Henry Rider Haggard was a British Victorian writer known for his adventure novels set is exotic places. His writings are sympathetic to the natives. He often portrayed Africans as heroic in his stories even though the main characters are usually European. Alan Quartermain was the main character in the novel King Solomon's Mines and several sequels. Cleopatra's story is told through the eyes of Harmachis, a priest who betrays everything holy for the love of Cleopatra and is himself later betrayed. He tells his story near the end of his life. Harmachis actually was involved with Cleopatra. She pushes him to reveal secrets of Isis (including the location of hidden treasures of the pyramids) to further her political ends.