Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Return of Tarzan (Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan #2)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 2,998 ratings · 164 reviews

Tarzan had renounced his right to the woman he loved, and civilization held no pleasure for him. After a brief and harrowing period among men, he turned back to the African jungle where he had grown to manhood. It was there he first heard of Opar, the city of gold, left over from fabled Atlantis.
It was a city of hideous men -- and of beautiful, savage women, over whom reig...more

Paperback, 224 pages

Published February 12th 1984 by Ballantine Books (first published 1913)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian by Robert E. Howard

The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll

Pre-Tolkien Fantasy

40th out of 51 books — 37 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Feb 02, 2013 Lisa Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While I reviewed Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs, I compared the novel to my favorite Disney movie, Tarzan. I found myself enjoying the Tarzan story created by Disney rather than the original Tarzan story by Burroughs. While reading The Return of Tarzan, the sequel of Tarzan of the Apes, I had neither expectations of the plot nor visuals to match the descriptions. For this reason, I enjoyed The Return of Tarzan immensely more than Tarzan of the Apes, especially the further character...more

like · see review

Sep 20, 2012 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Perhaps the most well-known fictional creation of the 20th century, Tarzan celebrates his official centennial in October 2012. First appearing in the pulp publication "All-Story Magazine" as a complete novel in October 1912, "Tarzan of the Apes" proved so popular that its creator, Edgar Rice Burroughs, wasted little time in coming up with a sequel...the first of an eventual two dozen! That sequel, perhaps inevitably titled "The Return of Tarzan," was first seen in the pages of the short-lived pu...more Perhaps the most well-known fictional creation of the 20th century, Tarzan celebrates his official centennial in October 2012. First appearing in the pulp publication "All-Story Magazine" as a complete novel in October 1912, "Tarzan of the Apes" proved so popular that its creator, Edgar Rice Burroughs, wasted little time in coming up with a sequel...the first of an eventual two dozen! That sequel, perhaps inevitably titled "The Return of Tarzan," was first seen in the pages of the short-lived pulp "New Story Magazine" (cover price: 15 cents); unlike its predecessor, it was published serially, in the June-December 1913 issues, and first saw book form in 1915. This is a tremendous continuation of the initial, now-classic story, and does what all good sequels SHOULD do: expand on what we already know while deepening characterizations...and leaving us wanting still more!

The book is a direct continuation of the earlier novel, at the end of which Tarzan was seen nobly renouncing his aristocratic title so that his lady love, Jane Porter, could comfortably marry his cousin, William Cecil Clayton. Picking up scant weeks later, the sequel finds a despondent Tarzan mulling over his lot while on a steamer to Paris, where he resides with his good friend Paul D'Arnot. He becomes involved with the affairs of a troubled couple, the Count and Countess De Coude, while on ship and after returning to Paris; it seems that the Countess' brother, the cravenly Russian agent Nikolas Rokoff, will do virtually anything to blackmail the couple into giving him some top-secret government papers. After these episodes (and the book certainly must be deemed "episodic"), Tarzan becomes a secret agent for the French government (!), has some remarkable adventures in the desert of Algeria (again coming up against Rokoff), is thrown off a mid-ocean steamer by Rokoff and his henchman, Alexis Paulvitch, and fetches up in his native Africa. Once on his home turf, Tarzan's veneer of civilization is quickly sloughed off, as he rises to the kingship of a native tribe, the Waziri, leads them in battle against a band of ivory hunters, and discovers the Haggardian lost kingdom of Opar, along with its treasure horde of gold. As you can tell, the novel is just crammed with incident and adventure; Burroughs throws quite a bit into this one to guarantee the reader a rousing good time. And I have not even mentioned the trials that poor Jane and her party go through after a terrible shipwreck and marooning. Readers won't be bored, that's for certain!

