- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Ace (MM); Reissue edition (May 27 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0441010210
- ISBN-13: 978-0441010219
- Product Dimensions: 17 x 10.4 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 136 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,570,244 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Forget Dolly the sheep: genetic engineering goes for the gold and takes on historical figures namely Cleopatra in a process that is not quite cloning and not quite the channeling of the title of this light fantasy from Nebula Award-winner Scarborough. The geniuses at Nucor company have perfected a computer-based program that can insert DNA from one person into another, thereby giving the second person the personality and thoughts of the first. It even works on the DNA of people long dead thus the DNA of the famed queen is the target of the archeological quest driving this story. Leda Hubbard, a closet Egyptologist and lover of antiquities whose day job is in forensic sciences, gets involved in a semi-shady assignment for Nucor to find Cleopatra's remains so her DNA can be injected into a wealthy client. Leda doesn't particularly approve of the channeling process, but getting to go on an archeological dig is the thrill of a lifetime. In the course of her adventures, she experiences a natural disaster, gets kidnapped and ends up taking Cleopatra on as an internal passenger. It's an interesting concept, but Scarborough's (The Lady in the Loch, the Acorna series with Anne McCaffrey) scattershot approach which includes tributes to metaphysics, Egyptology (especially Elizabeth Peters mysteries), gumshoe detectives, channeling and action adventure never quite allows the story to coalesce into something more than readable and occasionally humorous bits and pieces. Striking jacket art incorporating an ancient Egyptian double helix elegantly conveys the book's theme.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.Review
amusing -- The Washington Post Book World
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Channeling Cleopatra,
By michael skidmore (Chgo, IL United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Channeling Cleopatra (Hardcover)
Didn't like the book much, the author tried to be too girlish with her main character, and the technology was too easily believed by the other characters. Read about 1/3 and skimmed through the rest to see how it ended.
2.0 out of 5 stars
A good premise, but little substance...,
By A Customer
This review is from: Channeling Cleopatra (Paperback)
I think the plotline is interesting, but the characters seemed really flat. And the interaction between them was stilted and unrealistic. The "bad guys" barely get walk-on roles, and it's hard to really dislike someone you see so little of.There are lots of opportunities for interesting byplay between Leda and her father, between Duke and Gretchen, between Gabriella and her aunts, between Pete and Leda, but they get treated like scenery, moved around to forward the plot, but never fleshed out in except in the most backhanded sense. It mentions Gabriella's work with the oppressed/abused women offhandedly, but never lets us know how badly they are treated or give the reader any first hand knowledge of the problem. Leda and Gabriella's first meeting was such a poorly written scene, it was painful. And the foreshadowing was about a subtle as a Mack truck. I found it hard to feel any empathy for the characters because there was so little "character" to them. But the plot line had so much potential! It annoyed me to see it wasted this way.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Typical fun Scarborough,
By abt1950 "abt1950" (usa) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Channeling Cleopatra (Hardcover)
Scarborough's forte lies in creating books with intriguing plots, believable main characters, and lots of humor. This book is no exception. The idea of genetically-stored memory that can be downloaded into someone else's personality is an updated version of an old SF plot device, but the author takes the concept and makes it her own. The main character, Leda Hubbard, a forensic anthropologist and wannabe Egyptologist is a classic Scarborough heroine--an ordinary woman, competent and a little dissatisfied with her life. The other characters range from the delightful (Duke, Leda's macho philandering father) to the repulsive (Mr. Rasmussen, the true villain). Some of the characterizations are a little thin, and the plot could have been fleshed out in spots, but there are enough wonderful moments to make this book a rewarding read. Duke's fate alone is worth the price of the book. As with Scarborough's "Fairy Godmother" books, everyone gets their just desserts at the end, and there is an element of "they all lived happily ever after." Perhaps a bit pat, but that's part of the pleasure.
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