This is the Elizabeth Peters tribute to H. Rider Haggard. She’s chosen to do what Arthur Ransome did a few times: to take her familiar set of characters and put them into a fantasy situation, for fun and variety.

It’s a mild fantasy, there’s nothing supernatural about it, but she allows the Emerson family to be led into a mad quest for long-missing persons in a desert area of northern Sudan (they travel south from Merowe), where they almost die of thirst before finding themselves captives of the descendants of an ancient civilization living in a hidden oasis in the mountains.

There is conflict between rival factions of their captors, and much intrigue and peril ensues before they eventually escape.

Looking at some other reviews of this book, I notice that some people seem to have picked it up without having read any of the others. Folks, if you’re going to read a series of books, it’s advisable to start at the beginning!

I would also comment that this whole series of books is not supposed to be taken seriously. Least of all this one.

I can’t say it’s one of my favourite books, but it’s quite fun, and it introduces a new regular character to the series. ( )

Not my favorite Amelia book. ( )

Deliberately written to sound like the works of H. Rider Haggard, this Amelia Peabody adventure was filled with over-the-top melodrama and adventure.

This year's dig is planned for the Sudan but before they can get started, Amela, Emerson, and Ramses are off following a dubious map to locate an explorer and his wife who have been missing for twelve years. However, the map also hints at an archaeological treasure: the remnants of a long dead culture.

From almost dying of thirst in the desert to finding themselves in the middle of a Royal coup, Amelia, Emerson, and Ramses have all they can handle. And despite Emerson's pleas, Amelia gets involved with the aristocracy and even helps out a pair of young lovers.

I enjoyed the now-ten-year-old Ramses part in this story and only wish the Amelia would spend more time listening to what he has to say. However, that would shorten the story and I enjoyed every action-packed minute of this audiobook narrated by Susan O'Malley. ( )

The Last Camel Died at Noon
3.5 Stars

In their latest adventure, Amelia, Emerson and their son, Ramses, find themselves abandoned in the Nubian desert after the death by poisoning of their final camel. The reason for their predicament lies in a mysterious letter sent to Viscount Blacktower, ostensibly from his eldest son, who vanished along with his bride in Sudan a decade earlier. While suspicious of the Viscount's request that they find his missing family members, Amelia and Emerson are intrigued by the map accompanying the letter and embark on the quest, where they encounter the solution to an ancient mystery and an enemy bent on greed and revenge.

This installment in the series is structured rather differently as it is divided into two sections. Book 1 focuses on the events in England and Sudan leading up to the Emersons' misadventure in the desert while Book 2 revolves around their rescue and subsequent discovery of a mythical lost city.

Elizabeth Peters's historical research is excellent, and she smoothly incorporates the details of the British conquest, the Mahadist Uprising, and the Kitchener Campaign to recapture lost territory within the flow of the narrative. Moreover, the allusions to the works of H. Rider Haggard add another layer of enjoyment to the story.

The mystery is where the plot fails to resonate. First, the pacing is too slow, and the details are interspersed between other, more compelling elements such as the revelation of the lost city, the conflict between the two heirs and the Emersons' plans to escape with their skins intact. Second, it is difficult to care about the lost British heir and his bride as readers are not provided with sufficient details about them to evoke sympathy or empathy. Finally, the explanation at the end feels more like an afterthought rather than a significant part of the story.

The true highlight of the book is, as always, the dynamics between Amelia and Emerson and the humor of Ramses' antics - he is really beginning to grow on me.

On a final note, the audiobooks in the series have two narrators - Susan O'Malley and Barbara Rosenblatt. I have been listening to the O'Mally versions, but sadly this is the last one, as the rest are Rosenblatt versions. While other listeners seem to adore her, I've had problems with her in the past. Hopefully, I will be able to get used to her and continue with the series. ( )

Fun reread. This is Elizabeth Peters' love letter to the novels of H. Rider Haggard. I've never read any of those, but to judge by this homage, they must be rip-roaring!!
Emerson, Amelia, and their precocious son Ramses get drawn in to a search for a missing explorer and his wife, rumored to have found a lost civilisation in the western Egyptian desert.
They find themselves living every archaeologist's dream... observing firsthand A LIVING ancient nation. But there's much more than scholarly pursuit at hand. They find themselves squarely in the middle of a power struggle of the royal class. Meanwhile, desperate to find a way out of this lost oasis, they still have to figure out if there's anything left of the old explorer and his wife.

Plenty of slight Gothic touches, adventurous thrills, running around in tunnels, and general fun. This book contains one of my favorite Amelia quotes, "If all else fails, we will simply have to drug our attendants, overpower the guards, raise the oppressed peasants to arms, and take over the government."

I quite recommend this. ( )