While no one would ever call Burroughs an elegant writer, he sure was a compelling one, and "The Return of Tarzan" really is quite impossible to put down. With two story lines alternating for our attention, and its chapters arranged cliffhanger fashion, the book is compulsively readable. It also goes far in deflating the charges of racism that have been leveled against Burroughs in the first book; here, the Waziri are portrayed in a very winning light, and Tarzan often ponders how much more decent they are than some "civilized" folks whom he has encountered (still, the book's Manyuema cannibals are naturally shown in anything BUT a decent light!). The novel features some lovely romantic interludes that should have the lady readers sighing, while of course dishing out enough gun battles, fights with wild animals, cloak and dagger antics, and lost-world elements to keep the most jaded action fan happy. And although Burroughs had never visited Africa--and thus could not impart the "Dark Continent" authenticity that H. Rider Haggard engendered so easily in his own books--his research goes far here in filling in the blanks; for example, who has ever heard of alfa (esparto) grass before, ropes of which are used to bind Tarzan in the Algerian desert? Put simply, the book is a gas, from start to finish.

Still, it is a far from perfect affair, and Burroughs must be held accountable for several goofs that a careful reading will spotlight. Egregiously, he mentions that Tarzan's ape mother, Kala, had been killed by a spear that "found [her] vitals." In the initial novel, however, it is clearly stated that Kulonga's spear merely "grazed her side"; rather, it was a poisoned arrow that did her in. The author tells us that Bou Saada, Algeria, is south of Sidi-bel-Abbes, whereas a quick look at a map will reveal that it is east. And he tells us that Tarzan's vessel was sailing "east" from Algeria to get to the Strait of Gibraltar, whereas that should of course be west. Perhaps worse than these oversights, which should actually have been caught by Burroughs' editor, is the overdependence on coincidence with which the author advances his plot. By coincidence, Tarzan's first assignment in Africa involves his enemy, Rokoff; by coincidence, the sheik who befriends Tarzan is the father of the dancing girl who later rescues him; by coincidence, Tarzan meets Jane's best friend, Hazel Strong, on a steamer at sea; by coincidence, the marooned Tarzan washes up on the African shore right at the cabin where he was born (!); by coincidence, Hazel bumps into Jane in Cape Town; and by two more coincidences, the lifeboats of the aforementioned shipwreck also fetch up on the African shore within five miles of Tarzan's cabin. Small world, and all that! The first Tarzan novel was also dependent on coincidence, but not nearly as absurdly so as its sequel. But you know what? The story is so entertaining, so much fun, and told with such dash and vigor, that none of these things seems to matter. While one part of the reader's mind is saying "Oh, come on!" the other part is making those pages flip, anxious to see what comes next. To demonstrate this point, I find that, despite having dozens of other books clamoring for my attention right now, I yet HAVE to read the second Tarzan sequel, "The Beasts of Tarzan," next. Flaws and all, even after 100 years, these books CAN prove highly addictive....(less)

like 3 likes · see review

Jan 09, 2012 Nick Angelis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tarzan is simply a white SuperCaptainCoolMan. That's all there is to it. With sinewy arms of steel forged in the leafy shadows of the darkest jungles--you get the picture. The silliest theme in the book is Tarzan's de-evolution from a gentleman in Paris to the ape-man rampaging through the jungle with his primate brethren. The not-so-subtle social Darwinism featured in all the Tarzan books is annoying if you can't get past the stupid ideas of previous generations--maybe in 75 years people will b...more

like 3 likes · see review

Mar 04, 2011 Mike Noga rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tarz takes Paris! That's not the whole story of course but it's an impressive part of it. Tarz renounces his family name,fortune and the woman he loves, giving it all to his cousin, and he does it all in Wisconsin! Yup, Wisconsin. Hurting from the ordeal, he heads off to Paris to forget about Jane. Wow, the Apeman in the City of Lights! So he spends time in Paris, almost has an affair with a Russian noblewoman, whups on her brother(an evil Russian spy), hangs out in art galleries and operas and...more

like · see review

Mar 30, 2012 wally rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: burroughs-edgar-rice

I think this might be the 13th ERB I've read...(reading now)...and the 3rd Tarzan story. I'd read #1, Tarzan of the Apes & #8, Tarzan the Terrible...enjoyed both of those stories...and...I have not read any reviews of this one, as yet. Those are always fun as there seems to be more than a few eager to spank Burroughs....for imagined transgressions. Imagined, I say, because they are long on accusation and short of proof.

In fact, in one story...not a Tarzan story, I found proof to the contrary...more

like 1 like · see review

Mar 06, 2012 Stephen Gallup rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My daughter is being encouraged by her teacher to get a little variety in her reading, and maybe I'm trying for the same in going back to books that captivated me when I was about her age. Well, no, not exactly. The real reason is that I've been feeling the pressures of life more keenly than usual and wanted an escape.

