H. Rider Haggard 
Cleopatra (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) 

This 1889 adventure novel, set during the Ptolemaic period of Ancient Egypt, involves a plot against Cleopatra instigated by a secret society organized by the Priesthood of Isis.  Harmachis, a descendant of pharaohs, is charged by the priests to overthrow Cleopatra and restore the old order, but Harmachis’ love for Cleopatra stands in the way.

Circa l’autore

H. Rider Haggard (1856-1925) was a British civil servant and novelist whose tales of mystery, romance, and rip-roaring adventure deeply influenced subsequent generations of writers.  Haggard is most famous as the author of the novel King Solomon’s Mines, which was the inspiration for the character Indiana Jones in the Raiders of the Lost Ark movies.