Review: The Jewel of Seven Stars by Bram Stoker

Synopsis: In the early hours of the morning a young lawyer is called to the home of a beautiful woman he has just met, where her archaeologist father lies in a coma, the victim of a mysterious attack. The injured man is discovered to be dabbling in ritual magic in an attempt to raise an ancient Egyptian queen from the dead. As the hour of his great experiment approaches, a deadly supernatural struggle begins. (from the online descriptions)

Review: Considered the bases for the classical Mummy myth, this short novella by Bram Stoker takes advantage of the Egypt-mania that swarmed the Western world in the later parts of the 1800s. Told from the view point of the young lawyer, Malcolm Ross, it concerns the collection of the rich but eccentric Abel Trelawny and his daughter, Margaret – and the mummy of an Egyptian Queen…..

This has all the proper themes of a Victorian Gothic story – the morally-pure virgin, the stalwart young man, the mad scientists, the doctor, the creepy house, the blood in the night, shadows and ghosts, and mysteries of the past coming to haunt the present.

Stoker gave much detail about Egypt, and it was clear he did his research before adding in his own fantastical elements. It also contains Stoker’s trademark foreboding imagery and gothic prose. It’s a fine tale for a dark and creepy night.

But, it’s also a bit slow at times, some of the action or events are never really explained, and the ending – well, my big issue is the ending. It’s ambiguous exactly what went wrong and why the Great Experiment ended in death. Perhaps is it my modern mind, but I would have preferred a bit more explanation

Bookmarks: 3 of 5

Awards: None

ISBN: 978-0-486-47469-7
Year Published: 1904 (Mine is a 2009 Edition)
Date Finished: 10-31-2017
Pages: 188