I read all the Tarzan books so many times way back in my youth that I still remember them fairly well. Remembered liking this one in particular, perhaps because it moves our hero t...more My daughter is being encouraged by her teacher to get a little variety in her reading, and maybe I'm trying for the same in going back to books that captivated me when I was about her age. Well, no, not exactly. The real reason is that I've been feeling the pressures of life more keenly than usual and wanted an escape.

I read all the Tarzan books so many times way back in my youth that I still remember them fairly well. Remembered liking this one in particular, perhaps because it moves our hero through the widest range of settings (from a transAtlantic ocean liner at the beginning, to Parisian society, to life as a member of an African tribe, with stops along the way for a pistol duel, imprisonment in an Arab's tent, and the threat of being sacrificed by primitive sun-worshippers). Through it all, his steps are dogged by an utterly slimy Russian spy who never tires of trying to end Tarzan's days. Again and again, having thwarted the villain's plots, Tarzan resists the entirely rational urge to break his neck.

In most of his books, Burroughs has at least something to say about the romantic concept of the noble savage. This one makes his point explicitly, as the civilized men Tarzan meets are either soulless monsters or useless weaklings, whereas thanks to an upbringing away from decadent modern society he both instinctively knows the right thing to do and also does it. Failing to kill the spy might be a noble choice, but it isn't a wise one (at least, not for the character; for the narrative, it ensures the bad guy will continue providing more opportunities for Tarzan to do what he does best). Aside from that, there aren't too many shades of gray here. At any rate, the bon sauvage slant works for getting Tarzan back home to the jungle, where he needs to be for all the sequels that will follow.

Hard to say how many stars this should have. Of course, as a kid, I would have given it five. It's not great literature. On the other hand, without first thoroughly enjoying books like this, I might never have found my way to literature. And here I am choosing to pick it up again even today. So let's go with four.(less)

like 3 likes · see review

Jul 25, 2011 Nicolas rated it 2 of 5 stars

I want to have liked this more. I absolutely loved the first Tarzan book, but I felt like this sequel fell a little flat. One of the things I enjoyed about Tarzan of the Apes was it's simplicity. This one was all over the place. It felt like several Tarzan short stories strung together. It lacked the cohesion and polish of the original. It started alright with Tarzan and D'Arnot, but that grew old quickly. The "Tarzan as a secret agent" section was terrible. I really enjoyed the section with Tar...more

like · see review

Jul 24, 2011 dragonhelmuk added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Kindled for free, three quotes:

Then Tarzan wheeled and passed on into the depths of the temple. From room to room he went, until he came to one at which a rude, barred door still stood, and as he put his shoulder against it to push it in, again the shriek of warning rang out almost beside him. It was evident that he was being warned to refrain from desecrating this particular room. Or could it be that within lay the secret to the treasure stores? At any rate, the very fact that the strange, inv...more

like · see review

Nov 20, 2011 John Kirk rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book suffered by trying to cram too much in: Tarzan's a secret agent! No, wait, now he's an Arab. No, now he's ... Maybe it was originally published in installments, which might explain this.

(view spoiler)...more

like · see review

Aug 17, 2011 Bigal-sa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, gutenberg

This one was a bit too much for me: there were too many little sub-stories; and the plot lines too unbelievable (Tarzan is thrown overboard from a ship and just happens to end up on the beach where he was born; Jane and her companions are shipwrecked, and end up within 5 miles of Tarzan's birthplace!).

In book one, we are often told how limiting the language of the apes is, yet in this book Tarzan is able to carry out a detailed and convoluted conversation with a high priestess, using this same l...more

like · see review

Feb 25, 2011 Busch rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed the first Tarzan book and was wanting to enjoy this second one as well. However, I was a bit disappointed. I found the writing style to be quite simple. The story has too many implausible coincidences.

I don't mind fiction and fantasy. I enjoy and can completely "believe" a storyline if it is well written. But I almost felt like the author didn't put forth the effort to structure or come up with a plausible plot for the book.

Since this book was written in the early 20th century (1913,...more

like · see review

Feb 09, 2013 Bryan rated it 2 of 5 stars

There are different types of reads. There are books that you read to expand your mental horizons, to help you ponder concepts that you might not otherwise, books which raise serious questions about the nature of humanity and the world we live in.

