- The book that inspired the movie "The Mummy"- Pharos, the Egyptian (1899) is a thriller with romance and some supernaturalism in which a very sinister old man, Pharos, proves to be Ptahmes, a mummy who has survived through the centuries with full magical powers and wants to destroy the Western world. The novel has inspired the classic horror film The Mummy, and its gripping, action-packed story remains an enduringly compelling tale. Guy Newell Boothby (1867-1905) was one of the most popular of Australian authors in the late 19th and early 20th century, writing dozens of novels of sensational fiction. Mysteria A paperback and e-book series published by Intra. Global readability, Italian charm.