Jurassic London

The Book of the Dead addresses the most fascinating of all the undead: the mummy. The mummy can be a figure of imperial dignity or one of shambling terror, at home in pulp adventure, contemporary drama, or apocalyptic horror. The anthology is published in collaboration with the Egypt Exploration Society, the UK's oldest independent funder of archaeological fieldwork and research in Egypt, dedicated to the promotion and understanding of ancient Egyptian history and culture.

This anthology includes nineteen original stories of revenge, romance, monsters and mayhem, ranging freely across time periods, genres and styles. The stories are illustrated by Garen Ewing, creator of The Adventures of Julius Chancer and introduced by John J. Johnston, Vice Chair of the Egypt Exploration Society.

"The first complete anthology of new and specially commissioned short stories addressing [the mummy]" - An Encyclopedia of Mummies in History, Religion, and Popular Culture (2014)

Contents

• Introduction: "Some Words from an Egyptologist" by John J. Johnston (Egypt Exploration Society)
• "Ramesses on the Frontier" by Paul Cornell
• "Escape from the Mummy's Tomb" by Jesse Bullington
• "Old Souls" by David Thomas Moore
• "Her Heartbeat, An Echo" by Lou Morgan
• "Mysterium Tremendum" by Molly Tanzer
• "Tollund" by Adam Roberts
• "The Curious Case of the Werewolf that Wasn't, The Mummy that Was and the Cat in the Jar" by Gail Carriger
• "The Cats of Beni Hasan" by Jenni Hill
• "Cerulean Memories" by Maurice Broaddus
• "Inner Goddess" by Michael West
• "The Roof of the World" by Sarah Newton
• "Henry" by Glen Mehn
• "The Dedication of Sweetheart Abbey" by David Bryher
• "All is Dust" by Den Patrick
• "Bit-U-Men" by Maria Dahvana Headley
• "Egyptian death and the afterlife: mummies (Rooms 62-3)" by Jonathan Green
• "Akhenaten Goes to Paris" by Louis Greenberg
• "The Thing of Wrath" by Roger Luckhurst
• "Three Memories of Death" by Will Hill

Cover and illustrations by Garen Ewing

Edited by Jared Shurin

The Limited Edition

The limited edition consists of 100 hand-numbered, hardcover copies, with gold-embossed titles on midnight blue buckram and dark cream endpapers. The book was then bound (literally) in cloth and sealed in wax; impressed with the seal of the Egypt Exploration Society.

Because of its unique construction, purchasers of the limited edition also received a copy of the ebook for free. The hardcover, however, was entombed with its secrets... this edition contains an exclusive illustration by Garen Ewing that will never appear in any other edition or format.

Details

Published October 2013

Hardcover: (Sold out)
ISBN: 978-0-9576462-4-7

Paperback: (Out of print)
ISBN: 978-0-9576462-5-4 

Kindle: (Out of print)

ISBN: 978-0-9576462-6-1

A portion of all proceeds from sales of The Book of the Dead is donated to the Egypt Exploration Society.

Reviews

Finalist, Shirley Jackson Awards (Edited Anthology)

Finalist, Sidewise Awards (Short Form - Adam Roberts' "Tollund")

David Thomas Moore's "Old Souls" selected for The Year's Best Australian Fantasy and Horror (ed. Liz Gryzb and Talie Helene).

Maria Dahvana Headley's "Bit-U-Men" and Maurice Broaddus' "Cerulean Memories" received Honorable Mentions for The Year's Best Horror (ed. Ellen Datlow).

"Although the anthology draws heavily upon the tropes of literary and cinematic mummy fiction it nonetheless moves into innovative and challenging territory, allowing the creators to rework the mummy as a complex and versatile literary creation by presenting a mixture of tales that are genuinely horrific, darkly humorous and poignant. The full scope of the human condition is explored as the authors utilize the traditional cipher of the living mummy to tackle the emotional and material intricacies of death, loss, rememberance, physical resurrection, and immortality." - Mummies Around the World: an Encyclopedia of Mummies in History, Religion and Popular Culture (ed. Matt Cardin, ABC Clio, 2014)

"Shrouded in history and mystery, complete with curses, canopic jars and a surprising quantity of cat-fancying, The Book of the Dead is as ambitious an anthology as The Lowest Heaven, and every bit as successful.... I'm in the mood for mummies." - Tor.com

"Something extra-special.... promises and delivers an eclectic ride filled with mummies, mysteries and more" - Women24 (A Book of the Month Pick)

"A great read" - The British Fantasy Society

"The keynote of the anthology is variety and imagination. The Book of the Dead presents all the modern mummy stories you are ever likely to need." - Telereads

"At its worst it’s entertaining and fun; at its best it does indeed succeed in doing something interesting and new with mummies and exploring their cultural status – and by proxy that of other ancient remains – in the modern world. It’s well worth your time." - res gerendae, the collective blog for Classics students at the University of Cambridge

"A delightful foray into the history and mythology of the mummy" - Innsmouth Free Press

"All the stories are excellent, which makes the collection a great read for anyone interested in mummies, Egypt, or contemporary horror." - Pure Blather

"A notable number of these stories are intensely personal affairs, with a variously expressed but consistent undertone that borders on the elegaic.... The Book of the Dead starts strong and finishes stronger... good with a few unquestionable gems dotted about." - This is how she fight start

"The latest in Jurassic London's stellar line-up of anthologies. And I stand by my tweet, this collection of short stories is disgustingly, gloriously good. If you are looking to read some awesome short fiction, you don't need to look any further than The Book of the Dead." - A Fantastical Librarian

Extras

Maria Dahvana Headley's "Bit-U-Men" at Lightspeed, plus an author spotlight.

Paul Cornell's Ramesses on the Frontier" on Tor.com.

Lou Morgan's reading of "Her Heartbeat, an Echo" at the BristolCon Fringe, now available as a free download.

Den Patrick's "All is Dust" is a (free) audio story on Dark Fiction Magazine, superbly narrated by Darren Goldsmith.

John J. Johnston's "Unearthing The Book of the Dead" on Tor.com.

David Bryher's "Why we love the undead" at The Speculative Scotsman.

Jonathan Green on mummies and romance at The Speculative Scotsman.

Maria Dahvana Headley on the politics of mummies at The Speculative Scotsman.

"Not what you'd expect..." an introduction to The Book of the Dead on the Egypt Exploration Society site.

Jared Shurin interviewed by Charles Tan as part of the Shirley Jackson Awards.

Five questions with SF Signal.

Monstrous Antiquities: Archaeology and the Uncanny in Popular Culture, a conference at UCL Institute of Archaeology, 1 - 3 November, 2013. With talks by John J. Johnston and Louis Greenberg, amongst others.

Why this book is dedicated to Amelia B. Edwards... - a note from the editor.

Gail Carriger introduces the new Parasol Protectorate story in The Book of the Dead.

David Bryher on the background of "The Dedication of Sweetheart Abbey".

A sneak preview from The Qwillery.