And then there are books like the Tarzan books.

The works of Edgar Rice Burroughs are the literary equivalent of popcorn. You can consume as much of it as you want, and it's very tasty at the time, but it really does not nourish you in any significant way...more There are different types of reads. There are books that you read to expand your mental horizons, to help you ponder concepts that you might not otherwise, books which raise serious questions about the nature of humanity and the world we live in.

And then there are books like the Tarzan books.

The works of Edgar Rice Burroughs are the literary equivalent of popcorn. You can consume as much of it as you want, and it's very tasty at the time, but it really does not nourish you in any significant way. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy them for what they are. ERB writes very action-oriented, coincidence-fraught adventure novels which extoll the virtues of chivalry and honesty, and where the good guy always wins because he's so insanely badass. His books provide purely surface-level enjoyment and are not meant to be analyzed too deeply.

Having said all that, this book let me down.

I'm a big fan of the John Carter stuff, and actually read all of those books before digging into any Tarzan. When I finally did read the first Tarzan novel, I knew what to expect from Burroughs, and yet was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. So I went into this one knowing ERB's style, yet still with high hopes for a Gods Of Mars-style strong second book. What I got instead was a disjointed, scattered tale where Tarzan hops all over the map having a variety of loosely-connected, uninspiring adventures before finally getting back to the jungles of Africa in the second half of the book. This, to my mind, was the best part of the book, but as Burroughs spent the first half screwing around, the part involving the Waziri tribe and the people of Opar felt rushed and half-baked. As there wasn't really an engaging adventure to pay attention to, Burroughs' usual semi-benevolent sexism and colonial-style casual racism became much more apparent(which is definitely not a good thing).

I certainly hope succeeding Tarzan novels are a lot more focused than this one, because from what I've read so far, John Carter is much superior as pulp heroes go.(less)

like · see review

Jul 31, 2011 Christopher F. added it

Second in the series (1915). Tarzan is in Paris (strong prefigurings here of James Welch's 2000 novel The Heartsong of Charging Elk); falls for hot young countess married to jealous old count; fights count in duel; shot, but lives; count, impressed, hires him as French secret agent; tracks bad guys in Algeria; kills lion with bare hands; rescues hot Bedouin sex slave from whorehouse near Oran; returns to jungle, becomes chief of Waziri tribe; discovers secret ancient jungle city populated by tro...more

like · see review

Jan 30, 2012 Donovan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I have to be honest, I liked this book because it was well-written much like the first in the Tarzan series of classics, Tarzan of the Apes. I will admit though that as I am reading the third in the series there is a definite trend to the books - basically at some point in time, Tarzan must always end up back in the wilds; I guess it wouldn't be Tarzan without that happening.

The characters remain vivid even as Burroughs introduces new characters, he takes the time to define them and their place...more

like · see review

May 26, 2010 Dave rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, speculative-fiction

Few would ever claim that Edgar Rice Burroughs was a great writer at any point in his career, but it should be noted that he was an extremely poor writer at the start of his career. He improved immensely during those first few years, but re-reading his early books can often be rather painful. On the other hand, he did have a lot of very good ideas, and that is why his series are still remembered and still read today. This is especially true of Tarzan, in which he created an iconic character who...more Few would ever claim that Edgar Rice Burroughs was a great writer at any point in his career, but it should be noted that he was an extremely poor writer at the start of his career. He improved immensely during those first few years, but re-reading his early books can often be rather painful. On the other hand, he did have a lot of very good ideas, and that is why his series are still remembered and still read today. This is especially true of Tarzan, in which he created an iconic character who is known by many people who have never even read one word of Burroughs’ work. “The Return of Tarzan”, the second in the Tarzan series which was published from June through December 1913 in “New Story Magazine” is a good example of the contrast of good ideas and poor writing.

The story picks up where “Tarzan of the Apes” left off; Tarzan had given up his legacy and the woman he loved and travels to Paris to see his friend Paul d’Arnot. On the way there, he makes an enemy of Nikolas Rokoff, and Rokoff becomes Tarzan’s nemesis. In the first book, time and time again Tarzan took on Lions, but in this book it is Rokoff that Tarzan repeatedly faces, at least in the first half. That being said, Rokoff does make a bit more interesting of a foe, as he has different schemes, but it still becomes tiresome. As the action moves back to Africa, the Lions return as a repeated foe, though Rokoff is still lurking around.

