Reviews

The Jewel of Seven Stars Illustrated by Bram Stoker

han_nur's review against another edition

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informative mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

dipt_in_folly's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

broccoli_aesthetics's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Very cool mysterious atmosphere, especially in the first part of the book. The characters are quite abyssal tho.

Remember to check out both the original and edited endings.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

jonwood's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

I just found this novel to be insufferably dull. Perhaps it was the narration of the edition I was listening to, but I could not always follow the plot and found it to move at a snail's pace.

biopsychosocial's review against another edition

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5.0

Beware the Mummy’s Curse! Like Victorian gothic? Meet Egyptian gothic. Many people know that Bram Stoker created the modern idea of the vampire with Dracula, but did you know he also created the modern idea of the mummy’s curse? The Jewel of the Seven Stars tells the story of what happens to those who try to exploit mysterious powers that should not be toyed with. When Queen Tera (who ruled Egypt and was subsequently erased from history by the priesthood; very likely based upon the very real female Pharaoh Hatshepsut) is found by two Egyptologists and shipped to England, things get hairy very quickly. Has the beautiful and enigmatic Tera been reincarnated in the bewitching and inscrutable Margaret? Is Tera still alive? Can the Professor harness her black magic learned from the stars for his own glory? And what powers does Queen Tera’s ruby possess? Is it her very soul? Gruesome murders, catatonic professors, reincarnated beauties, lovesick lawyers, and dark experiments in provincial English village basements all seem to occur around this mummy. It has it all!
It should be noted this book has two versions. An original version and a reworked version published later due to people’s outrage over agnostic beliefs and an unpopular ending. I recommend reading both (most books now include both versions).
This little known book harnesses the Egyptian mania of the Victorian and Edwardian eras and it’s themes can be seen in movie and tv story lines to this day (The Mummy and The Mummy 2, anyone?). Want a creepy Victorian romance, fantasy, horror thriller? This book satisfies.

fantasythat's review against another edition

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challenging informative slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Begins promisingly with all of the action, then devolves into a load of scientific stuff that was a bit hard to follow and the close of the book is in keeping with the second half. Mystery in the first half, confusion in the second, to conclude. Update: reading the earlier edition with the original ending might have bumped the rating up a bit.

annabelmargaret's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

laurellulu's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

jenn_darling's review against another edition

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3.0

2.5 stars - Bram Stoker & Mummies so FUN but a bit 'Moby Dick' teaching you whaling on some of the descriptions on Egyptology. I skimmed a bit at places and didn't lose anything plot-wise.

andrewk35's review against another edition

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2.0

I enjoyed but wasn’t over the moon with Dracula, but I decided to give Mr. Stoker another chance. I was glad that this book wasn’t done in the epistolary style of his most famous work. After the initial set up of an Egyptologist suddenly fallen ill and mysterious circumstances surrounding the incident I was intrigued. After that, the book’s momentum stalled. . The book seemed a bit repetitive with the premise of it’s intrigue while doing some surface level character development before springboarding into the latter part of the book with a tacked on romance that felt anything but organic.

I really thought that Mr. Stoker might have turned things around but the story and the dialogue became quite stagnant and exposition laden again. There were interesting themes and concepts that could’ve been explored more, but weren’t. The prose often fell flat and more than a few characters seemed like cardboard cutouts. And then the ending. Perhaps the definition of anti-climactic. I found that there were actually two endings for the book, and while the original ending is better it ‘s definitely more of a whimper than a bang.

All in all, it made sense that Dracula is the more famous of these novels, and having not particularly enjoyed Dracula I think Mr. Stoker just isn’t for me.