A new Amelia Peabody Emerson book! I’d almost forgotten how much I missed her (and Emerson and Nefret and Ramses. Especially Ramses) but it only took a few sentences of A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters for me to remember.
As with most of the books in the series, it was rather light on plot but if I were reading these books for the plots I would never have made it through the first book (to be fair, it took me three tries to get through that one, but those were the days before Ramses). It does have the normal, wonderful dynamics of the Emerson clan, not to mention Ramses being dashing and heroic and a generally all together too romantic figure. We can’t forget that. I love Emerson and am quite fond of David and Nefret (not Amelia particularly) but it’s Ramses who draws me in. He’s the reason I reread these books over and over, ignoring weak plots and insanely dramatic adventures.
Rather than the familiar setting of Egypt, this volume is set in Palestine in 1910 (placing it between Guardian of the Horizon and The Falcon at the Gate) where the Emersons become entangled with German spies, a strange interfaith fellowship, and the hunt for the Ark of the Covenant. And Ramses finds himself kidnapped. Of course. It’s that kind of old-fashion storytelling makes these books so irresistible: the romance, the adventure, the exotic settings, the nefarious villains. Usually, I enjoy the archeological details as well, but those are few and far between here, of very little significance to the events that move the plot along.
Peters also includes many not-so-subtle hints about Nefret’s changing feelings for Ramses (which we were already beginning to see in Guardian of the Horizon). She is typically quiet and underused and Amelia only seems to record Nefret’s skin colour (flushed versus pale as expressions of emotion) rather than actual conversations. Poor Nefret. The boys get to run around playing spies and even Amelia gets to poke wrong doers with her parasol while Nefret stays in town, taking care of servants and being coddled by the senior Emersons. Nefret has always been the most uneven character in the series – a strong modern woman who fades into the background in most books, the reader only being reminded of her when Ramses decides it is time to explore his unrequited love for her. Terribly frustrating.
This isn’t Peters’ strongest book in the series but it’s still good fun and a quick read. Already, I’m seriously contemplating a reread of some of the others books. There’s nothing like a good adventure story to start off the summer.
The Captive Reader 
I enjoyed the first five or six books in this series but never caught up….I agree, this would be great summer reading! (I have three Richard Jurys to catch up on myself.)
How nice to have all those books to look forward to!
I couldn’t get through the first one despite the series having been recommended by a friend who normally has the same tastes as me. Perhaps I should have ploughed on until Ramses appeared. How far into the series would I have to get?
I liked the Palestine setting, but yeah, what’s with Nefret not having anything to do? I wanted her to dash off and do something brilliant – she didn’t have to save the day but she might have saved a bit of the day.
Erm, I meant to post that at the end. I have no idea what’s going on here….
Let’s be honest – when does Nefret ever get to save the day? So much wasted potential!
Ramses first appears in the second book (Curse of the Pharaohs) and while he’s adorable as a child, he’s irresistible once he hits his late teens and his adventures start being chronicled in “Manuscript H” (think this starts in Seeing a Large Cat).
But if I may say so, he is exceptionally adorable and charming as a child. When he has not quite mastered regular speech he is adorable, and then yeah, when he gets old enough to narrate his own sections, it’s also very good.
Oooh, I love the Amelia Peabody mysteries. I have to admit that I love them more for the characters than the plot (as they tend to be pretty similar) but as long as Ramses is there, I’m not complaining!
It’s all about Ramses, isn’t it? Certainly not the plots.
I’ve wondered about reading these books, where do you recommend starting?
The beginning is probably the best place to start – Crocodile on the Sandbank. It’s a quick, easy read and gives you a good feel for the tone of the series. I had trouble warming to Amelia, which is why I struggled with it initially, but it’s worth pushing through.