Another significant weakness of Burroughs writing at this time was his reliance on the amazing coincidence. When Tarzan is pushed overboard by Rokoff, he amazingly makes it to shore almost exactly where he lived before he was found. When the others are forced to abandon ship, they too find themselves within a few miles of the same spot even though they are split into two groups. The only slightly saving factor is they are completely unaware of how close they are to that spot.

On the positive side, Burroughs has some good ideas. He makes Tarzan struggle with his barbaric ways when in civilization. His creation of the lost city is inventive and adds a different element to the story as well. This highlights one of the key differences between the Barsoom series on the one side, and Tarzan on the other. With the Barsoom series, Burroughs was able to create an entire world, but with Tarzan he was constrained by reality, and thus it is Tarzan repeatedly fighting Lions and other wild beasts. With the lost city, Burroughs is free to break away from the constraints of the known Earth.

For the reasons given above, I don’t think the first two books of the Tarzan series hold up as well as the first two books of the Barsoom series. Neither of the series has great writing, but Mars, as a setting, gave Burroughs much more freedom to invent and imagine then did Earth, and that played to Burroughs’ strength. At the same time, one shouldn’t judge these stories too harshly. They are still good fun if somewhat dated, and if one just wants some mindless adventure they can still fill that need.
(less)

like 1 like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Matti Karjalainen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kotikirjasto, nuoret, seikkailu, 1900-1939, afrikka, usa-kans

Edgar Rice Burroughsin "Tarzanin paluu" (Karisto, 1948 - 9. painos) on viidakkomiehestä kertovan sarjan toinen osa.

Kiitämme:

+ Yleistä tarzaniutta

+ Ylipapitar La'n ja Oparin kaupungin ensiesiintymistä

+ Jalojen wazirien esiinmarssia

+ Norsunluuta hamuavien arabirosvojen kuolonmarssia, joka kopioitiin muistaakseni myös myöhempiin osiin melkein sellaisenaan.

+ Vanhanaikaista, ylevää kieltä, joka sopii tämmöiseen seikkailuromaaniin kuin lassoköysi hortahin kaulaan.

+ Stereotypioita sekä mustavalkoista h...more

like · see review

Jul 29, 2011 Margot rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, audio-books, classics

What can I say? I love Tarzan -- the complexity of his brutish and uncivilized moores contrasting with his genuine sense of honor, honesty, and goodness; the clash of the civilized Parisian man with the animal-like wild man of the jungle; and, like Jane Porter, I too fall prey to fawning over his statuesque physique and physical prowess.

That's not to say that the plot of this book is as heavy-hitting and powerful as Tarzan himself. In fact, I would say this story is redeeming in entertainment on...more

like · see review

Feb 26, 2011 Leigh Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved these books, all of them. They were well-written, in the old style, with a strong main character and incredible adventures.

Whenever I read books from that era, I am always struck by the huge societal changes made from that time to this. Coming across references to people of other races in incredibly derogatory and/or total caricatures -- it's amazing. You just have to remind yourself, it was a different time. May as well have been a different planet.

The main thing is they're fun. And w...more

like · see review

Apr 29, 2009 Melanie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historicfiction, classics, series, must-read

I LOVED "Tarzan of the Apes" but I was afraid "The Return" wouldn't thrill me as much. But I think I actually liked it more than the original. I would never recommend reading this first and skipping "Apes," but if you read the first, certainly read the second. I love Tarzan as a part of society. He's awesome and sexy and almost a hybrid of Holmes and...Tarzan (from "Apes") It's arguable, I know. But the whole time I was just sitting there thinking, "Tarzan needs to be a detective."
I know it's m...more

like 1 like · see review

Mar 19, 2012 Evangeline rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An exciting adventure story, but lacked believability at certain points, due to the sheer number of coincidences. It's one thing for Jane and crew to get washed up on the island and meet Tarzan in the earlier book, but another for three different parties to end up there (Tarzan, Jane in her lifeboat and the other three lifeboats). The story somehow wasn't as gripping as the first book too, perhaps because there was too many familiar scenes. After Tarzan had been in and out of the city of gold on...more

like · see review

Apr 04, 2013 Vanessa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adolescent-literature, classic-adventure

