I've started taking the bus to work which gives me time to actually sit down and read and not just listen. I figured that I would review those books as well as my Audible.com books. I picked up King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard (later Sir Haggard) from the library. Considered a classic work of literature and the start of the adventure genre I first heard about it after watching League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Allan Quartermain was played by Sean Connery, but I must say that after reading the book, I don't picture Quartermain as an old, bearded James Bond. I did enjoy the book and the style it was written in.
Plot: Allan Quartermain is an English game hunter, trader, and general outdoors-man who makes his life out in the bush and between the cities. While traveling, he is approached by two Englishmen, Sir Henry Curtis and Captain Good (ret.), to help find Sir Henry's brother, lost while attempting to find the fabled diamond mines of King Solomon. Quartermain has not only heard of the mines but knew a man who tried to find them. He is hesitant to lead the men, fearing that as none have returned that his death will impact his son's ability to study medicine in England. Sir Henry provides means to placate Quartermain's fears and they set off. Over the course of their adventure they face angry elephants, deserts, frozen peaks and caves, savage native kings, cruel witches, treachery, forbidden love, and outright war. In the end the escape and are able to accomplish their respective goals to varying degrees. The ending was quite satisfactory and the read was enjoyable.
Personal Favorites: I enjoyed the action and the situations the characters found themselves in. While not the most surprising read, there were elements of suspense that kept me interested. The action was uncomplicated but enjoyable and the pacing wasn't bad. The book is framed as a memoir with Quartermain narrating it so he'll skip over bits that he thinks are boring, enabling the story to flow rather well. I liked the diverse characters from the warrior Sir Henry, to the properly attired Good, to stalwart and clever Quartermain. As I mentioned, Quartermain is very different then how he is portrayed in League of Extaordinary Gentlemen, but he is still an engaging and very human character. He has realistic fears, desires, considerations, and sensibilities. He is not perfect, but he is capable and likable. Call me a delinquent but one of my favorite scenes is when the three Englishman "cast a spell" before a tribe of natives (who don't speak English) and while Sir Henry and Quartermain quickly run out of nonsense words Good, being a seaman, is able to sustain his cursing and swearing for a long time "with very little repetition."
Considerations: It is an older book and so older sensibilities and opinions are expressed. Some may find their relationship, opinion, and treatment of the natives as undesirable, although they are considerate to all they meet and are not harsh to others. It is expressed that whites and blacks cannot intermarry and are quite separate from each other, but beyond this their relations seem equal in many respects. Our heroes are hunters and are not opposed to killing elephants for the ivory and other things. While the book was not particularly graphic, it did have violent parts. It is not a complex story so if you're looking for something really cerebral I wouldn't recommend it. I saw all of these considerations as minor inconveniences to the story and none of them were of grievous offense. I mention them simply because some may be sensitive to such things.
Overall I enjoy the book very much and am glad to have read it. It's overall length was a little under 300 pages.
Plot: Allan Quartermain is an English game hunter, trader, and general outdoors-man who makes his life out in the bush and between the cities. While traveling, he is approached by two Englishmen, Sir Henry Curtis and Captain Good (ret.), to help find Sir Henry's brother, lost while attempting to find the fabled diamond mines of King Solomon. Quartermain has not only heard of the mines but knew a man who tried to find them. He is hesitant to lead the men, fearing that as none have returned that his death will impact his son's ability to study medicine in England. Sir Henry provides means to placate Quartermain's fears and they set off. Over the course of their adventure they face angry elephants, deserts, frozen peaks and caves, savage native kings, cruel witches, treachery, forbidden love, and outright war. In the end the escape and are able to accomplish their respective goals to varying degrees. The ending was quite satisfactory and the read was enjoyable.Personal Favorites: I enjoyed the action and the situations the characters found themselves in. While not the most surprising read, there were elements of suspense that kept me interested. The action was uncomplicated but enjoyable and the pacing wasn't bad. The book is framed as a memoir with Quartermain narrating it so he'll skip over bits that he thinks are boring, enabling the story to flow rather well. I liked the diverse characters from the warrior Sir Henry, to the properly attired Good, to stalwart and clever Quartermain. As I mentioned, Quartermain is very different then how he is portrayed in League of Extaordinary Gentlemen, but he is still an engaging and very human character. He has realistic fears, desires, considerations, and sensibilities. He is not perfect, but he is capable and likable. Call me a delinquent but one of my favorite scenes is when the three Englishman "cast a spell" before a tribe of natives (who don't speak English) and while Sir Henry and Quartermain quickly run out of nonsense words Good, being a seaman, is able to sustain his cursing and swearing for a long time "with very little repetition."
Considerations: It is an older book and so older sensibilities and opinions are expressed. Some may find their relationship, opinion, and treatment of the natives as undesirable, although they are considerate to all they meet and are not harsh to others. It is expressed that whites and blacks cannot intermarry and are quite separate from each other, but beyond this their relations seem equal in many respects. Our heroes are hunters and are not opposed to killing elephants for the ivory and other things. While the book was not particularly graphic, it did have violent parts. It is not a complex story so if you're looking for something really cerebral I wouldn't recommend it. I saw all of these considerations as minor inconveniences to the story and none of them were of grievous offense. I mention them simply because some may be sensitive to such things.
Overall I enjoy the book very much and am glad to have read it. It's overall length was a little under 300 pages.
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