Out of the Ages by Devereux Pryce was published by Leonard Parsons in 1923, less than a year after the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun when the world had gone mad with Tut-mania.
We modern folks know, mainly due to all that Tut-mania, that there are certain rules pertaining to Egypt—in particular to its tombs and mummies—that, when followed without fail, aid in our safe journey through this life. One of them is... never remove things from the tombs of murdered Egyptian priestesses!
Unfortunately for the characters in this novel, nobody told them about this.
I love a good mummy or cursed artefact story. I've been fascinated by ancient Egypt since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, and one of my favourite films when I was a tiddler was Hammer's The Mummy (1959), which starred Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. So, I was chuffed to come across a copy of Out of the Ages.
So, what's the novel about? Well, for the first ten chapters (there are thirty-four in total) it concerns the relationship between three people: Thira Colquhoun, a rich and beautiful married woman who's used to getting what she wants; Jack Winthrop, the handsome fellow who Thira is determined to get her paws on; and Janet Baxter, the only woman whose paws Jack has any genuine interest in. Janet is innocent, Thira is manipulative, and Jack is often uncomfortable.
For reasons I won't go into, because it would give too much away, Jack ends up overseas, and Thira gets into something of a state. Her husband suggests a long cruise, and Thira's all for it—ostensibly for the sake of improving her health, though in truth as a means of following Jack—so off they go, with a group of friends for company. During their travels, the Colquhouns and their chums sail up the Nile and meet Professor Tremaine and his group, and the archaeologist invites them to visit a recently excavated tomb. As I mentioned above, nobody warned them about Egyptian mummies, curses, and all that wonderful stuff, so one of them does exactly what she should never have done... she removes an ancient cylinder as a keepsake.
Obviously, strange things happen... strange, bad things.
Thira is a thoroughly horrid creature. For the life of me, I can't understand what anyone would see in her. Why are chaps so darned thick where women are concerned? The novel is restrained, not at all sensational and full of blood—in fact, there isn't any really, just a few dribbles—but I found myself praying it would make an exception in her case.
So, what did I think of it? Well, for a start, I found the pace to be just right. I also felt that the conjuring of oppressive atmosphere within the excavated tomb was excellent. As someone who's claustrophobic, that airless, lightless underground complex gave me the heebies (at the same time, oh, to be there when these tombs were first opened... seeing those 'wonderful things!'). Anyway, it all appealed to me. And if you're a fan of Hammer-type mummy doings, it will appeal to you too.
Unfortunately, it's an extremely rare book. When I stumbled across my copy, there wasn't another for sale online, and I couldn't find any record of one having been for sale recently. So, I can't say what the likely cost would be, but we'd be talking hundreds rather than ten of pounds/dollars.
