The Jewel of Seven Stars (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

By Bram Stoker

In this frightening novel, published in 1903, Stoker turns from one staple of horror—the vampire—to another:  the mummy, thus influencing every subsequent literary and film treatment of the subject, including the Universal classic, The Mummy.  Here, an archeologist's plan to revive the mummified remains of the ancient Egyptian Queen Tara leads to bloodshed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Release date: Apr 26, 2011
• ISBN: 9781411438781

Bram Stoker

Bram Stoker (1847–1912) grew up in Ireland listening to his mother's tales of blood-drinking fairies and vampires rising from their graves. He later managed the Lyceum Theatre in London and worked as a civil servant, newspaper editor, reporter, and theater critic. Dracula, his best-known work, was published in 1897 and is hailed as one of the founding pieces of Gothic literature.  

Reviews for The Jewel of Seven Stars (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

[piratejenny_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you read it, I urge you to make sure you read the ORIGINAL version, not the shoddy "updated" 1912 happy ending version (sounds dirty, doesn't it?) because that version just sucks. And it deletes a great chapter meditating on the power of pagan gods vs. the Christian god.This is a mystery novel with horror elements thrown in. And by horror, I mean mummies. And Egyptology (very in vogue when this was written). It begins when our hero, Malcolm Ross, receives a message from a Miss Margaret Trelawney stating that her father has just fallen ill. He, being rather entranced by Margaret after a recent meeting, rushes over and takes charge of the situation. The police and a doctor are sent for but no explanation can be found. Trelawney's lawyer is also sent for and he specifies that none of the Egyptian artifacts in the room are to be moved. Odd that. So it's pretty obvious they've got something to do with Trelawney's condition. Naturally the rest of the novel is not only concerned with discovering Trewlaney's condition but with what led to it and the ramifications of what happened on his trips to Egypt. (Really, that's not a spoiler.) And really interesting questions are brought up during the course of all of it, provided of course, you read the correct edition. I quite liked it.

[marensr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Jewel of Seven Stars is a flawed yet compelling book by Stoker. I have found stoker creates interesting female characters, especially for the era in which he lived. They are often educated brave and profoundly forward thinking and at other times (or in other characters) in need of saving. The plot involves a man in a trance after a mysterious attack which seems to be linked to the Egyptian artifacts he has spent his life studying. As in Dracula, Stoker is interested in the themes of death and immortality.It is worth finding a version with the ending Stoker originally wrote and the happier ending on which his publishers insisted. The happier ending feels slapped on and contradicts earlier sections of the last chapter.

[devious_dantes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a reasonably compelling supernatural tale by Bram Stoker. The character of Margaret is the most interesting, and in particular the relationship between her and the long dead Egyptian queen Tera. Stoker does a pretty nice job of making the supernatural aspects of this story believable, especially for 1903, though today, much of this would be debunked.I have only one warning for those interested in reading this book. Make sure you get the original version, not the version with the re-written ending (which applies to most copies in print today). The newer version has an ending which, frankly almost makes reading the book a waste of time, by essentially making the "great experiment" an anti-climactic non-factor. The easiest way to tell which version you've got is by the number of chapters. The original version has 20 chapters, and the "bastardized" version has 19 chapters.

[amydross · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Probably the best thing about this book (to me) is the super-kitschy Edwardian take on Egypt and Egyptology. Otherwise, though, the characters are mostly drippy, and the Big Bad only appears on the very last page, which is a bit disappointing. Dracula it ain't.

[john257hopper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This horror novel by the author of Dracula lacks the literary quality of the more famous work, but Stoker nevertheless creates cumulatively an atmosphere of fear and tension in this story based around the apparent resurrection of the mummy of a 5,000 year old forgotten Egyptian queen. This was the precursor of the mummy horror films of the twentieth century. This 1903 version contains a downbeat ending that apparently Stoker had to change when he wanted to reissue it in 1912; the revised version contains a more upbeat very ending, though apart from this scene and a very brief epilogue, there were no other changes except an omitted self-contained philosophical chapter. It's well written and atmospheric, though my 1903 version contained numerous misprints, untypical of Delphi Classics usual ebook publications, which were not present in their 1912 version (the most hilarious misprint was a reference to Egyptian embalmers preserving a body in a "bath of matron", rather than the preserving fluid natron - I bet that gave matron a nasty shock!)

