Скандальная мумия

by Corson Hirschfeld, Корсон Хиршфельд

Лучшие умы США повергнуты в шок. Отряд любознательных бойскаутов обнаружил в горном каньоне замерзшую мумию мужчины явно европейского вида. Археологи потирают ручки: вот он, древний обитатель Америки! Индейцы в восторге: их мифы наконец-то обрели достоверные доказательства! Но… почему в научный пандемониум включаются еще и члены нелепой нью-эйджевой секты, узнавшие в замороженном человеке своего «вознесшегося в астрал» гуру? При чем тут босс лас-вегасского мафиозного клана, уверенный, что найден не потрясающий артефакт, а тело задолжавшего ему шулера? И уж тем более – какое отношение имеет к великому открытию самый экстравагантный киллер за всю историю профессии? Война из-за мумии обещает стать весьма необычной…

416 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2003

About the author

Corson Hirschfeld, author of the novels Aloha, Mr. Lucky (Forge, 2000), Too High (Forge, 2001), and Freeze Dry (Forge, 2003), has been a professional photographer for twenty-five years. He recently moved from Cincinnati to Oklahoma to join his wife Tassie, a medical anthropologist with the University of Oklahoma.

Reviews

[Serge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok , this is not for everyone. But if you ever lived or travelled through Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg , Tennessee -this will somehow make sense.
Not entirely sure why rating is so low - the book is not a comedy masterpiece but it ll give you a couple of laughs.

[H R Koelling · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just couldn't get into this book. I know it is supposed to be funny, but I barely cracked a smile throughout the novel. This puts me at odds with the bulk of other readers, but I felt the characters were poorly developed and stereotypical, and the plot was both boring and too long in development. When one of the characters mysteriously reappears mid-way through the novel I had to reevaluate the whole direction the book was taking, which wasn't a good direction.

Also, the hardcover copy of the book I read was HORRIBLY edited, which always distracts me from enjoying, what should be, a seamless and enjoyable reading experience. There were so many spelling and typographical errors, sometimes two on a page, that I wasn't sure if the author was trying to be funny when one of the characters says, "If they think they're gonna get that mummy, they've got another think (sic) coming." It would be humorous if the character intended this trope, but by the time I read it I was so accustomed to typographical errors that I think it's just another mistake. By the way, there's no such thing as "fooz (sic) ball." I guess the copy editors/proofreaders at Forge (Tor) couldn't be bothered to fact check or review the pre-publication proofs. I'm looking for a job, send me an email.

Oh well, the author is definitely talented and I remember reading one of the best similes I've seen in a book in a long time, "Regaining consciousness in fits and starts like a bulb in a loose socket..." That's really good, and original, too.

I might try reading one of his earlier novels to give him a second chance. But this book left me bored and underwhelmed.