News

Review: Anne and Christopher Rice’s “Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra” (Spoiler Free)

Published

6 years ago

November 21, 2017

It has been almost 30 years since Anne Rice first published The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned…thirty years since our imaginations were captured by the mysterious and immortal former pharaoh and councilor to the kings and queens of ancient Egypt as he was awakened from an endless slumber when the sun touched his skin. It was somewhat surprising, then, when Anne Rice announced that she was collaborating with her son and fellow novelist, Christopher, on a sequel to the romantic Edwardian era novel.

Still, I eagerly anticipated this latest entry in the prolific author’s body of work and was particularly interested in seeing how a collaboration, the first for both authors, would manifest. Honestly, I could not have been more pleased with the results.

Beginning almost immediately after the end of the previous novel, The Passion of Cleopatra finds Julie Stratford and Reginald Ramsey (Ramses the Great) together in London, preparing for an engagement party to be given in their honor by Julie’s former fiance Alex and his mother, Edith. Alex’s father, Elliot, who was granted the gift of immortality along with Julie by Ramses’ elixir of life,is traveling the continent acquiring a great deal of wealth with his newfound luck at the casinos.

None of them know, of course, that Cleopatra not only survived the fiery crash meant to kill her, but also vowed revenge upon Ramses at the end of the first novel. Nor do they know that her survival has set in motion a string of events that will bring a whole host of new characters together on both sides of this immortal conflict.

Prominent new arrivals include Sibyl Parker, an American who has dreamed of Egypt her entire life and used those dreams to craft stories that have made her a world famous novelist. Bektaten is an ancient immortal more regal, wiser, and in some ways more dangerous than Akasha of The Vampire Chronicles ever dreamed of being, and Saqnos, her former consort and ultimate betrayer, teaches a powerful lesson in the corruptibility of the hearts and minds of men with seemingly limitless power.

But no character is too small for development here, as is proven in the appearance of the tragic male prostitute, Michel, with whom Elliot spends an evening. In any other novel, Michel might have been a mere throw away character, a plot device to move the central story along. In the capable hands of Anne and Christopher, however, he is fully realized. We know him. We know his life, and in the few pages in which he appears in the novel, we are as inescapably drawn to him as he is into the intrigues of those who exploit him to gather information about Elliot, Ramses, and Julie.

Together, the Rices have crafted a novel that is beautiful even in its most violent scenes of brutality and savagery. The prose is perfectly evocative of the novels of the time period, beautifully blending intrigue and adventure with aristocratic society. Moreover, the two have found a way to blend their writing styles in such a way as to leave even the most ardent fans of both uncertain of which passages might have been written by which author.

As the The Passion of Cleopatra drew to its inevitable conclusion, I could not help but reflect on the themes that are often present in both Anne and Christopher’s previous separate works: the corruption of power, the pondering of the greater mysteries of life and death and all that comes between and beyond them, the scale by which we measure humanity, the fallacy that one can be all good or all evil, the existence or non-existence of the Gods and their interactions with Man.

Did they find answers in Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra? No, but few authors have ever made the search more entertaining and fulfilling, and I will gladly continue to take the journey with them each time they put pen to page whether it be with vampires, werewolves, witches, or immortals straight from the age of legends in Egypt.

Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra is available in a variety of formats from a host of sellers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble today. This is one adventure you won’t regret taking.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Editorial

Yay or Nay: What’s Good and Bad in Horror This Week

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Welcome to Yay or Nay a weekly mini post about what I think is good and bad news in the horror community written in bite-sized chunks.

Yay:

Mike Flanagan talking about directing the next chapter in the Exorcist trilogy. That might mean he saw the last one and realized there were two left and if he does anything well it’s draw out a story.

Yay:

To the announcement of a new IP-based film Mickey Vs Winnie. It’s fun to read comical hot takes from people who haven’t even seen the movie yet.

Nay:

The new Faces of Death reboot gets an R rating. It’s not really fair — Gen-Z should get an unrated version like past generations so they can question their mortality the same as the rest of us did.

Yay:

Russell Crowe is doing another possession movie. He’s quickly becoming another Nic Cage by saying yes to every script, bringing the magic back to B-movies, and more money into VOD.

Nay:

Putting The Crow back in theaters for its 30th anniversary. Re-releasing classic movies at the cinema to celebrate a milestone is perfectly fine, but doing so when the lead actor in that film was killed on set due to neglect is a cash grab of the worst kind.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Lists

The Top-Searched Free Horror/Action Movies on Tubi This Week

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The free streaming service Tubi is a great place to scroll when you’re unsure what to watch. They are not sponsored or affiliated with iHorror. Still, we really appreciate their library because it’s so robust and has many obscure horror movies so rare you can’t find them anywhere in the wild except, if you’re lucky, in a moist cardboard box at a yard sale. Other than Tubi, where else are you going to find Nightwish (1990), Spookies (1986), or The Power (1984)?

We take a look at the most searched horror titles on the platform this week, hopefully, to save you some time in your endeavor to find something free to watch on Tubi.

Interestingly at the top of the list is one of the most polarizing sequels ever made, the female-led Ghostbusters reboot from 2016. Perhaps viewers have seen the latest sequel Frozen Empire and are curious about this franchise anomaly. They will be happy to know it’s not as bad as some think and is genuinely funny in spots.

So take a look at the list below and tell us if you are interested in any of them this weekend.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters (2016)

An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.

2. Rampage

When a group of animals becomes vicious after a genetic experiment goes awry, a primatologist must find an antidote to avert a global catastrophe.

3. The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren uncover an occult conspiracy as they help a defendant argue that a demon forced him to commit murder.

4. Terrifier 2

After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County, where his next victims, a teenage girl and her brother, await.

5. Don’t Breathe

A group of teens breaks into a blind man’s home, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime but get more than they bargained for once inside.

6. The Conjuring 2

In one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, Lorraine and Ed Warren help a single mother of four in a house plagued by sinister spirits.

7. Child’s Play (1988)

A dying serial killer uses voodoo to transfer his soul into a Chucky doll which winds up in the hands of a boy who may be the doll’s next victim.

8. Jeepers Creepers 2

When their bus breaks down on a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discovers an opponent they cannot defeat and may not survive.

9. Jeepers Creepers

After making a horrific discovery in the basement of an old church, a pair of siblings find themselves the chosen prey of an indestructible force.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

News

Morticia & Wednesday Addams Join Monster High Skullector Series

Published

3 days ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Believe it or not, Mattel’s Monster High doll brand has an immense following with both young and not-so-young collectors.

In that same vein, the fan base for The Addams Family is also very large. Now, the two are collaborating to create a line of collectible dolls that celebrate both worlds and what they have created is a combination of fashion dolls and goth fantasy. Forget Barbie, these ladies know who they are.

The dolls are based on Morticia and Wednesday Addams from the 2019 Addams Family animated movie.

As with any niche collectibles these aren’t cheap they bring with them a $90 price tag, but it’s an investment as a lot of these toys become more valuable over time.

“There goes the neighborhood. Meet the Addams Family’s ghoulishly glamorous mother-daughter duo with a Monster High twist. Inspired by the animated movie and clad in spiderweb lace and skull prints, the Morticia and Wednesday Addams Skullector doll two-pack makes for a gift that’s so macabre, it’s downright pathological.”

If you want to pre-purchase this set check out The Monster High website.