[empress8411 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Considered the bases for the classical Mummy myth, this short novella by Bram Stoker takes advantage of the Egypt-mania that swarmed the Western world in the later parts of the 1800s. Told from the view point of the young lawyer, Malcolm Ross, it concerns the collection of the rich but eccentric Abel Trelawny and his daughter, Margaret – and the mummy of an Egyptian Queen….. This has all the proper themes of a Victorian Gothic story – the morally-pure virgin, the stalwart young man, the mad scientists, the doctor, the creepy house, the blood in the night, shadows and ghosts, and mysteries of the past coming to haunt the present. Stoker gave much detail about Egypt, and it was clear he did his research before adding in his own fantastical elements. It also contains Stoker’s trademark foreboding imagery and gothic prose. It’s a fine tale for a dark and creepy night. But, it’s also a bit slow at times, some of the action or events are never really explained, and the ending – well, my big issue is the ending. It’s ambiguous exactly what went wrong and why the Great Experiment ended in death. Perhaps is it my modern mind, but I would have preferred a bit more explanation

[alaudacorax · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book, by the author of Dracula, of course, seems to combine horror with elements of mystery or whodunnit and of Rider Haggard-style fantasy. I’d say that the horror aspect is quite muted and that it is the mystery and fantasy elements that are more to the fore. Because of that mystery element, I really can’t give an outline of the plot without spoiling things for new readers. I’ll just say that our narrator gets called in to help when a wealthy collector of ancient Egyptian antiquities falls into some sort of coma or trance after a mysterious assault, and the story proceeds from there.This is not an epistolary novel like Dracula but is told in the first person by one of the protagonists, Malcolm Ross. It’s a shorter book, too, and those who find Dracula rather heavy going might find this a more entertaining read.I suppose I must fault it on a couple of small issues: There are several places where Stoker really slows things down when the narrator or another protagonist discusses the religious implications or the anticipated outcomes of what they are doing – their ‘Great Experiment’. I think Stoker could have improved the book by putting some work into distilling these down a bit. These passages are not that difficult to get through, however, and there are not too many of them.Also, it was only on thinking over the book some time after finishing it that I realised there were one or two, quite big, loose ends unanswered; but Stoker is such a good tale-spinner, carrying you along with him so well, that you just don’t notice when you’re actually reading (or, at least, I didn’t).To sum up, I found it a quite delightful read. I think it comes firmly under the category of ‘a good yarn’ – good entertainment rather than ‘great literature’, perhaps, but very involving. When Stoker is on form, which is most of it, it’s a real page-turner.I should mention that the book has two endings: the original one, published in 1903, and a revised one for an edition of 1912, which, apparently, was the only one available up until recent years. I’d advise prospective readers to get hold of an edition with the original ending for their first reading, In my opinion, the original ending is a good, strong, if rather dark one - and it fits, while the revised ending is little more than an act of vandalism and really deflates the force of the story – it just doesn’t really fit (I believe there is some suggestion that it wasn't actually Stoker who wrote it). You can quickly tell the difference thus: the original version has twenty chapters, including Chapter XVI, 'Powers - Old and New'; the revised edition has only nineteen, with that one missing.

[altheaann · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It seems a little strange to me that Jewel of the Seven Stars is so much less well-known than Dracula. I mean, yes, it's managed to stay in print, and it's even been adapted into a couple of low-budget horror movies, but the book certainly isn't a household name (and neither are any of Stoker's other books, for that matter.)
However, it's every bit as entertaining and dramatic a read.
The narrator is summoned by a young woman in distress, a recent acquaintance of his whom he is quite taken with. His delight in her seeming interest is only slightly tempered by the situation - the woman, Margaret's, father has fallen mysteriously ill... or has possibly been violently attacked. Doctors and the law are summoned, but, starting with some strange instructions left to his lawyer, an occult web unravels, relating to the father's occupation as an Egyptologist. A tale emerges of the mummy of Tera, a beautiful queen and powerful sorceress of ancient Egypt, who sought to extend her power beyond the grave - but whether for good or for evil is unknown. But now, it may be that there will be no choice but to discover, for her spirit seems in some strange way entwined with that of the innocent Margaret, who was born at the very moment of the violation of Tera's tomb.
Apparently, when the book was first published in 1903, the publisher was unhappy with the ending, and in subsequent editions, a new "happier" ending was tagged on. My copy of the book contained the original ending, but I have to say, I wasn't that satisfied with it either - not because of it being "unhappy," but because it was too vague, leaving unanswered too many questions that the book set up as if answers were forthcoming. Still, overall, I found it to be very enjoyable.

