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18 h 46 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
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The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century, paperbackPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 461 pages
The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century, hardcoverHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 461 pages
About this book

What if an ancient Egyptian king wakes to find that the future needs his wisdom more than his fear?

England, 2126: Queen Claudia rules, curious machines reshape daily life, and electric force brings the mummy of Cheops back to life in Egypt. In Jane Loudon's The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century, ancient wisdom meets scientific ambition, while a young queen faces a court crowded with schemes.

Claudia must balance duty and feeling as power struggles threaten her throne. Edric Montagu is drawn into events around her and the revived king, caught between ambition, loyalty and affection. Gothic suspense meets romance and sharp comedy in a future where inventions change daily life, but rank and advantage still hold their pull.

What you’ll discover

  • A king out of time Meet Cheops, whose ancient perspective casts the strange twenty-second century in a revealing light.
  • A queen under pressure Follow Claudia as she weighs duty and feeling amid the demands of a scheming court.
  • Machines that reshape life Explore inventions that transform work, travel, medicine and the comforts of everyday life.
  • Power with a comic edge Enjoy Loudon's playful scrutiny of ambition, social rank and the chase for advantage.
  • Women shaping the future Enter an imagined society where women govern, invent and challenge the roles expected of them.

Is it for you?

This summary suits readers who enjoy early science fiction, gothic stories, and books that show how one age pictured the future. It is also good for anyone curious about women writers of the 1820s. If you want fast, modern plotting, it may feel slow.

What’s inside

The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary

  1. A young writer imagines the year 2126
  2. An ancient king wakes through electric force
  3. A queen rules and her throne is not safe
  4. The future is full of curious machines
  5. Satire, romance and the pull of power
  6. How the tale is told and what came after

Who’s who

  • CheopsAn ancient Egyptian king brought back to life by electric force, who watches the twenty-second century with the eyes of a man from a lost age.
  • Queen ClaudiaThe young ruler of England in 2126, who must balance duty, feeling and the pressures of a crowded and scheming court.
  • Edric MontaguA young man drawn into the events around the queen and the revived king, caught between ambition, loyalty and affection.

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15-minute summary
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Paperback
6 × 9 in, 461 pages: 14,95 USD when you start free, 21,95 USD on its own.
Hardcover
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Large print paperback
8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Large print hardcover
8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.

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Science Fiction

The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century

by Jane Loudon· 1827

An ancient mummy returns to life in a future Britain.

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The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century by Jane Loudon, the cover

From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6

A young writer imagines the year 2126

Jane Loudon was born in 1807 and grew up in a family that lost its money. When her father died, she was left to support herself, and writing seemed a way to do it. The Mummy! was her bold answer. Instead of setting her story in the past, as most romantic novelists of the day did, she sent it three centuries ahead.

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The author

Jane Loudon

1807–1858 · English novelist and gardening writer

Jane Loudon, born Jane Webb, was an English novelist and gardening writer. She was born near Birmingham in 1807 and died in London in 1858. She published The Mummy! in 1827 and Instructions in Gardening for Ladies in 1840. She married the horticultural writer John Claudius Loudon in 1830.

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Questions about The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century

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What is The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century about?

It is set in 2126, when an ancient Egyptian king is revived by electric force and becomes involved in the court of Queen Claudia. The book mixes gothic fear, political plotting, romance and satire about a future England.

Who wrote The Mummy! and when was it published?

Jane Loudon, then known as Jane Webb, wrote it. It came out in 1827 in three volumes, without her name on the title page, when she was in her early twenties.

Is The Mummy! by Jane Loudon science fiction?

Yes, it is often counted among the early works of science fiction. It imagines future technology and social change, and it uses electricity to revive the dead, an idea that echoes Frankenstein.

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