour a similar feeling towards mummies. The only reason that mummies are less frightening to me than zombies, is because they are supposed to retain at least some reasoning skills and might be negotiated with, while zombies' mindless state just scare the heck out of me. So reading an entire book of mummy stories seemed a little risky if I'd planned to sleep at all in the days I was reading it. But, determined not to be chicken and clinging to the fact that I actually find Egyptian ancient history quite fascinating, I took a deep breath and got wrapped up in The Book of the Dead. With the above tweet as a result, because it turned out mummies aren't as frightening as I'd feared and most of the stories took some unique and not-so-literal approaches to the concept of mummies.

There wasn't a story that didn't work for me and I had a super hard time picking my five favourites to talk about in more detail. So before I get to those, I have a few more I want to mention. I have to say that while I love hearing Gail Carriger talk on the SF Signal Podcast and her books always sounded interesting, I've never gotten around to actually reading them, but her story about what I assume is her main character's father has convinced me that I absolutely have to give her books a try, because it was very funny and inventive. Glen Mehn's Henry, about a digital resurrection was both chilling and endlessly fascinating. Adam Roberts' Tollund flips the world in an alternate history where the Egyptians are the ones doing the excavating in Northern Europe, instead of the other way around and was creepy and had a completely unexpected ending. And I just adored Louis Greenberg's Akhenaten Goes to Paris, which shows that weird family dynamics never really change, even after death.

Jesse Bullington - Escape from the Mummy's Tomb
This story is about a boy who copes with being different and being bullied for his Egyptian descent by pretending he's a supernatural being, a mummy in fact. His best friend is a werewolf and the werewolf's girlfriend is a vampire in his internal narration. I loved the point of view in this story and the tone of the Mummy's voice. He almost becomes a superhero, instead of a 'monster'. It was rather touching and at the same time I was horrified at what happens to the Mummy, though the resolution of the story was lovely.

Lou Morgan - Her Heartbeat, An Echo
I love Morgan's novels, but have had mixed experiences with the short fiction of hers that I've read. Her Heartbeat, An Echo was an absolute hit. In it we encounter Dave, a night guard at a major museum, which is hosting a special exhibition of a world famous mummy of an Egyptian princess. We see him keeping her company at night and becoming interested in her history and world. Slowly he falls in love with the picture of her he builds in his imagination. It was actually a rather sweet love story, especially given the ending.

Jenni Hill - The Cats of Beni Hasan
Because talking cats and a talking beagle. Not enough to convince you? Well then... How about a series of mysterious disappearances, four lovingly treasured cat mummies, the bond between an eccentric professor and her dog, the love between a boy and his cat, and how humans never tell a story right. Interested yet? I adored this story from the supercilious tone of the cats to the ominous ending. I loved how the mummies never play an active role in the story, but at the same time are at the heart of all that happened.

Den Patrick - All is Dust
With this mummy tale set in the modern day, Patrick proves once again what an enormously talented storyteller he is. I was drawn in from the get go and for some reason his story of a reunion of old university friends gone wrong spoke to me loudly. I really enjoyed reading it and have since listened to the audio version of the story available from Dark Fiction Magazine and only liked it more. Patrick manages to sketch his characters clearly in just a short amount of text and goes on to spin a story made up of equal parts supernatural phenomenon and the uncomfortable experience of reuniting with old school friends out of a sense of duty, not because you actually enjoy spending time together. I loved this story and it's made me look forward even more to Patrick's new novel from Gollancz out in March called The Boy With The Porcelain Blade.

Will Hill - Three Memories of Death
A remarkably wistful tale of a high priest of Osiris remembering his time at the temple and his surprising connection to Ramesses II. I loved the way Hill structured his story and the gentle weariness and sorrow that rang through the priest's narration. It also showed how our perception of death and the necessity of grief changes as we become older. From the almost defiant refusal to grieve when Ramesses is young and the dearly departed old to his genuine grief when burying his beloved wife, we witness Ramesses change his stance on death just being the beginning of the next journey. Hill has written a genuinely moving story and it was the perfect final story in this anthology.

The Book of the Dead is the latest in Jurassic London stellar line-up of anthologies. And I stand by my tweet, this collection of short stories is disgustingly, gloriously good. Jurassic hasn't yet let me down and I'm already looking forward to their next trick come spring when they publish The Rite of Spring. If you are looking to read some awesome short fiction, you don't to look any further than The Book of the Dead.

This book was provided for review by the publisher.

[David H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has resurrected all my childhood love for Ancient Egypt that I didn't know I still had. Containing 19 (mostly) SF/F stories involving mummies in some way, The Book of the Dead is an excellent anthology covering quite a range of tales.