[joe73-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great story. The father of the classic Mummy tale. Given another ending shortly after publication due to PC and possibly ruffling feathers. This is a good yard that keeps the pages turning. Stoker is heavily criticized for his non-Dracula stories as being to political and sterile. I don't see that as the case.

[michael5rimmer · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A worthwhile, if anti-climactic read. Stoker slowly built up the tension to the moment of crisis, then let it fall flat on the final page. I do think there should be some reward for the diligent reader when the author has been at considerable pains to lay the scene for an earth-shattering revelation. I wonder if his Christian sentiment made him falter? Perhaps the idea of a bodily resurrection not based on his own religious belief struck him as blasphemous? Anyway, the journey was interesting, even if the destination was a disappointing one.Edit: Having just remembered that there were two published endings, I find my edition is the second, sanitised, finale. The summary I've just read of the original ending is darker, better, though possibly still unsatisfying. I'd give my edition 3/5 stars, and probably another half star for the original ending.

[callumsaunders · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When a writer’s name becomes synonymous with one truly classic piece of literature, it’s easy to forget that there will of course, have been many more strings to their bow. ‘The Jewell of Seven Stars’ is one such example in the portfolio of famous Irish writer Bram Stoker, creator of cultural icon, ‘Dracula’.‘The Jewel of Seven Stars’ is set in the opulent high society of Edwardian London at the home of Professor Trelawney, famed archaeologist and Egyptologist. Published in 1903, much of British society was at the time infatuated with Egypt and the East, providing this novel with its key cultural references and societal backdrop.Agents unknown attack Professor Trelawney within his home and TJOSS starts off innocently as your classic turn of the century ‘whodunit’. Beautifully and evocatively described, the book sees worried daughter Margaret call for the assistance of her willing admirer, dashing lawyer Malcolm Ross (the development of their ensuing romance is a key and enjoyable theme throughout the text), seeking help as her father lays in a trance.As the book progresses, it shifts from classic crime to supernatural thriller. Upon his awakening, Professor Trelawney brings the characters into his confidence and confirms their fears – the attacks are occurring due to the displaced Mummy Queen Tera, stored as a trophy in Trelawney’s study, awakening in preparation for her re-birth.The novel ultimately shifts to Cornwall as the protagonists aim to complete the awakening and I shall desist from discussing any more of the plot for fear of spoiling the ending, which in my opinion, is the only let down in an incredibly enjoyable book.Whilst Dracula is the superior text of the two, TJOSS is much easier to get into from the off and a thoroughly enjoyable Edwardian romp. The novel stands on its own feet in terms of story and plot, however the book also offers an incredibly detailed look at Edwardian society and the advancement of archaeology and subsequent interest in Egypt and the East, which make it worth the read in itself. I really do count this as one of my favourite books and consider it a travesty that so few know of it. Dracula may indeed be the seminal work that Stoker is rightfully associated with, but TJOSS is right up there with it and deserves the attention of discerning readers worldwide. Thoroughly recommended.

[craso_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The novel begins as a conventional mystery. An eminent Egyptologist, Mr. Trelawney, is found comatose on the floor of his bed chamber by his daughter Margaret. She sends for her friend, barrister Malcolm Ross, who is the chronicler of the story. Along with a doctor and a detective from Scotland Yard, they sit in vigil awaiting his return to consciousness. After three nights a colleague of Mr. Trelawney appears at the house and starts to shed light on the curious circumstances. Mr. Trelawney awakens and reveals that several years back they found the tomb of the Egyptian Queen Tera. She had discovered a way to defy the gods and come back from the dead. From here the story turns into a horror novel with the characters delving into the dark mysteries of the orient which culminates in the “great experiment” in the last chapter.This was a frustrating novel to read. The beginning is slow but the mystery of the comatose character was interesting enough to keep me reading. The pace picks up with the story of finding the tomb. I also enjoyed reading about the Egyptian religious and death practices. Then the pace slowed again until the characters leave for Cornwall to perform the “great experiment.” The volume I read had both endings; the 1903 dark ending and the 1912 happy ending. The former is better and makes more sense. This printing also had chapter sixteen intact. The chapter does nothing to enhance the plot. I can see why it was expunged in the 1912 edition.

[danielalgara · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great book, but a very odd and abrupt ending.