The Shadow King

More than 3,000 years ago, King Tutankhamuns desiccated body was lovingly wrapped and sent into the future as an immortal god. After resting undisturbed for more than three millennia, King Tuts mummy was suddenly awakened in 1922. Archaeologist Howard Carter had discovered the boy-kings tomb, and the soon-to-be famous mummys story--even more dramatic than King Tuts life--began.

The mummys "afterlife" is a modern story, not an ancient one. Award-winning science writer Jo Marchant traces the mummys story from its first brutal autopsy in 1925 to the most recent arguments over its DNA. From the glamorous treasure hunts of the 1920s to todays high-tech scans in volatile modern Egypt, Marchant introduces us to the brilliant and sometimes flawed people who have devoted their lives to revealing the mummys secrets, unravels the truth behind the hyped-up TV documentaries, and explains what science can and cant tell us about King Tutankhamun.