Friday, April 18, 2008

A Book Review: The Last Camel Died at Noon, plus a plug for Goodreads.com

This is a great series starring Amelia Peabody Emerson. I loved the first book, Crocodile on the Sandbank, but since then they have gotten a little formulaic. This book was a refreshing departure from the norm. We find the Emersons discovering a modern-day (to them) civilization populated by the descendants of the ancient peoples this archaelogical family lives to study. And you can imagine the chaos that ensues with the introduction of the Father of Curses and the Sitt Hakim to this hidden city. Soon things are a mess of intrigue, assasination plots, and hostile takeovers.

I love the narrative voice of Amelia and her confidence in her own and Emerson's abilities and talents. I love their stoic calm and their enthusiasm for the "marriage perquisities." I love little Ramses and would really enjoy reading about their adventures from his point of view.

The Last Camel Died at Noon renewed my appetite for this series by Elizabeth Peters and I will be checking out the next book very soon!


Also, check out this website, Goodreads. I was invited by a couple of
friends, thanks Janee & Michele, and finally joined up. It looks like
a great way to keep track of the books I read, and get recommendations from
friends, and even friends of friends. If you join, let me know so I can
add you to my list. Also check out the new Goodreads widget I added at the bottom on my blog. I know there's only one book there now, but I have to start somewhere.


2 comments:

Marcy said...

The series does have some serious formulaic tendencies, but it's worth reading the whole series for the overall story and true gems like Last Camel. Keep going. It just gets better!

Susan said...

I really like the Amelia Peabody series. The books are definitely formulaic, but I really love the characters. I can't remember which book I'm on, though, since the library never seems to have the one I need. By the time I remember, I'll have to re-read the first books so I remember what's going on!

I like Good Reads, too. It's fun to see other people's recommendations. I never update it, but I do enjoy seeing what other people are reading.