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Oct 21, 2011

Stephen rated it:

Well, shit snacks…this was a disappointing pile of shattered expectations. While journeying through the early works of speculative fiction, I’ve encountered some amazing novels...this, I'm very bitter to say, IS NOT one of them. This was my first experience with H. Rider Haggard and I think I will take some time before seeking out any of his other works.

My problem was not the not-even-thinly-veiled misogynistic attitudes, or the matter-of-fact racist and anti-semitic opinion or even More...

29 comments like (53 people liked it)

Nov 05, 2011

Shovelmonkey1 rated it:

*Sigh* - that was a bit of a mission. I think I was more excited about this book before I read it! The story was good but the overly wordy verbose madness of some of the characters made my thinky thing a bit hurty. Haggard may have written it in a six week whirl wind but the dense text and convoluted poetic speeches make it feel less khamsin-like and more leaden than the worlds heaviest box of pencils.

I have to admit to skim reading some of the speeches in order to preserve my sanit More...

3 comments like (4 people liked it)

Aug 26, 2011

rachel rated it:

First of all: the summary of this book is inaccurate. Ayesha does not have the "violent appetite of a lamia," which, if you are me, is a disappointing mislead because I was expecting something awesome. She doesn't thirst for blood so much as kill either when her orders are disobeyed (like when the tribe of people ordered to bring our main characters to her unharmed tries to cannibalize them, which would piss anyone off I think) or when the only man she passionately loves is possessed More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Sep 04, 2011

Henry rated it:

She who must be obeyed, sounds like a fun gal.Ayesha is a 2,000 year old woman and still looks marvelous. Who lives in the middle of Africa and rules a tribe of cannibals!When Englishmen arrive in her land, instead of being eaten, are saved by the Queen.Leo is one of the explorers. And She, believes is a reincarnated former love.
Ludwig Horace Holly ,his foster son Leo and their servant Job and an
Arab sailor guide, are a little nervous you can imagine.Unwisely coming to this dang More...

4 comments like (4 people liked it)

Mar 09, 2011

Dan rated it:

This was a very tedious read. The writing was so-so, it was verbose, and the story - although somewhat unusual - was not all that interesting. Lots of descriptions of dark caves. Lots of statements that he can't describe something followed by a page and a half of its description. Inconsistent philosophizing/moralizing with no resolution. Spent the last third of the book wondering if it would ever end.

5 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 01, 2009

Victoria rated it:

Haggard’s conception of an immortal female sorceress or ‘femme fetal’ is most easily discussed in terms of sexuality, which serves as an alluring, but altogether unconvincing and rather limiting premise. To understand an ambiguous text in a more in-depth manner, one must look beyond the throes of sexuality. There are numerous terms that Haggard uses to create Ayesha. The use of ‘curtain’ and ‘veil’ are familiar objects for the reader to orient themselves in the text, and the same objects More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Eric rated it:

What a weird book... Haggard's trip into a metaphorical vagina complete with a fem-fatale character lurking inside. That's my take on it anyway.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2011

S. Bell rated it:

I'd seen the film but that was absolutely ages ago and all I could really remember was "Helen Gahagan was hot".

I didn't expect to like the book when I first picked it up - it was only 300 pages, but the font is tiny so in reality it was a much longer book than it first appeared... it was also printed on bible paper so was again, longer than the appearance suggested!

But man, I got right into it like *that* and I'm not even sure why... there was something very engag More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 18, 2010

Jeff rated it:

This is more like a piece of history than anything else, but I liked it. It's silly and dated but kinda fun, and I am always really interested in seeing the evolution of popular fiction, especially fantasy/horror/sci-fi.

What made this truly excellent was the editing and commentary in this Penguin Classics edition. I am a sucker for academic treatises about 19th century imperialist fantasies.

It would be interesting to compare this book side-by-side with Heart of Darkness t More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 19, 2011

Derek rated it:

The conventions of fantasy novels from the latter part of the 19th century and up through at least the 1920s can get a little on my nerves. The book is almost always "an amazing manuscript left by X or sent to me by my friend Y which tells of the almost unbelievable..." Haggard was one of the earlier ones using this format and he does it very well (including pseudo-footnotes by both the "author" of the manuscript and its "editor" that are frequently genuinely intere More...

