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The Mummy #2
The Mummy Returns
THE EVIL RETURNS
Hidden deep in the Egyptian desert, the mummified remains of Imhotep—accursed High Priest of Osiris—are uncovered once more by his loyal followers. Brought back to life, Imhotep sets out to find the legendary resting place of the very first pharaoh—the Scorpion King—and unleash an unstoppable army of evil upon the earth . . .
THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES
Nine years after their adventure in the desert, daring ex-legionnaire Rick O'Connell and archaeologist Evelyn Carnahan are happily married, with their precious son accompanying them on a dig in the desert. What they accidentally discover is the key to locating the Lost Oasis of Ahm Shere, where the undead army of Anubis awaits the order to destroy mankind, and the hideous Scorpion King awaits those who will challenge his power. Now, Rick and Evelyn find themselves in a deadly race against Imhotep and his sinister minions, with the fate of all humanity—and the life of their son—hanging in the balance . . .
Hidden deep in the Egyptian desert, the mummified remains of Imhotep—accursed High Priest of Osiris—are uncovered once more by his loyal followers. Brought back to life, Imhotep sets out to find the legendary resting place of the very first pharaoh—the Scorpion King—and unleash an unstoppable army of evil upon the earth . . .
THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES
Nine years after their adventure in the desert, daring ex-legionnaire Rick O'Connell and archaeologist Evelyn Carnahan are happily married, with their precious son accompanying them on a dig in the desert. What they accidentally discover is the key to locating the Lost Oasis of Ahm Shere, where the undead army of Anubis awaits the order to destroy mankind, and the hideous Scorpion King awaits those who will challenge his power. Now, Rick and Evelyn find themselves in a deadly race against Imhotep and his sinister minions, with the fate of all humanity—and the life of their son—hanging in the balance . . .
293 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2001
About the author
Max Allan Collins
547 books1,239 followersReceived the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 2006.
He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.
Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black
Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ
He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.
Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black
Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 24, 2018
Well, I made it. I finished reading the book in less than a year. :))) Don't get me wrong. The novelization is pretty good, it's just that real life has a way of getting into everything. *sigh*
So, back to our mummy, the Brendan Fraser first two movies are my favorites. There is adventure, a great looking man, a gorgeous kick-ass woman, and now they have an amazing son. Oh, and let's not forget Jonathan. John Hannah as Jonathan Carnahan is wonderful. He makes me laugh every time, even if I've seen the movie so many times I can't even remember.
My favorite parts are the flashbacks. I love the two ladies, Evelyn/Nefertiri and Meela/Anck-Su-Namun. Their fight scenes are some of the best, and there is always something magical about seeing old Egypt in all it's glory (the palace and the temples, the costumes and jewelry etc.).
And I'm sorry for Imhotep. His love got him doomed for all eternity. And, in the end, it was all for nothing. He had to die a few times trying to get back the woman he loved, to realize she wasn't worth it.
So, back to our mummy, the Brendan Fraser first two movies are my favorites. There is adventure, a great looking man, a gorgeous kick-ass woman, and now they have an amazing son. Oh, and let's not forget Jonathan. John Hannah as Jonathan Carnahan is wonderful. He makes me laugh every time, even if I've seen the movie so many times I can't even remember.
My favorite parts are the flashbacks. I love the two ladies, Evelyn/Nefertiri and Meela/Anck-Su-Namun. Their fight scenes are some of the best, and there is always something magical about seeing old Egypt in all it's glory (the palace and the temples, the costumes and jewelry etc.).
And I'm sorry for Imhotep. His love got him doomed for all eternity. And, in the end, it was all for nothing. He had to die a few times trying to get back the woman he loved, to realize she wasn't worth it.
June 4, 2021
Evelyn Carnahan O'Connel has been having strange dreams and visions since the start of the Egyptian new year—the Year of the Scorpion. Dreams and visions that send her and her family back to Egypt to look for the mythological Bracelet of Anubis.
They find it, but they're not the only ones looking for it. The newly reawakened Imhotep, alongside his reincarnated lover, want the bracelet to gain control over the army of Anubis and unleash hell.
