Mansfield Park and Mummies, by Jane Austen and Vera Nazarian (Review)

As a general rule I’m not a fan of Jane Austen + paranormal, but this book is an exception. In fact, I may get more of the author’s pastiches, as the reviews on Amazon suggest she had not quite hit her stride on this one.

I rarely laugh out loud at books. But I read this one with a broad grin on my face, and at times found that the muscles at the corners of my mouth felt tired when I took a break. Pastiche? Yes, and a large part is actually taken directly from Mansfield Park, and Jane Austen is given as a co-author. It is also a parody of the whole paranormal genre.

To start with, Lady Bertram is somewhat less than rational were Egypt is concerned. Mansfield Park is overrun with Egyptian artifacts, including mummies, some of which are alive (after a fashion.) Familiar characters show up as werewolves (with a tendency to howl or bark at inappropriate times) and vampires. Other familiar characters have odd peculiarities and interests. (I still haven’t figured out just what the Brighton Duck is.) Poor Fanny is given a Pharaoh’s mummy as a third would-be lover, though a relatively polite one. Edmond is somewhat obsessed with exorcisms.

I happen to like the original Mansfield Park, and as a tribute to its 200^th birthday, I am trying to review one connected novel or DVD each month. This one was better than I expected from the title, but it’s not Jane Austen.