Cleopatra (novel)

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Cleopatra
Cover of the first edition
Author	H. Rider Haggard
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre(s)	Adventure novel
Publisher	Longmans
Publication date	1889
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	316 pp
ISBN	1-55521-122-4

Cleopatra: Being an Account of the Fall and Vengeance of Harmachis is a novel written by the author H. Rider Haggard the author of King Solomon's Mines and She.

The book was first printed in 1889.

The story is set in the Ptolemaic era of Ancient Egyptian history and revolves around the survival of a Dynasty bloodline protected by the Priesthood of Isis. The main character Harmachis (the living descendant of this Bloodline) is charged by the Priesthood to overthrow the supposed imposter Cleopatra, drive out the Romans and restore Egypt to its Golden era.

As is the case with the majority of Haggard's works, the story draws heaviliy upon Adventure and exotic concepts. The story, told from the point of view of the Egyptian priest, Harmachis, is recounted in biblical language, being in the form of papyrus scrolls found in a tomb. Haggard's portrait of Cleopatra is quite stunning, revealing her wit, her treachery, and her overwhelming presence. All of the characters are mixtures of good and evil, and evoke both sympathy and loathing. While much of the material on ancient Egyptian ritual is overdone, the often brilliant dialogue and the fateful interactions between the principal characters make the book quite unforgettable in comparison to Haggard's better known but more conventional adventure novels. "Cleopatra" goes unrecognized in most discussions of Haggard--perhaps because of its stilted language. It remains a secret pleasure for those who know it, probably being read more than once.