0 comments like

Jan 18, 2011

Mary added it

This "real African adventure, of a nature so ... marvelous" begins with a misanthropic Victorian professor, his remarkably handsome & cheerful young ward, and an antique potsherd on which is written in Greek:

"'I, Amenartas, of the Royal House of the Pharaohs of Egypt, wife of Kallikrates (The Beautiful in Strength), a Priest of Isis whom the gods cherish and the demons obey, being about to die, to my little son Tisisthenes (The Mighty Avenger). I fled with thy father fro More...

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Sep 03, 2010

Ksenia rated it:

I had originally picked this up in the bookstore a while ago, based off the cover. Penguin had a display of their “Red Classics” and this one definitely caught my eye. I think it’s quite the striking illustration of “She who must be obeyed.” I had never heard of it before, nor of the author. When you read the summary above, it sounds fascinating, right? And it was originally published in 1886. I think the last time I read a “classic” book was in college. All of my reading since then has been con More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 13, 2009

kingshearte rated it:

Leo Vincey's father has left him a mysterious casket in his will, which can only be opened on his twenty-fifth birthday. When the day arrives, Leo unlocks it to discover ancient scrolls, a fragment of pottery marked with strange inscriptions - and a letter. Its contents reveal a mystery that Leo must travel all the way to Africa to solve, taking him on an adventure beyond his wildest imaginings.

Sailing across stormy seas to Zanzibar, Leo endures shipwreck, fever and cannibals attacks More...

0 comments like

Oct 27, 2010

Spicenectar rated it:

I don't really expect you to read this book, it's very old and rare to come across. But if you do ever have the chance to read it, I suggest you take it. It's an extremely well written book. You may not think so at first glance ( seeing as there are exclamation points in the middle of sentences, and a far more appropriate use of some words than most of us are used to), but it is none the less well written. It boasts a challenging vocabulary, along with some words that I have never heard in my fi More...

0 comments like

Jan 20, 2012

Stephen rated it:

“She” is, surprisingly, one of the best-selling books of all-time. Surprising only in that so few people nowadays have actually heard of it. Does this make Haggard the Dan Brown of his time, turning out hugely popular dross now consigned to the bargain basement of classic literature? Well, not exactly. Could it be down to its dated, imperialistic, ‘Dark Continent’ depiction of Africa? Perhaps. Personally I think it’s just that title: “She” – it’s so non-evocative and nondescript it’s no wonder n More...

0 comments like

Sep 13, 2011

Erik rated it:

This book and I had a rocky relationship. I tried really hard to like it when I bought it, AND THEN tried really hard to dislike it about five chapters in, AND NOW I really kind of enjoy it.

I bought this book while I was in Whistler, which is only relevant because it means that I spent more than the usual two dollars on it. There's nothing like an ambiguous pronoun and pretty cover art to persuade one to pay 11 dollars for a public domain book.

As for the book itself... I More...

0 comments like

Mar 26, 2009

Alwa rated it:

Gosh, I hope this book isn't too racist or misogynist... :(

OMG JK. I've seen this book mentioned as inspiration or background to a lot of other things I've read and enjoyed, something lurking in the history of sci-fi and adventure stories. So, here goes. Plus, if I ever want to get people to call me She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, I'll need to pick up some tips from Ayesha.

--------------------

Okay, so here's the thing. My problem isn't with the racism or the misogyny More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 08, 2011

Fsiemsen added it

This book starts out like an Indiana Jones movie (a good Indiana Jones movie). The back cover description, the characters, the title, and the concept leads you to believe that this book is going to be the absolute shit. Not to mention the fact that the people who adapted "The Most Dangerous Game" made this into a movie soon after. However, this book loses what it has going for it. You watch the characters you loved and respected become pathetic, moral-less and miserable beings. Th More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 30, 2010

Ilze rated it:

Man's quest for eternal youth seems never-ending! But then, one does "play with fire" if you try to dabble with these things - as She found out to her detriment. Here is also a huge irony: She holds onto life for thousands of years (apparently), but needs to be surrounded by death. It's as if She is obsessed by it: constantly walking around and looking at the mummies, burning the bodies, using their clothes and shunning the sun/hiding in a tomb. One would think that if She really wante More...

0 comments like

Sep 13, 2008

Ron rated it:

Great premise; sloppy execution. I don't care that Haggard is a great name: his stuff is great fun. He writes great stories, but he's not a great story teller.

BTW, the phrase "she who must be obeyed" while popularized by "Rumple of the Old Bailey" (a BBC comedy series) and used with deleterious effect by certain males of this family, originated in Rider Haggard's book, She.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 28, 2009

pinknantucket rated it:

I have a vague memory of seeing the film of this book, probably from when I was about 12, something about a woman stepping into a pillar of blue light and shrivelling up into a very old woman. How could I not want to read the book?? So, finally I got around to it.

