Der gelbe Gott: Ein Idol Afrikas

by H. Rider Haggard

The Yellow God (+Biography and Bibliography) (6X9po Glossy Cover Finish): If Haggard-one of the greatest adventure writers of all time-is remembered now, it is for his novels featuring Allan Quatermain, a hero whose exploits form the most important sequence of his books. Quatermain's life is chronicled in such novels as King Solomon's Mines, Allan Quaterman, She, and many others. However, despite the importance of the Quaterman books, many of Haggard's other novels are interesting in their own right. Nada the Lily is the first of four books about the Zulus, all of which are excellent. Eric Brighteyes is rich, fantasy-laden Icelandic saga. The World's Desire (written with Andrew Lang) is a fantasy about the characters in The Odyssey. And there are numerous other titles (many of them reprinted by Wildside Press as part of the Wildside Fantasy Classics series) which bring undeservingly lost Haggard books back into print. The Yellow Idol, originally published in 1908, is another of Haggard's African novels, and it features many elements of the fantastic, such as a magic mask and fetish objects, a lost race, reincarnation, and an immortal woman whose many husbands she has preserved as mummies! It certainly deserved a place alongside Haggards other African novels and more than stands its own as a thrilling adventure novel.

Genres: Classics, Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Pulp, Novels, British Literature

317 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 1908

About the author

Sir Henry Rider Haggard, KBE was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and the creator of the Lost World literary genre. His stories, situated at the lighter end of the scale of Victorian literature, continue to be popular and influential. He was also involved in agricultural reform and improvement in the British Empire.

His breakout novel was King Solomon's Mines (1885), which was to be the first in a series telling of the multitudinous adventures of its protagonist, Allan Quatermain.

Haggard was made a Knight Bachelor in 1912 and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1919. He stood unsuccessfully for Parliament as a Conservative candidate for the Eastern division of Norfolk in 1895. The locality of Rider, British Columbia, was named in his memory.

Reviews

[Mahir Farhan Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

ধরা যাক যে এই বইটা পড়ছে সে আগে কখনও স্যার হেনরি রাইডার হ্যাগার্ডের কোনো বই পড়ে নাই। তাহলে বইটা তার কেমন লাগবে? নিঃসন্দেহে অসাধারণ। দুর্দান্ত কাহিনী, প্রতি পৃষ্টায় সাসপেন্স আর সাথে অজানা এক রহস্যময় জগতের হাতছানি। খারাপ লাগার কোনো কারণ নাই। এই জাতীয় লেখায় স্যার হেনরি অদ্বিতীয়।

কিন্তু সমস্যাটা হলো লেখকের লেখার সাথে আমার পরিচয়টা বেশ পুরনো। ফলে যতই আগালাম 'নতুন বোতলে পুরনো মদ' অনুভূতিটা প্রবল হতে থাকলো। সেই একইরকম আফ্রিকার গহীনে ধন-রত্নের সন্ধানে অভিযান, সেই একইরকম দুর্গম পথ পার হয়ে এক প্রাচীন বিস্মৃত জাতির খোঁজ পাওয়া, সেই একইরকম রহস্যময় এক রানি আর তার জাদুক্ষমতা। আর কাহিনীর শেষে এসে............................................. নাহ থাক, কাহিনী আমার ভালো লাগে নাই মানেই যে সবার ভালো লাগবে না তা তো না, স্পয়লার দেওয়াটা ঠিক হবে না।

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

H. Rider Haggard's 33rd work of fiction out of an eventual 58, "The Yellow God" was first published in the U.S. in November 1908, and in Britain several months later. In this one, Haggard deals with one of his favorite subjects--African adventure--but puts a fresh spin on things. Thus, instead of Natal, Zululand, the Transvaal and Egypt, where the bulk of his African tales take place, "The Yellow God" transpires, for the most part, in what I gather is now northern Nigeria. And instead of big-game hunter Allan Quatermain (the protagonist of no less than 14 Haggard novels), here we are given Alan Vernon, an ex-Army colonel who, with his steadfast servant Jeekie, goes on a quest to find the legendary gold hordes of the undiscovered Asiki people. And, after braving a harrowing trek during which they encounter poison-arrow-shooting dwarves, good-hearted cannibals, fierce beasts, raging rivers, swamps and a monster storm, the lost people of Asikiland are indeed discovered, and Haggard treats us to yet another mysterious civilization, as well as its imposing ruler. In this case, it is the beautiful but wicked woman named the Asika, who I suppose some readers would deem a poor man's Ayesha of "She" fame, but who is quite an interesting character in her own right. As did Ayesha herself, the Asika takes a hot-blooded fancy to her white visitor, who she sees as a returned soul mate, and decides to keep him and Jeekie around...in perpetuity.

