18 h 46 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 18 h 46 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout 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.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy early science fiction, Gothic chills and sharp comedy will find plenty here. It suits anyone curious how a woman writer pictured balloons, robots and queens.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- England in 2126 is ruled by an elected queen
- A restless younger son longs to wake the dead
- Edric defies his father and leaves for Egypt
- The battery is applied and a king wakes
- Edric wanders through war, rescue and love
- A triumph in London ends in terror
- The Mummy whispers and the crown is won
- Ambition and jealousy turn good people into pawns
- Future science is a mirror for present follies
- A dream frame, quick scenes and shifting tone
Who’s who
- Edric MontaguA dreamy younger son who rebels against an arranged marriage and longs to wake the dead to learn the secrets of the soul.
- Edmund MontaguA noble war hero and favorite son who loves Elvira and tries to put duty before his own feelings.
- Doctor EntwerfenEdric's eccentric tutor, who believes galvanism can restart life and ends up in one scrape after another.
- CheopsThe Egyptian king woken from his tomb, full of bitter pride, who laughs at mortals and advises schemers.
- ElviraThe duke's gentle, beautiful daughter, who is chosen queen and struggles with the weight of the crown and her heart.
- RosabellaElvira's passionate and proud cousin, who wants the throne and the man she loves.
- Father MorrisThe cold, clever priest of the Montagu household, who plots in secret for Rosabella's rise.
- RoderickThe cheerful, brave King of Ireland, a laughing philosopher who befriends Edric and fights wars for romantic causes.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print hardcover
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The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century
by Jane Loudon · 1827
A young scholar shocks a pharaoh's mummy awake in 2126, and the dead king starts meddling in England's crown.
Challenging10–20 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
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In short
What happens when two curious men use a galvanic battery to wake a dead king, and the king takes an interest in England's politics? That is the question in The Mummy, a tale of the twenty-second century, written by Mrs.
The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century at a glance
- Reading time
- About 10 h 45 min8 h 30 min fast, 12 h 45 min slow
- Length
- 153,400 words32 chapters
- Pages
- 461 pages695 in large print
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1827by Jane Loudon
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
England in 2126 is ruled by an elected queen
The story opens with a quick history of England. The country has tried aristocracy, democracy and anarchy. When perfect equality is declared, nobody will stoop to work for a neighbor, and everything is done badly.
Hunger for order brings the people to the last prince of the old royal family. He prefers his small farm and refuses the crown. His daughter says she will save her country or die trying. She becomes queen, writes a clear code of laws, and brings a lasting peace. She also makes a rule that shapes the book. No queen may marry, and each new queen is chosen by the votes of men from the women of her family.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1827
- Language
- English
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Loudon, Jane. The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-mummy-a-tale-of-the-twenty-second-century.
Loudon, J. (2026). The mummy! A tale of the twenty-second century. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-mummy-a-tale-of-the-twenty-second-century (Original work published 1827)
Loudon, Jane. The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-mummy-a-tale-of-the-twenty-second-century.
@book{loudon2026mummy,
author = {Loudon, Jane},
title = {The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-mummy-a-tale-of-the-twenty-second-century},
note = {First published 1827}
}
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What is The Mummy by Mrs. Loudon about?
It follows Edric Montagu and his tutor, who revive the Egyptian king Cheops in 2126, and the trouble the Mummy causes as he steers a fierce contest for the English throne between two cousins.
Is The Mummy a true story and when does it take place?
No, it is a made-up tale set in the year 2126. The author imagines England ruled by queens and filled with balloons, steam cannons and clockwork lawyers, all introduced through a dream.
Who is Cheops in the book?
Cheops is the ancient Egyptian king whose mummy is brought back to life by a galvanic battery. He walks among the English people of the era, speaks in grand, bitter phrases, and gives advice to schemers.
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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