The Jewel Of Seven Stars

I was really disappointed in this one. The first sixty percent or so is solid enough. We've got a locked room mystery, apparent supernatural goings on, travelers' stories about a mysterious Egyptian tomb and its nameless inhabitant, a modern woman who is a reincarnation of, or possessed by, or otherwise under the influence of, an ancient queen who swore she would transcend death. Awesome! I want to know what happens next!

A whole lot of nothing, it turns out. From this point until finally, in the very last chapter, the plot picks up again, absolutely nothing happens. We get an entire chaper where one character attempts, via just page after page of pseudoscientific gibberish, to convince his companions (and, though him, Stoker attempts to convince the reader) that there may be some rational basis, probably involving radium, for the reincarnation of ancient Egpytians in the modern world. We get an entire chapter where our viewpoint character ponders his love for his fiance, and his worry that maybe her being the avatar of a dead Egyptian queen isn't the best thing for their impending nuptials. We get an entire chapter where that same character ponders the implications of the reality of Egyptian death magic for modern religion. We get an entire chapter on the logistics of packing and moving items from one house to another.

Once the plot finally gets moving again, the end of the story is actually not half bad, if extremely ambiguous. I was just so worn down from the grind of a third of a book with nothing going on that I was more than ready for it to be over.

I struggled to continue reading this book. But I continued for the hope that I would enjoy it more by the end, that I might understand it better. Though the ending was disappointing. The writing is well done but the story itself is not something that I enjoy. There still was a few interesting parts but I'm just glad I've finished it and I can move onto a new book.