Pharos the Egyptian

Pharos the Egyptian

By

4.25
(4 Reviews)
Pharos the Egyptian by Guy Newell Boothby

Published:

1898

Pages:

222

Downloads:

3,214

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Pharos the Egyptian

By

4.25
(4 Reviews)
"This powerful novel is weird and soul-thrilling. There never was in this world so strange and wonderful a love story." --The Scotsman.

Book Excerpt

to be it remains for time to decide.

CHAPTER I.

IF ever a man in this world had a terrible--I might almost go so far as to add a shameful--story to relate, surely I, Cyril Forrester, am that one. How strange--indeed, how most unbelievable--it is I do not think I even realized myself until I sat down to write it. The question the world will in all probability ask when it has read it is, why it should have been told at all. It is possible it may be of opinion that I should have served my generation just as well had I allowed it to remain locked up in my own bosom for all time. This, however, my conscience would not permit. There are numberless reasons, all of them important and some imperative beyond all telling, why I should make my confession, though God knows I am coward enough to shrink from the task. And, if you consider for a moment, I think you will understand why. In the first place, the telling of the story can only have the eff

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although flawed with a verbose beginning and basically no ending (the book just stops), the middle portion of the book is excellent. The evil Pharos is both fascinating and frightening. The human pawns who have fallen under his control are interesting characters as well.
Although I found the ending abrupt and somewhat unsatisfying, there's still plenty to recommend this novel. Boothby concocts some very striking scenes, and an eerie, morbid atmosphere pervades the work. I'm half-convinced this novel might have been an influence on both H. P. Lovecraft and Universal's first mummy film. Especially the latter: fans of the 1932 film will recognize several similar plot elements in "Pharos the Egyptian". Overall, an enjoyable read.
4
A grand mummy novel that is reminiscent of the Universal Studios mummy movies from the 1930s and the Fu Manchu novels by Sax Rohmer, though it pre-dates them all. This is the best mummy novel I've read (admittedly there aren't many). Guy Boothby was one of the most popular authors of his day, and this fast moving story shows why. The book contains many intriguing elements that have since become standards of mummy stories and films. The revenge plot is breathtaking in its scope and fiendishness.
The evil and supernatural Pharos (of uncertain age) steals the mummy left to him by his Egyptologist father and threatens the young artist at the height of his fame, just as he falls in love with the lovely Fraulein Valerie.