Back in 2006-2007, Universal Studios commissioned a series of novels that would update their classic monsters in a series of more adult horror tales that also worked as sequels to the classic movies. I discussed one of these books back in 2010 for my werewolf AWESOME-tober-fest (The Wolf Man: Hunter’s Moon by Michael Jan Friedman). Today, I’ll talk about another one, The Mummy: Dark Resurrection by Michael Paine.
While I didn’t like The Wolf Man novel, I thought it had potential, so I picked up this Mummy book hoping it would do a little more with the subject. Did it? Let’s see.
First of all, it’s really tough to place the book in the mummy movie timeline. I assume it is a sequel to the very first movie from 1932 with Boris Karloff as Karloff’s character, Ardath Bey, is the main antagonist. But no other characters from any of the Mummy movies either show up or are even mentioned in any way. Plus, many of the characters that do appear in this book are given a backstory that sound similar to people in the original mummy franchise which just confuses the entire issue.
The book’s protagonist is Josh Brandt, a rich guy from a rich family who funds an archaeological dig that is trying to find the tomb of Ankh-es-en-Amun, the betrothed of Imhotep. It is revealed that Brandt’s father and grandfather both funded digs for the exact same tomb and both men were lost and presumed dead while at the dig site. When the current dig seemingly discovers the tomb’s entrance, strange things start happening to the Brandt family and a mysterious stranger, Ardath Bey, seems to be at the center of it all.
Like I said, Brandt’s father and grandfather’s disappearance is a big part of the back story. And the way it’s written, it feels like those two men’s stories would have been told previously, like in a mummy movie. But there are no Brandts in any of the previous movies, which confuses me. Plus there’s no mention of any previous dealings with Ardath Bey by characters in the book. I guess this story is just continuing many years later with no other links to the movies except Ardath Bey.
The book is written competently, but antagonist Ardath Bey isn’t utilized enough. Josh, his crazy family and the supernatural events that happen to that family’s members are the focus of the book with Ardath Bey showing up once or twice menacingly and then again at the end to wrap things up.
Honestly, it was kind of a struggle to finish the book. Part of my problem could be that I’m not a huge fan of “the mummy” as a monster since it’s so similar to zombies (which we know I don’t like). Also, for a “mummy book”, there’s a surprising lack of mummies in it. Bey seems to possess the power to make recently dead bodies come to life and kill, which he does throughout the book, but those are zombies, not mummies. Ancient Egyptian mummies are practically non-existent in this story.
Put all of that together and I can’t say I really recommend this book unless you are already a fan of mummies.
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Cavalcade of Awesome 