Cleopatra (Haggard novel)
Cleopatra: Being an Account of the Fall and Vengeance of Harmachis is an adventure novel written by English author H. Rider Haggard and first printed in 1889 by Longmans.
 Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | H. Rider Haggard |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Adventure novel |
| Publisher | Longmans |
Publication date | 1889 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 316 pp |
| ISBN | 1-55521-122-4 |
| OCLC | 16862670 |
| Text | Cleopatra at Wikisource |
Synopsis
The story is set in the Ptolemaic era of Ancient Egyptian history and revolves around the survival of a dynasty bloodline protected by the Priesthood of Isis. The main character Harmachis (the living descendant of the pharaoh's bloodline) is charged by the Priesthood to overthrow the supposed impostor Cleopatra, drive out the Greeks and Romans and restore Egypt to its golden era.
As is the case with the majority of Haggard's works, the story draws heavily upon adventure and exotic concepts. The story, told from the point of view of the Egyptian priest Harmachis, is recounted in biblical language, being in the form of papyrus scrolls found in a tomb.
Reception
Boucher and McComas gave the novel a mixed review, saying that it combined "a not always believable portrait" of its title heroine with a "fascinating, wholly convincing" story line.[1]
References
- "Recommended Reading," F&SF, September 1953, p. 100.
- Bleiler, Everett (1948). The Checklist of Fantastic Literature. Chicago: Shasta Publishers. p. 112.