Written by the same author who wrote "King Solomon’s Mines" and other tales of derring-do, She sees our heroes, Holly (a bloke, not very attractive, by his own admission, about 40-odd, the narrator of our story) an More...

0 comments like

Jan 18, 2009

Brendan rated it:

She disappointed. I’ve read two other Haggard novels, King Solomon’s Mines and Allan Quartermain. Both of these novels could be summarized using roughly this plot description:

A group of English Gentleman adventurers travel into the the depths of unexplored Africa, where they encounter ancient civilizations, befriend noble but vicious savage men, best foes in combat, and finish out the adventure in fine style.

Despite the numerous worrisome aspects of the stories, they’ More...

0 comments like

Aug 16, 2011

Bill rated it:

Recommended by my friend Christine Wands (though I don't remember exactly why), I gave this a whirl although it's not my usual fare. The conversation was something like: "Have you read 'She'?" "No, I've never even heard of it." This is both the curse and benefit of knowing people more intelligent than oneself.

Anyways, "She" (is a Victorian-era story about an expedition to an African locale where Ayesha is "She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed," a 2,000-year-old queen wh More...

0 comments like

Jun 28, 2009

Rick rated it:

Okay ...It's summer ... time for some summertime reading, and what better way to beat the heat that a good, old-fashioned adventure, right? So I dusted off an old copy of SHE (which I had never read before).

I've had plenty of exposure to "lost civilizations in darkest Africa" stories, mostly via the Tarzan books when I was a kid. Well, I can't describe my disappointment at what is one of (if not THE) grand daddy of African adventures.

There's far too much talk, More...

0 comments like

Jun 20, 2010

Donna rated it:

I listened to this as an audio book from The Classic Tales narrated by B.J. Harrison. This is one of those classic turn of the (19th)century adventure tales. It is the story of Asha, aka She Who Must Be Obeyed, a 2000 year old woman who has been waiting for the return of her reincarnated lover. The adventures of Leo (the descendant of the former lover) and his guardian Holly as they journey to the mysterious She make up the tale.

The book is definitely long-winded. I think I might More...

1 comment like

Jan 15, 2011

Kelsey rated it:

I enjoyed this novel, though I ended up skimming towards the end because I was in a rush to finish it before class. (I'm sure I would've enjoyed the ending more if I'd given myself more time for it.)

The gist of the story is this: the narrator takes custody of a five year-old boy when the father dies, and the boy is accompanied with a mysterious case that is not to be opened until he turns 25. When that day comes, they open the case together to find ancient artifacts that supposedly pro More...

0 comments like

Jul 27, 2010

Jim rated it:

Having read "King Solomon's Mines" at least five times as a kid, I was disappointed to find that this novel dragged quite a bit. I suppose it's a much more adult novel than "King Solomon's Mines" or "Allan Quatermain"--it more explicitly grapples with big ideas, its writing is more thoroughly descriptive, pseduo-archaeological, and (attempted-)lyrical--but it loses the juvenile swashbuckling fun of the other novels.

Fans will be relieved to know that the More...

0 comments like

Jul 28, 2009

Zobaer rated it:

This book was well written and the adventure well thought out. The level of detail that Haggard uses to describe the Amahagger's (the tribe Leo and Holly discover) were extraordinary. She is easily understood to be a sophisticated woman who has strong powers of life and death over her subjects. However, I found the book a little hard to read. The lengthy paragraphs that detailed the Amahagger society were not needed and slowed the pace of the book.
The best book i've ever read.
This boo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 04, 2011

Ting rated it:

A really good adventure tale in the best 19th century English tradition. The men are brave, strong, and forthright, the women are nubile and beautiful albeit subservient (apart from She), and the non-whites are barbaric and motivated by very uncivilized (i.e non-English) motives or demonstrate a lack of back-bone. It is a product of its time so if one is politically correct there are parts that will make you cringe and if you are a feminist, well suffice it to say, don't bother. A good read a More...

0 comments like

Sep 08, 2011

Maureen rated it:

I do not think this is a good novel, but I think it is an important one. It was wildly popular in its time and therefore it gives us insight into the cultural attitudes and values of fin de siècle Britain - particularly with regards to imperialism. It is not just a snapshot, however, as it has remained popular, becoming one of the best-selling novels of all-time, and it has been quite influential, and tracing that influence can help us reexamine the world today. In terms of pleasure, it is one o More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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