In which Carla explores a favorite horror author of Victorian England, and finds an marvelous polymath, an LGBTQ icon, and a woman who rescued ancient Egypt and explored terra incognita.

 

Show Notes:

Story read: “The Phantom Coach”, Amelia B. Edwards

Recommended Reading:

• The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Amelia B. Edwards 
• Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody no. 1) by Elizabeth Peters

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/62851.Amelia_B_Edwards

 

Referenced episodes:

• 32: What the Dickens
• 47: Victorian Christmas: The Goblin and the Paw

 

Sources:

Egypt Exploration Fund: https://www.ees.ac.uk

Historic England: Amelia’s gravesite

University of Pennsylvania: 1 and 2

Brown University

historyswomen.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

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There Might Be Cupcakes Episode 58: Terra Incognita | Amelia B. Edwards, Victorian horror author, polymath, genius, explorer of the world, and self-taught Egyptologist. She not only wrote horrifying stories, she rescued ancient Egypt’s treasures from ruin and desecration. And she is an

It starts a bit oddly like dropping you in the middle of the story. Turns out it's a dream. It's hard to have been away from reviewing books for a year.Ive forgotten series I knew so well. This one I couldn't remember where I had left off. I of course love the talking cat still. I love that Cleopatra is a strong young female character. I love how she sneaks in a rug to the city- a reference to how she sneaks in to Mark Anthony's room. Or was it Caesar? I love the artwork, it's very consistent. I love all the aliens artwork. The art and overall concept gets 5 stars.

The story I'm not so sure about it. I find it confusing but it could be because it's been so long since I've read it. I could have used a refresher. The story does have a dark side which I wasn't expecting. And this issue definitely furthered things along. However it was still confusing so I give the story 3 stars. I'll give the issue 4 stars. When the next issue comes out I'll have to go back and reread them all.

 

Let me just say that Elizabeth Peters aka Barbara Michaels/Mertz is one of my all time favorite authors! I absolutely love all of her books but this series is my most favorite because of its ancient Egypt and archaeology theme. Plus I fell in love with Amelia Peabody and her family from book one. It literally has some of everything that I enjoy- exotic locales, mystery, espionage, war, suspense, adventure and travel, archaeology, Egyptology etc.etc. It just resonates with me on so many levels. I'm going to be so sad when I reach the end of the series! I actually stopped reading it a year or so ago because I was getting close to the end and I wasn't ready for that at all, but for one of our Summer Book Bingo squares we had to read a book by an author that has passed away so I figured this was my cue to suck it up and just savor the few remaining books. I'm very glad I did. I've missed their family dynamics and their scheming... 

 

In this particular book they have just arrived at their home in Luxor, Egypt for an extended stay because the war is on and traveling back to England by ship is too dangerous because of the military submarines. They are working at the site of Deir el Medina; speculation about the possible location a royal tomb is running rampant and British Intelligence is seeking out Ramses for another mission. As always there is never a dull moment and the story is highly entertaining. If you haven't read any of Peters' books yet you should give them a try one day. Just a word of caution though, I would stay away from the audio of this particular series. I don't care for the narrator at all. In my opinion, she doesn't do the series or characters the justice they deserve.

Thanks to an errant Tumblr post, I recently found myself reminiscing on my childhood obsession with Ancient Egypt. Books, video games, movies-- I devoured anything and everything related to pharaohs or pyramids with zeal.

And of course, like any aspiring eleven-year-old archaeologist, I had a copy of EGYPTOLOGY.

As the second book in the -Ology series, EGYPTOLOGY interweaves junior-level facts about Ancient Egypt into the pulp-y journal of a would-be 1920s adventurer, who may or may not have fallen victim to an ancient curse. In any case, it's clear that the publishers valued style over substance, because the book resembles a scrapbook of photos, letters, brochures, and other interactive elements. Unlike DRAGONOLOGY, the subject matter and fictional plotline of EGYPTOLOGY is treated much more seriously. Page after page is devoted to gorgeous artwork and detailing the journey of "Emily Sands" as it explains the various cultural and archaeological experiences that she has. It's sort of like DINOTOPIA meets INDIAN JONES. I have no doubts that I was not the only one who was utterly convinced that this was a true story as a child!

As for the "facts" themselves... it's a decent introduction to the topic given the age range of the target demographic. It covers the basics: mummies, monuments, the Book of the Dead, and the like. However, too many interesting historical tidbits are given only a sentence or two long explanation, sometimes with no rhyme or reason to its placement within the text. Thankfully, the stylistic touches related to the 1920s setting of the journal itself, such as period appropriate advertisements, makes up for the lackluster content and adds a much needed sense of cohesion. It also brings to light some of the more questionable approaches to archaeology in the past, such as using gunpowder on pyramids or having tea parties in tombs.

The book definitely leaves the reader wanting to learn more, and that's not a bad desire to invoke in its young target audience. If nothing else, it's a great book for youngsters aged 6-9 making the transition from picture books to tougher reads.

Unfortunately, I didn't like this as much as the last book. "Beauty and the Beast" retellings have to be very good to win me over, and I wasn't convinced of the love connection until the very end. But overall, this was entertaining.

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.

Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com.