One of my favorites was David Thomas Moore's "Old Souls" about a man who keeps meeting the same woman (sort of) throughout time. This story just really touched me when it invoked that special connection you can have with someone. Another that really touched me was "Three Memories of Death" by Will Hill, a historical tale following a head priest in Ramesses the Great's time. Just the way Hill told this, and the meditations on death, made it a perfect closer to the book.

Others that I really enjoyed were Jenni Hill's "The Cats of Beni Hasan" (who knew mummy cats could be such fun), Glen Mehn's "Henry" (probably the best mummy tale about Facebook I've ever read), Molly Tanzer's "Mysterium Tremendum" (my realization of the plot at the end cracked me up), and David Bryher's "The Dedication of Sweetheart Abbey" (what the heck).

Definitely a worthwhile anthology.

[Angela]

19 March 2015: $0.00 FREE on Kindle

[Nerine Dorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I apologise for taking so long to read this book because it’s the sort of anthology that I suspect was written specifically with someone as Egypt-obsessed as I am (so I totally rationed out the stories). When Jared Shurin puts together an anthology, it will be something special, no doubt about it. This one was something a little extra special, not only due to its star-studded cast of authors, but also the really nice touch of illustrations by the very talented Garen Ewing. And of course the subject matter.

The Book of the Dead promises and delivers an eclectic ride filled with mummies, mysteries and more (alliteration intended), and filled me with tremendous happiness. As can be expected with all projects of this nature, I liked some stories more than others, but all gathered here are masterful works in their own right, and I hope that at some point Shurin puts another anthology of this nature together.

“Ramesses on the Frontier” by Paul Cornell is a delightfully quirky excursion into the Egyptian conception of the afterlife. Instead of the expected arrival for judgment, Ramesses finds himself haunting a museum, and the journey that follows is most unconventional.

“Escape from the Mummy’s Tomb” by Jesse Bullington is a humorous yet poignant love triangle that superimposes the metaphors of classic horror cinema over contemporary London teenagers.

“Old Souls” by David Thomas Moore hits me hard – eerily similar in premise to my novel Inkarna, in which ancient Egyptian souls keep returning. Moore certainly plays with all the emotional trauma of eternal life, loss and love.

“Her Heartbeat, an Echo” by Lou Morgan tells us about the curious relationship of a night watchman and an enigmatic princess, who is part of an exhibition touring museums. This one’s absolutely sweet, sorrowful and touching.

“Mysterium Tremendum” by Molly Tanzer introduces us to Marjorie, who isn’t a bad sort, and during an era when most women will opt for marriage, she’s looking to build a career at the library where she works – and her life is about to become a great deal more interesting once she crosses paths with a mysterious stage magician whose show might be a little more authentic than expected.

“Tollund” by Adam Roberts turns my preconceptions on their heads. In a glimpse of an alternative history, Egypt and its Islamic culture has thrived while Europe remains in the dark ages. A group of Egyptian scientists travel north to uncover bog mummies… with catastrophic consequences. A lovely reversal and a big thumbs up from me.

“All is Dust” by Den Patrick tells the story of Darren Butler, who finds himself meeting up with old friends, but it’s that usual schpiel of how people have drifted apart over the years and try to force the friendship – and as can be expected of most stories in this anthology, the gathering takes a turn for the super weird.

“The Curious Case of the Werewolf that wasn’t, the Mummy that was, and the Cat in the Jar” by Gail Carriger – Mr Tarabotti, accompanied by his valet, Floate, is a rather dapper secret agent in a Victorian setting where the English have embraced the concept of the supernatural. Werewolves and vampires are real, but Tarabotti is in Egypt, ostensibly to have his aged aunt’s cat mummified… But there’s rather more to this story than meets the eye.

“The Cats of Beni-Hassan” by Jenni Hill is another delightfully creepy tale told by cats to a dog – that’s about all that needs to be said on the matter. :-) Just read the story already.

“Inner Goddess” by Michael West is the ultimate in women’s revenge stories. Elizabeth Wilson might be a downtrodden student in an abusive relationship with her professor, but with a little divine intervention, the results, though predictable, are no less satisfying. Oh, and extra Nerine points to West for tapping into one of my greatest phobias related to cling film. More than that I won’t say.

“Cerulean Memories” by Maurice Broaddus is a story about death and memories. A man is a collector of objects related to the way people died, and a young boy wanting to sell his deceased brother’s skateboard is privy to more than he bargained for. This is a poignant and evocative tale, with some lovely unsettling imagery.

“The Roof of the World” by Sarah Newton was a story that I wasn’t quite sure what to make of. It has all the hallmarks of a classic gothic horror in the vein of Frankenstein but in the end I felt that I was waiting for it to deliver a more solid punch. However, I suspect the fault may lie with the reader on this point.