3.5 Stars

I loved Tarzan if the Apes and couldn't wait to read The Return of Tarzan. The story just didn't live up to the first. I enjoyed the beginning and the exploration of Tarzan trying to make a life for himself in civilization, and once Jane's story was added into the book I enjoyed those chapters, but I found myself getting frustrated that they would be short and then we would go back to Tarzan doing his jungle thing. Overall I enjoyed the story, though I did get bored with the middle of t...more

like · see review

Dec 28, 2012 Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs is the second novel in about the Lord of the Jungle. As its predecessor, the book was first published in a pulp magazine during 1913 and only later published in book format (1915).

The novel starts where Tarzan of the Apes ended, the ape man is recovering from his sacrifice at marriage to Jane Porter and goes to visit Paul d’Arnot in France. On the ship Tarzan becomes involved in the affairs of Countess Olga de Coude and her husband,...more The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs is the second novel in about the Lord of the Jungle. As its predecessor, the book was first published in a pulp magazine during 1913 and only later published in book format (1915).

The novel starts where Tarzan of the Apes ended, the ape man is recovering from his sacrifice at marriage to Jane Porter and goes to visit Paul d’Arnot in France. On the ship Tarzan becomes involved in the affairs of Countess Olga de Coude and her husband, Count Raoul de Coude while two people try to prey on them.

The two are Nikolas Rokoff and Alexis Paulvitch and, as it turns out, Rokoff is the Countess’ no-good brother. Tarzan denies the villains their scheme at every turn. In return, the Count finds Tarzan a job as a special agent in Algeria with the ministry of war. After some adventures, Tarzan sails to Cape Town and finds that Hazel Strong, Jane’s friend, is one of the passengers. However, Rokoff and Paulovitch are also there and manage to throw him overboard.

Somehow Tarzan manages to swim ashore to find himself in the coastal jungle where he was brought up. This time Tarzan ins smarter and befriends Busuli of the Waziri tribe which adopts him. Tarzan help the villagers defend themselves against ivory raiders and they elect him to replace their chief. The Waziri tell Tarzan where they obtain their gold, a lost city inhabited by beast-like men. The tribe takes Tarzan to the lost city where he is captured and condemned to be sacrificed to the sun god. The priestess is a beautiful woman named La, she speaks the language of the apes and tell Tarzan he is on the city of Opar.

Will Tarzan escape?
Will Jane marry Clayton?
Will Rokoff get away with his evil schemes?

As I was reading The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs several things struck out at me almost immediately: I have read this book before, Burroughs cannot write dialog, uses too much coincidences but Burroughs can sure spin a yarn and write action

The moment I read the name “Rockoff” I knew I read this story before. I did not remember particulars and vaguely the storyline but I’m sure I read it somewhere around the tender age of 10 – where I was already a prolific reader. In this regard, reading this book was like visiting with a longtime old fried, reliving adventures from the comfort of your own home.

Much of the dialog was ridiculous; no-one speaks or has spoken like that. Rockoff, and man whose as bad as they come, has the best lines (curses: “Name of a name”) and d’Arnot is not far behind. I don’t know if Burroughs meant that as an over the top adventure, or just make it kid friendly as is done these days but to my ears the dialog sounded wooden.

There are coincidences galore in this novel. Tarzan just “happened” to swim to his childhood jungle, just “happened” to be locked in a room with access to a tunnel. Paul d’Arnot just “happened” to be in the area, just “happened” to investigate the seaside jungle etc. Once of twice to get out of a bind the author wrote himself into is fine and acceptable, but I just came up with five examples off the top of my head. Seems to me Burroughs employs the “just happened to” method way to often in such a short book.

That being said, this is a fun book. The action sequences are magnificent and exciting, the story borders on the ridiculousness but Burroughs embraces that and guides the reader with an expert hand throughout. Sometimes one just needs a simple story, suspends belief and have a grand ol’ time.