Again, the movie (though much worse than the first one) was still better than the novelization. Plodding of pace, dull of story, annoying of character (Evelyn was still rather self-involved and self-important because she was having visions of the past)...I was at least hoping for an explanation as to why the Scorpion King turned evil (or whatever he was at the beginning), but alas, no explanation was forthcoming.
They find it, but they're not the only ones looking for it. The newly reawakened Imhotep, alongside his reincarnated lover, want the bracelet to gain control over the army of Anubis and unleash hell.
Again, the movie (though much worse than the first one) was still better than the novelization. Plodding of pace, dull of story, annoying of character (Evelyn was still rather self-involved and self-important because she was having visions of the past)...I was at least hoping for an explanation as to why the Scorpion King turned evil (or whatever he was at the beginning), but alas, no explanation was forthcoming.
January 21, 2023
The best is to watch movie this is the first Hollywood movie I have a watch in my childhood and the great one
October 23, 2018
I think the route of the Scorpion King was the completely wrong route for the film makers to go down, especially introducing the spin off film. Looking back on the CGI of Dawyne Johnson now as the Scorpion King is unbelievable, it's so bad. Thankfully, you don't get any of this in the book.
Once again, the writing and description from Max Allan Collins is excellent, and he definitely weaves an excellent story, whether you've watched the film or not. There are some minor changes from book to film - this is obviously taken from one of the drafts of the screenplay, before they realised scalping on film probably wouldn't work. (But half-human, half-scorpion would?) There are some changes to the dialogue, with some being described in the book, and spoken by a character in the film.
I really appreciate that Max Allan Collins' stuck right throughout these novelizations, rather than as I've seen previously, passed from author to author, like you do find in some novelization series. I think he was able to focus much more on the storyline this time, as he has already introduced Rick (who annoyingly gets referred to as Richard more than once) and Evelyn, and we already know the story of Imothep and Anck-su-namun, but we get a different spin on it with this novelization.
I just really wish they'd gone with something different than the Scorpion King. Although it comes across better in the book, than it does on film, if you've already seen the film and hated the character, you'll still feel the same reading this. It'll be interesting to see if my feelings change with the novelization of the spin off.
Once again, the writing and description from Max Allan Collins is excellent, and he definitely weaves an excellent story, whether you've watched the film or not. There are some minor changes from book to film - this is obviously taken from one of the drafts of the screenplay, before they realised scalping on film probably wouldn't work. (But half-human, half-scorpion would?) There are some changes to the dialogue, with some being described in the book, and spoken by a character in the film.
I really appreciate that Max Allan Collins' stuck right throughout these novelizations, rather than as I've seen previously, passed from author to author, like you do find in some novelization series. I think he was able to focus much more on the storyline this time, as he has already introduced Rick (who annoyingly gets referred to as Richard more than once) and Evelyn, and we already know the story of Imothep and Anck-su-namun, but we get a different spin on it with this novelization.
I just really wish they'd gone with something different than the Scorpion King. Although it comes across better in the book, than it does on film, if you've already seen the film and hated the character, you'll still feel the same reading this. It'll be interesting to see if my feelings change with the novelization of the spin off.
January 3, 2021
I like this book a lot and am tempted to keep it with me. But I don't really want to read it again so there would be no point to that. Hence I am donating it to the library exchange corner, where I first found it, in the hopes some other Mummy movie fan can enjoy it.
The novel follows most of the film's plot. There are some key differences.
1) It explores the backstory of Anck Su Namun and Nefertiri. While it is never explained why the former hated the princess, it is understandable that Nefertiri should be enraged that her late mother be replaced with a common concubine.
2) Imhotep seems to be indulgent of Alex, never allowing physical harm to the boy, and even punishing Lock-nah for his escape instead of Alex himself. He even seems reluctant to end the boy's life. But of course his desire to cause Rick pain outweighs that and he allows Lock-nah to end the boy's life in any painful method.
3) There is some way to prove you are a servant of the scorpion king. By removing your scalp. Both the curator and Imhotep did this. The part that had me giggling was when Rick butchered the pronunciation for "I am your disciple" to "My fat ass."
4) It is revealed that Meela threw the Book of the Living into the pit of scarabs so that Imhotep could not be killed that way again.
In this novel, we see how the feud between Imhotep and Rick, and Evy and Anck Su Namun involves both hatred and respect.