“Henry” by Glen Mehn blends ancient Egyptian funerary practices with modern computer programming in a way that you’d not expect. Not quite a murder mystery, but definitely a mystery well worth the read.

“The Dedication of Sweetheart Abbey” by David Bryher is another story I’m not quite sure how I feel about. There isn’t much of ancient Egypt about it save for the mummification of a particular individual, but there’s certainly enough weirdness following in a SF vein. The entire story left me with a bit of a WTF, but it was pleasing to read, nonetheless.

“Bit-U-Men” by Maria Dahvana Headley is a heady mix of literary (and literal) sweetness and obsession, and by far one of my favourites in this anthology for its sadness and magical surrealism.

“Egyptian Death and the Afterlife: Mummies (Rooms 62-3)” by Jonathan Green is a short, haunting evocative piece – essentially a vignette – as told by a faithful servant remembering his mistress.

“Akhenaten Goes to Paris” by Louis Greenberg is definitely a signature piece for the author. This story features a gleefully macabre cabal of mummies who contend with long-distance relationships in the present era, and as the name of the story suggest, Paris specifically. Louis knows how much I adore his writing, so I’m going to stop gushing. Just go read his novels. (And specifically his Darkside series that he writes with Sarah Lotz as SL Grey.)

“The Thing of Wrath” by Roger Luckhurst is a ghoulish murder mystery in the Victorian era as the narrator sets out to uncover the link between stelae depicting the ancient Egyptian deity Thoth, and peculiar deaths by strangulation.

“Three Memories of Death” by Will Hill is my clear favourite of the lot, and I can see why Jared saved this for last. I was on the verge of tears by the time I reached the end of this story in which a priest and a pharaoh discuss the nature of death and farewells, throughout the years. Beautiful and poignant, and I want to squish the author and tell him how much I need to frame this piece of writing so I can read it again when I need to.

[Lorena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really only worth reading for the Gail Carriger story.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The candy itself is vat-mixed, poured onto cold slabs, and then into molds, hot squares solidifying, soft but slightly resistant, texturally similar to a shoulderblade kissed through a chiffon dress. [p.271: 'Bit-U-Men', Maria Dahvana Headley]

An anthology of stories about mummies, featuring a mix of well-known and new contributors, and with an introduction by John J. Johnston of the Egypt Exploration Society ('the UK's oldest independent funder of archaeological fieldwork and research in Egypt, dedicated to the promotion and understanding of ancient Egyptian history and culture'). The settings range from ice-caves, to an American roadtrip, to a flat in Greenwich whose owner has some drugs to dispose of; the themes vary, from cute (and distinctly non-cute) mummified kitties, to nanotech gone wrong, to unrequited love. Several of the stories address orientalism, central to the whole 'curse of the mummy' tradition; I was especially taken with Adam Roberts' 'Tollund', in which Egyptian archaeologists travel to darkest Jutland to examine a bog-body.

There are several tales about the many ways in which mummies -- human, feline, other -- have been used as medicine, fertiliser, ink: really, it's hardly surprising that the spirits of the dead are angry. ('ONCE YOU WORSHIPPED US, ONCE YOU LOVED US, NOW YOU SCATTER US ON YOUR FIELDS AND YOU GROUND US FOR YOUR MEDICINE'.) I think my favourite story here was Maria Dahvana Headley's 'Bit-U-Men', in which a mellified mummy (one preserved in honey) has some say in what becomes of it, and wishes to become ... confectionary. It's a luscious, sensual story, and one that examines the consequences of its premise very well.

I did find the plethora of typos and homophones ('keeping clear of from the abrasive sand'; 'thrills to wile away winter evenings'; 'with most of his photos are in them'...) vexing. But overall, a wide-ranging and intriguing selection.

Purchased in 2015 ...Fulfils the ‘anthology’ rubric of the 52 books in 2022 challenge.

[Elanor Matton-Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some very interesting stories in this anthology, though there were only a few that I truly enjoyed. The Gail Carriger story was a lot of fun and the final story by Will Hill was fascinating.

[Erin Burns]

This contains the curious case of the cat...

[Patricia Ferreira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cool! and a surprise, at least for me, for I had never read anything about mummies before, and I really liked it. Great short stories, some terror, some not, but all good.

[Septentrion · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't read all the stories, some were dreadfully boring to me. And most were undeveloped. But that is the risk with anthologies.

[Adrianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well-written short stories. Bob recommended it to me. I dawdled starting it, but once going, it was hard to put down.

[Jenelle Compton · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do I review an anthology? I dunno.

But this was good! I read it to get into the spirit for my mummy costume this year :D

[Orrin Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review coming soon!

[Meran · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Review later