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Summary: Peters vs King
Review: Normally I am a die hard Stephen King fan, now don't get me wrong I love him still but this past christmas my grandmother got me hooked on Elizabeth Peters "Amelia Peabody" series! I just finished "The Falcon at the Portal" today and was so entraced by this book! I love the way Peters makes the Emerson family just come to life, the outcomes are about as amusing as the problems themselves. Im going to buy the next book because I am dying to find out if Rameses gets Nefret, I hope Elizabeth Peters won't dissapoint me.
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Summary: And We Have Another Winner!
Review: I'm not sure how she does it, but Ms. Peters/Michaels has created yet another sparkling addition to the Amelia Peabody series. The action is swift, the dialogue witty, and the mystery intriguing. Oh, yeah, and there's the Ramases and Nefret thing. Acctualy, I believe that one of the promos for HE SHALL THUNDER IN THE SKY was "Nefret and Ramases; will they or won't they?" How appropriate! But I can't say anything more; you shall just have to purchase the book and line Ms. Peters's pockets with more well deserved green backs.
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Summary: Campy Victorian Archeological Soap Opera Soars!
Review: I adore the Amelia Peabody novels because they are so unlike any other mystery series. First, the bulk of the time is spent on archeological digs pursuing important scholarship in Egypt. Second, the characters are so outrageously original (Amelia is an early 20th century Wonder Woman who passionately craves her husband, Emerson is a steam boiler always about to go off on some emotional tangent or other, Ramses is a mixture of Oliver Twist and Super Boy, Nefret is Elizabeth Taylor in Dr. Florence Nightingale's role -- you get the idea). Third, the plots always involve lots of local history and interesting perspectives on manners of the period. Fourth, the whole crew is always off on some unexpected adventure or other. I often wonder how any of them ever sleep, between their day-time adventures and the clandestine night-time ones. It makes me tired just to think about them.The characters have really grown on me. This is one of the few series I have read where the characters are probably the main attraction. The Nero Wolfe books by Rex Stout have a similar attraction for me. In this book (as in the recent ones), the action revolves around tensions among the family members. Clearly, everyone wants more psycholoical space, but the others good-heartedly want to look out for each other and impinge on that space. One would think these characters had read Freud. Two characteristics of this book bothered me. It seems like the loose ends were greater in the family drama at the end of the book than they were at the beginning. I don't mind if Elizabeth Peters is going to do that, but she should bring out two books at the same time when she does so we are not left waiting so long for the resolution. My other concern is that I think that Peters cheated a bit with Nefret's actions and emotions in this one. The Nefret I had built up in my mind (child goddess of the desert who captivates all and sundry who come within her reach) disappeared in this novel, and seemed to be replaced by an imposter. I think that Peters owes it to us to close this gap with one of her upcoming books. If you have not read any of the Amelia Peabody mysteries, DO NOT START WITH THIS ONE! Most of the joy of these novels comes in the build-up of the characters from one book to the next. While you need not read them all, you certainly should work through them chronologically from the earliest publication date. Have a great time when you do, and keep your tongue firmly in your cheek!
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Summary: maturing right along with me
Review: My husband and I are avid "groupies" of Amelia Peabody & Company. The Falcon at the Portal was by far our favorite. Yes we were disappointed that Nefret was not destined for Rameses in the true Victorian sense (after all Amelia thrives on Victorian values does she not?). And yes we were disappointed when the book ended with no hint of Nefret's future...BUT this book of all the others drew us in so closely to what was taking place that we were emotionally tied to the two and felt true loss for Ramses...now that's what a good story should do! At the conclusion, although we were left hanging, we snapped out of it and ran to the computer to see if a sequel was available. What a relief it was to see that, yes indeed, Ms. Peters had been true to her readers and provided us with yet an another opportunity to follow along with her and her family as they mature through yet another episode of life. This has made her characters much more real and endearing to us. Bravo for Ms. Peters! We are looking forward to walking through the rest of lives with Amelia, Emerson and the rest of Amelia Peabody and Company!
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Summary: A Great Book
Review: This book was great. A real page turner. It definutly left you wanting the next book though. I have read every book so far in this series and love how the charecters have evolved over time. The only thing is I did not like one of the actions perpatrated by Nefret. We will see what it leads to in the next instalment of the series. The story very interesting and I have recomended this book to all my friends. Hope you enjoy the book as much as i have.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not the best
Review: Although I greatly enjoyed this book, I was not left with the same satisfied feeling that many of her other books left me with. It seems to be getting just slightly too involved with internal politics, with the bad guys playing so small of a role, that they seem almost an afterthought. I too do not understand why Nefret had to become so weak & tragic, but the character development of Ramesses is quite excellent. I would like to see David fleshed out a little more as well -- he really intrigues me. I agree with many of the recent reviewers so don't have much to add. I hope Emerson never stops popping the buttons off his shirt :-) I hope Narmer has a recurring role as well!
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Summary: good book contrary to other reviews
Review: I liked this book. I almost didn't buy it after reading negative reviews but I'm glad I did. I didn't think it was a cliff hanger any more than previous books were....the "mystery" of this book was solved just not Ramses & Nefret. And although what happened between them may not be what we all wanted that doesn't mean it wasn't a possible outcome or something that shouldn't have been written. Not everything turns out exactly how you would like when you'd like it in real life; or in good writing. I can't wait for the next one to come out!
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Summary: Amelia's Offspring
Review: Of course, I'm prejudiced. I've read all of this series, her other books under this name, and her books as Barbara Michaels. Three qualities are present in all her books: humor, realism, and deep compassion. The complexities and griefs in the later Amelia Peabody books have always been present; that's why the reader becomes so involved. The only problem with "Falcon" is Nefret's relentless golden adorability, and Peters is reining that in by giving her compassion based on direct knowledge, and letting her learn to suffer the consequences of her impulses. But it's a LONG time until May 3rd and the release of the new book!
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Summary: Betrayed at the Portal
Review: I can't help it - I have to put my two cents in. I finished this book 3 days ago and can't get it out of my mind. The plot was vintage Peters, but the emotional wollop of this book was, I feel, a new device for her. I simultaneously wanted to throw it away AND buy the sequel as soon as possible. I appreciate all the other readers' comments. I've read 20-30 of the other reviews and find soalce in them. I do not feel alone in my emotional tantrum. Amazon -please, please try to interview Ms. Peters - I would really like to understand why she sandbagged the plot of Ramses and Nefret. I'm feeling that she betrayed characters her readers have grown to love over many years. I only hope the ususal wit and genious of her plot machinations will come to light and explain it all in the sequel(I for one, won't be satisfied with anything less). I'm rooting for Ramses.
Rating:
Summary: Long time reader not judging......yet
Review: Both my mother and I have read about Amelia's adventures since the very beginning. When reading this book during vacation last summer(each installment marks the true beginning of summer for us), we were both surprised and slightly disappointed at the turn of events, especially those concerning Nefret. As such a strong-willed young woman, it was quite shocking to see her seemingly fall apart at the seams and become weak... After re-reading the book, however, we both decided that Elizabeth Peters was not "copping out" to a soap opera format as some readers feel...rather, she was giving us yet another of her twists that usually occur within one story. This time she's just letting it go to the next installment. True die-hard fans of Amelia Peabody and her family will reserve judgment until the next book...happily, we will not have to wait much longer :-)
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