For more reviews and bookish posts please visit http://www.ManOfLaBook.com (less)

like · see review

Feb 09, 2013 Cynthia Symons rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels

So many bad movies have been made about Tarzan, but the first two novels ooze with 19th century romanticism, and Tarzan himself is a wonderfully noble and admirable man. And that's just the point: Burroughs, in these first two novels, was wrestling with the nature-nurture debate (and coming down on the nature side pretty much, most of the time)--a hot scientific debate, when he wrote Tarzan, and well into the 20th century. I like the second novel better than the first, because i guess I'm just a...more

like · see review

Feb 07, 2013 Peter added it · review of another edition

"He pitied the poor creatures of Paris, penned up like prisoners in their silly clothes, and watched by policemen all their poor lives, that they might do nothing that was not entirely artificial and tiresome."

In this installment, Tarzan returns! Pulpy, fast-moving, but not all that well-written.
The Return of Tarzan, though slightly less racist than its predecessor, possesses neither the originality of the first novel nor its sensible brevity. Tarzan remains just as invincible, just as irresisti

...more

like · see review

May 31, 2011 Ailish rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: edgar-rice-burroughs, pulp

Priceless! Tarzan gets a job as an agent for the French Ministry of War and is sent out to Algeria. But this is only the start. Russian spies, duels in Paris, lions, shipwrecks, castaways, cannibalism, friendly natives, prehistoric tribes, human sacrifice, gold bars, more apes, more Jane, true love .... It helps to read Tarzan of the Apes first, but I think I enjoyed this one even more.

PG Wodehouse fans will enjoy Tarzan seizing women to 'cover their upturned faces with burning kisses', and the...more

like · see review

Apr 10, 2012 Estevo Raposo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novela

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Jan 14, 2012 Robert rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book because I felt that I needed some resolution after the first book. It gave me a little of that, but when I got to the end, I felt like it had gone through too many stories. Tarzan in Paris! Tarzan in the Sahara! Tarzan and the Waziri! Tarzan and the City of Gold! Tarzan goes home!

Also, the absurd coincidences got a little too out of hand. Tarzan shows up at the exact last second a few too many times. Fun, guilty reading, but I get the feeling that the rest of the Tarzan books wi...more

like · see review

Oct 20, 2012 Seth Kenlon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tarzan, well, returns...in this sequel to the original book. It's a little rough around the edges, this one, because Tarzan is largely out of his element. Tarzan is great, but in my mind he's at his best in the jungle, not onboard a ship to England or in England itself. But it's still an important book to read if you want to get to know Tarzan, and you DO want to get to know him, because this series starts to get REALLY good later on.

Also, Opar makes its first appearance in this book, and believ...more

like · see review

Sep 09, 2012 David rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

I inherited this book from my Great-Grandfather and read it in High School, more years ago than I care to remember. It put me on a path of reading most of Edgar Rice Burroughs novels and thoroughly enjoying every one of them. My daughter has heard this story many times, but I used the first Tarzan book as my second book report in English class. I had waded through Darwin's On The Origin of Species as my first report, and tried to give a concise report on his basic findings about how natural sele...more

like · see review

Sep 13, 2010 Bryan Spellman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well, I finished the second book of Tarzan and what some would consider the 1st story. Written almost 100 years ago it still rings true today. There are themes here one can appreciate. Loyalty, trustworthiness, chivilary. Sure it is campy at points, and the planets align in the strangest ways to make sure people and/or places are where they need to be but the hero is one you feel for and his lady is one you fear for. No...me Tarzan you Jane in this book. Disney, et al, got it all wrong and I lon...more

like 1 like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (120)

More editions...

Genres

Adventure

78 users

Fantasy

74 users

Classics

53 users

Pulp

15 users

Cultural > Africa

8 users

Action

8 users

Novels

8 users

Science Fiction

7 users

Literature

6 users

Young Adult

5 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Edgar Rice Burroughs

Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.

More about Edgar Rice Burroughs...

Books by Edgar Rice Burroughs

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Return Of Tarzan

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Return of Tarzan

“It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart- kiss me, dear, just once before I lose my dream forever."

-Jane-” — 4 people liked it

“Tarzan:

"Am I alive and a reality, or am I but a dream?” — 3 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Return of Tarzan
avg rating	preview: The Return of Tarzan Goodreads rating: 3.76 (2998 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/828177.The_Return_of_Tarzan?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328112637l/828177.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/828177.The_Return_of_Tarzan?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs[/url]

The Return of Tarzan (Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan #2)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website