I felt kind of sorry for Imhotep. He sacrificed his position and friend for love, and that love not been so true after all. But I also get that the situation was different at the end.
Rick did not want Evy to die and ordered her to keep back. Evy, who obviously had a pleasant afterlife experience (why would she be in hell?), was not afraid to die again.
Imhotep had died a gruesome death and did not want to die again. He pleaded for his beloved to save him. I believe she did love Imhotep, but like how I believe Nefertiri had a good afterlife, I am pretty sure Anck Su Namun had a taste of hell and did not want to risk it either.
The novel follows most of the film's plot. There are some key differences.
1) It explores the backstory of Anck Su Namun and Nefertiri. While it is never explained why the former hated the princess, it is understandable that Nefertiri should be enraged that her late mother be replaced with a common concubine.
2) Imhotep seems to be indulgent of Alex, never allowing physical harm to the boy, and even punishing Lock-nah for his escape instead of Alex himself. He even seems reluctant to end the boy's life. But of course his desire to cause Rick pain outweighs that and he allows Lock-nah to end the boy's life in any painful method.
3) There is some way to prove you are a servant of the scorpion king. By removing your scalp. Both the curator and Imhotep did this. The part that had me giggling was when Rick butchered the pronunciation for "I am your disciple" to "My fat ass."
4) It is revealed that Meela threw the Book of the Living into the pit of scarabs so that Imhotep could not be killed that way again.
In this novel, we see how the feud between Imhotep and Rick, and Evy and Anck Su Namun involves both hatred and respect.
I felt kind of sorry for Imhotep. He sacrificed his position and friend for love, and that love not been so true after all. But I also get that the situation was different at the end.
Rick did not want Evy to die and ordered her to keep back. Evy, who obviously had a pleasant afterlife experience (why would she be in hell?), was not afraid to die again.
Imhotep had died a gruesome death and did not want to die again. He pleaded for his beloved to save him. I believe she did love Imhotep, but like how I believe Nefertiri had a good afterlife, I am pretty sure Anck Su Namun had a taste of hell and did not want to risk it either.
March 16, 2018
In my personal opinion, this sequel adaption was better than the original in the sense that I would rather reread the book than rewatch the movie - again, for personal reasons. Simply for the characterization differences between the movie and the novelization, The Mummy Returns novel is more satisfying, to me. I absolutely adore knowing more than the films tell us, and all of the little details that we wouldn't know otherwise just make me incredibly happy.
May 22, 2017
This was a much faster read than the novelization of the previous movie but the quality wasn't there. There were a lot of silly mistakes in the writing which, years later, I talk about more than the actual book or movie.
May 23, 2022
Seemed slow in the beginning but it massively gains pace in the middle and ends with a bang. I don't remember the movie well, but this bit about Evy being Nefertiti kind of annoyed me, because it wasn't historically accurate and felt a little too far fetched.
July 29, 2023
Al igual que en la primera novelización, lo único que no me ha acabado de convencer es el trato de los personajes en comparación a los de la película pero todo lo demás es perfecto, tanto los pequeños detalles como las descripciones emocionales de los personajes.
May 30, 2018
<3 amazing <3
November 12, 2019
Like the movie alot of fun to read.
February 21, 2020
I kind of pity the mummy
June 24, 2008
If you loved reading The Mummy (and found the film version of the The Mummy Returns a little lacking), you will enjoy getting lost within the ancient annexes of this book. You will find that your imagination paints an even better picture than the film, with the masterful literary guidance of one of the greatest romanciers of our time.
April 28, 2013
I was pretty excited to read this, but sadly, my expectations were for naught. The writing style was juvenile as well as having an over abundance of reused adjectives. A little on the poor side, I would rather watch the movie.
January 4, 2022
LOVE ITTTTTT. There are some parts different from the movie but thats normal. And I wish that some parts or quotes in the book were in the movie. Specially some parts in the end of the book. But i love itttt.
May 27, 2009
Ok but it wasnt the French version or whatever this is.
December 6, 2012
As good as the movie itself !
November 1, 2013
Good book though portions of it is not like the movie.
Read
August 5, 2014it was…………………………………………………………………………………
AMAZING
AMAZING
Read
November 23, 2015So I've added this to my DNF shelf, this is EXACTLY like the film word for word sigh.
Read
April 11, 2019yes
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews