Review: The Mammoth Book of the Mummy

The Mammoth Book of the Mummy by Paula Guran
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Mammoth Book of the Mummy is a compilation of short stories that feature, well, what else but, mummies. Some of them are from Egypt, some are not. Some of the stories are scary, like John Langan's "On Skua Island" and some are not. As with most compilations, many of the stories are reprints but there are also a couple of originals. I found several of the stories to be particularly notable and I've given a few details.

In "The Good Shabti", Robert Sharp postulates what would happen if sometime in the distant future science figured out a way to reanimate a mummified body that had been dead and buried for millennia. More suspenseful than scary, right up until the very end.

"The Queen in Yellow" by Kage Baker features operatives from The Company who have been sent back to retrieve something from a dig run by esteemed archeologist Flinders Petrie.

John Langan's "On Skua Island" is scary. It starts with a group of people around a dinner table talking about Bram Stoker's Dracula which segues into a conversation about mummies. Flashback, twenty-five years to an expedition to Skua Island where an archeologist interested in Viking lore digs up much more than he ever bargained for and barely escapes to tell his tale.

Terry Dowling's "The Shadowwes Box" is reminiscent of Edgar Allen Poe.

"Egyptian Avenue" by Kim Newman is more of a story adjacent to mummies than actually about mummies, but it certainly fits with the theme of the book. The action occurs in an old graveyard in London, and I really can't say any more without spoilers. I will say, this story is absolutely worth reading and one of my favorites.

Gail Carriger has an entry set in the steampunk universe of her popular Parasol Protectorate series. This is another story well worth the price of admission.

Carole Nelson Douglas' "Fruit of the Tomb" features a distant ancestor of her popular Midnight Louie character. Heart of Night is perhaps the first feline detective. He solves the case and becomes one of Pharoah's inner circle.

My overall favorite, probably because I'm a big fan of the movie is Joe Lansdale's "Bubba Ho-Tep". If you haven't seen the movie, well, Elvis and JFK, save the world.

Oops, I almost forgot. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review. This was actually one that I chose from among their available books because I'm a big fan of horror.

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