The Falcon at the Portal: An Amelia Peabody Mystery

Rating:
Summary: Utterly Brilliant
Review: I read the first Amelia book when I was about 12 and have grown up with Ramses and the rest. I have waited patiently for each installment, veiwing it as a reward for surviving each school year. But this next installment cannot come too soon! This book has a very painful twist, but it just makes the book better. I bought this book in hardcover the first day it came out, and was reading it in the laundrymat when I came to the Moment (you know what I'm talking about), I lept up from my chair and started squealing hysterically. The people around me were rather alarmed, but that's just an example of how Elizabeth's Peters incredible writing affects devoted readers. This book was worthy of Amelia Peabody, and it filled in some vital parts of the character's personalities. But PLEASE, Ms.Peters, if there is anyway He Shall Thunder in the Sky could come out early...well, it would make a great graduation present, from me to me.

Rating:
Summary: Amelia is not behaving normally
Review: I think this book has been a disapointment. All of the characters do things they would never normally do. We need to see what Nefret thinks. The characters and plot are getting very dry. Spice them up by changing the setting. Please keep Amelia the way she has always been. If the series are going to center around Ramses now, please make it interesting. Ps, I love Ramses.

Rating:
Summary: no, no, no, no
Review: Story took unusual twist at the end. Had me stompping around the house for hours, repeating no, no, no, no... Could not stand it!

Rating:
Summary: The story is complex, subtle and very surprising.
Review: Having read all of the Amelia Peabody Emerson stories, I have to say this was outstanding. The action is gripping, but also very disburbing and poignant. The characters continued to evolve, especially Ramses who has become extremely interesting! The challenges they faced- criminal, professional and personal- were very surprising and handled beautifully by Elizabeth Peters. With so many echos from the previous books, I decided to reread the earlier stories, and once again really enjoyed them! I can hardly wait for the next book(s)!

Rating:
Summary: A worthy entry in the series - but hate that cliffhanger!
Review: Nefret is not my favorite character in these books, and all of her few mitigating qualities completely disappear in "Falcon." I am hoping that some of the events in this story will give her a heart and soul to go along with her beauty and wit. Ramses deserves more than the former, rather cruel and self-absorbed Nefret. Unlike many of the other comments here, I like the direction that Elizabeth Peters is taking. It's sort of like The Emersons: TNG! I see only exciting possibilities for Ramses in the future...I think he's deserving of a series of his own with Emerson and Peabody as wonderful secondary characters. He could be a British/Egyptian government agent, or a war spy, or a private detective with David as his sidekick, or, with Nefret, the next Nick & Nora Charles! I have a mad pash for Ramses. He has supplanted John Tregarth as my fictional object of desire. Anyway, Falcon was a more emotional book then most in the series. I liked the addition of a new character (Sennia), but the "mystery" element was weak - I knew who the villian was pretty early on. I'm looking forward to finding out what will happen in Switzerland - and although I love the Egyptology and archaeology, maybe a change of mise-en-scene will give the next book an extra oomph!

Rating:
Summary: excellent but emotionally tiring and complex
Review: I had to read this book four times before I was sure I understood all the ramifications of the characters' emotional and personal lives. After the first reading, I had to read it again, just to calm down enough to relax and stop worrying at it in my mind. Be warned. If you are a fan of the series, this book will bother you. I'm finally reassured that Nefret had her reasons for what she did and is not (as other reviewers have worried) a 'Victorian goop'. As a younger person, I find the actions of the 'children' most interesting, and I'm looking forward with almost unbearable anticipation to the next installment.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read!! Cant wait for the next one...
Review: Do we have to wait another year for the sequel? There are too many unanswered questions in this one, could also do with more humor. The novel is definitely worth a read! Hopefully all will be well with Nefret and Ramses and we will see more of the Peabody-Emerson dialogue in the next one.

Rating:
Summary: Peters has set us all up for a major mystery in the sequel
Review: Falcon, while not my favorite A. Peabody book, was quite interesting. In defense of Nefreet, I feel certain that we will see why she took her rash action. By comparing herself to Sinuhe, both to Ramses and Amelia, she gives us glimses into the next installment ("he was in on the conspiracy up to his neck but she forgave him"). No doubt the evil Percy will pop up again, probably as the source of Nefreet's drastic action (blackmail, maybe to insure his spy was on the scene to oversee the dig?) Whatever the source, I feel certain her actions will be explained to her credit in the future. We have seen Ramses pine away for years. Now it's Nefreet's turn. Someone will seek to endanger or discredit Ramses, Emerson , and Amelia, using Nefreet as a tool. Percy will again manifest his hatred of Ramses and Amelia. I reread several passages and found several clues (only after I realized her actions were probably not what they appeared). Ms Peter's hasn't let us down before. She is maturing both Ramses and Nefreet so that when they do (finally!) get and stay together, it will be after mutually proving their loyalty.

Rating:
Summary: I'm impatiently waiting for number 12 in the series!!
Review: I have just recently become a fan of the Amelia Peabody series, but I am definitely hooked. I purchased The Falcon at the Portal almost the day it came out in hardcover. This installment kept my attention as always. Amelia never fails to make me laugh out loud, and Ramses is quickly becoming my favorite literary character. This series has made me laugh and made me cry, and I can't wait for Ms. Peters to write the next book.

Rating:
Summary: Ramses and Nefret do NOT belong together!
Review: I'm one of those very few people who feel that Ramses and Nefret just shouldn't be together. It's too pat, and Nefret just has no substance. She's a fluffhead, and Ramses deserves much more than that. I keep hoping it's just a passing fancy, but I guess maybe it's not. I kept hoping Nefret would end up with David, but I guess that's shot. Anyway, the only reason I gave this book less than five stars are because of Nefret's ridiculous actions. There's not enough of the interplay between Peabody and Emerson, because that's what make the previous books such fun!! I miss the Master Criminal, and I keep hoping to see him pop up again. I loved the intro of Sennia, it makes Ramses more human, and I love the way Peters explored the often prickly but deep relationship of Ramses and Peabody. Absolutely wonderful!!! I cannot wait until the next book to see how everything turns out! Keep up the great work, Ms. Peters and thank you so much for these great books!