Helpful Score: 2
An excellent adventure book and a classic of its kind.
Helpful Score: 2
A great book with a captivating story of the great Allaen Quartermain. It has gotten me hooked, I want to read them all.
Helpful Score: 1
A classic tale of adventure to help get your imagination going. A classic just waiting for you to begin turning the pages.
Helpful Score: 1
My son thought it was an exciting read. He said it was like Indiana Jones.
Helpful Score: 1
Sir Henry Rider Haggard was an English writer of adventure fiction romances set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a pioneer of the lost world literary genre. His adventure tales were inspiration for others including Edgar Rice Burroughs and Arthur Conan Doyle. King Solomon's Mines was first published in 1885 and its hero, Allan Quatermain has been an enduring character in popular literature since then. The novel involves first a quest to find the brother of one of the protagonists, Sir Henry Curtis, who has supposedly gone in search of King Solomon's treasure trove. Quatermain happens to have a map describing where the treasure might be located so he, Sir Henry, and Captain John Good go on a very hazardous journey to find the lost brother and the lost treasure. They are accompanied by some native guides including Umbopa who is actually the exiled ruler of the Kukuanas, a fierce tribe residing near the lost treasure mines.
The novel is full of action including big game hunts, trying to stay alive while crossing a desert, battles with the native tribes, and trying to survive in the caves of Solomon's mines. The novel is also a story of its time in the late 19th century where the white Victorians were the superior people of the planet. The imperialist and racist views portrayed in the novel are definitely offensive by today's standards but were the norm for the times. The scenes of hunting elephants for their ivory are also outdated and could also be considered offensive. The language of the novel is also rather trite and was probably written originally for younger readers. But Haggard did have a vast knowledge of Africa and spent several years there. His writing portrays the natives in a more favorable light than other writers of the times and he expressed a respect for black Africans and their culture. In this novel, Umbopa and uncle are handsome, eloquent, and dignified leaders. Haggard even compares Umbopa to a Roman emperor commanding disciplined and courageous troops. And he even suggested a love story between Good and the native girl, Foulata, however readers at the time would not have accepted a marriage between them so Haggard evades the issue by having Foulata killed off. Overall, I enjoyed this novel for what it is but would only mildly recommend it and I know other readers have found it offensive because of its outdated racist and imperialistic views.
The novel is full of action including big game hunts, trying to stay alive while crossing a desert, battles with the native tribes, and trying to survive in the caves of Solomon's mines. The novel is also a story of its time in the late 19th century where the white Victorians were the superior people of the planet. The imperialist and racist views portrayed in the novel are definitely offensive by today's standards but were the norm for the times. The scenes of hunting elephants for their ivory are also outdated and could also be considered offensive. The language of the novel is also rather trite and was probably written originally for younger readers. But Haggard did have a vast knowledge of Africa and spent several years there. His writing portrays the natives in a more favorable light than other writers of the times and he expressed a respect for black Africans and their culture. In this novel, Umbopa and uncle are handsome, eloquent, and dignified leaders. Haggard even compares Umbopa to a Roman emperor commanding disciplined and courageous troops. And he even suggested a love story between Good and the native girl, Foulata, however readers at the time would not have accepted a marriage between them so Haggard evades the issue by having Foulata killed off. Overall, I enjoyed this novel for what it is but would only mildly recommend it and I know other readers have found it offensive because of its outdated racist and imperialistic views.