Anyway, "The Yellow God," while certainly not in the same league as "She" (but then again, how many books are?), is still quite an entertaining yarn. It is lesser Haggard, sure, but I still prefer even the lesser works of the man who has been called "the greatest adventure fantasist of all time" over most others. The book's main fault, I feel, is that it is not adequately fleshed out, not as detailed, as some of the author's best works. Indeed, the description of Bonsa Town, the main village of the Asiki, is somewhat difficult to envision, and the sketchy information that Haggard gives us (an island, a waterfall) only succeeds in making the place dreamlike; almost surreal. As for the yellow god of the title, the so-called Little Bonsa, it is difficult to tell whether the darn thing is a statue or a mask, and just how the wearer of the thing is able to see out of its bejeweled eyes. Still, I suppose that these are minor matters, and that most readers will be content to settle into a fast-moving adventure that is both exciting and amusing. And most of that amusement, for me anyway, comes from the Asiki native Jeekie, who is easily the most well-drawn and appealing character in the entire book. Unlike Quatermain's diminutive Hottentot sidekick Hans, Jeekie is very tall and very strong; similar to Hans, he is also very funny. His manner of expression, a unique blend of the King's English and pidgin slang, is a real riot, and he never seems to be at a loss for an amusing quip. For example, check out what he yells at one of the attacking dwarves that he has just blown away: "Ah! my boy...how you like bullet in tail? You not know Paradox guaranteed flat 'jectory 250 yard. You remember that next time, sonny." Longtime fans of Haggard will not be surprised to learn that, like Hans, Jeekie proves himself the toughest, smartest and most resourceful character around. He elevates the book above the commonplace, much more so, at least, than the comparatively colorless Vernon. Anyway, I suppose that the bottom line is that "The Yellow God" is not up to the same extraordinarily high standards of many of the author's other tales, but still provides fine entertainment value. It's an easy read, a real page-turner, and I can honestly recommend it to one and all. And oh...just wait till you see what Vernon does to the Big Bonsa. Very strange, in the extreme!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vernon's servant, Jeekie, was great! He reminded me of an African version of Jeeves, always getting Vernon out of trouble.

[Shamim Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good story from H. Rider Hagard.Alan Vernon,a retired army officer who is broke but to marry his love,Barbara.Alan & his maid Jiki travels to Asikiland,West Africa,homeland of Jiki for gold.There they were kept held for some months & 'Asikia' the female head of the tribe,tries to marry Alan.A good story with a hazy ending.

[Gary Reger · Rating 2 out of 5]

By the time "The Yellow God" was published in 1911, H. Rider Haggard seems to have been running out of steam. His most famous--and best--books, "King Solomon's Mines" and "She" lay decades in the past. For "The Yellow God" Rider Haggard trotted out some old plot tropes and poisoned them with characters both unappealing and offensive (some surely to his contemporaries, some today). The result is a tired, repetitive novel that goes on far too long and pretty much fails to capture any of the excitement of his best work.

In a nutshell, the plot's driven by the search by the protagonist, Alan Vernon, to redeem his poverty so he can marry his love Barbara, niece of an unscrupulous business partner. Alan follows up on an old map left by his father, a one-time missionary to West Africa, to find the land of the Asika, which reputedly groans under the weight of mountains of gold. Barbara, left behind, becomes the target of Alan's other one-time business partner (he has repudiated them after realizing a scheme to flood the Sahara is a scam), who wants to compel her into marriage.

Having enlisted his servant Jeekie, whom his father brought back from Africa, he takes off for the Bight of Benin. His plan to secure gold rests on his possession of an idol, the Little Bonsa, which the Asiki worship and which his father ran off with. But nothing is simple: it turns out that the Asika is a woman who rules the kingdom and claims to have been reincarnated hundreds if not thousands of times. She wants to marry Alan and will do anything to keep him. But despite her magical powers and fanatical follows, he escapes, thanks to Jeekie. Trekking back through the jungle to the coast he discovers that Barbara has followed him but is now prisoner of his partner. He and Jeekie have themselves been tracked by a horde of Asiki soldiers, tasked with bringing Alan back. jeekie contrives an escape by disguising the evil business partner as Alan and delivering him to the Asiki, who depart delighted. Alan and Barbara promptly marry and set sail for home, though the Asika confounds them one last time as an apparition over the sea.

Anyone who's read "She" will spot similarities at once. But "She" this isn't. The characters are, frankly, unbearable. Barbara is something of a bitch, who replies flippantly when Alan confesses his love. Alan himself whines tirelessly through the whole book, has no ideas of his own, and mostly just sits around feeling sorry for himself. Jeekie might have been appealing, for he's the only one with a brain and all the solutions to their quandaries are his--unfortunately, even though he spoke perfect English in Britain, Rider Haggard makes him discourse in a racist patois that many readers today will surely find offensive. It's okay to put up with such stuff in books of their time that retain interest, but there's no reason to wade through it here; "The Yellow God" just isn't that good.

Perhaps the book's most interesting impact came in its apparent seeding in Pierre Benoit the idea of an African queen and lost culture that became his "L'Atlantide," published a few years later. (Benoit had of course other inspirations too, not least Jules Verne.) But that's a pretty thin reed to balance "The Yellow God" on. Luckily if you want to read it you can get an e-version for free.

[Amit · Rating 5 out of 5]

হেনরি রাইগার্ড হ্যাগার্ড এর আরেকটি অনবদ্য সৃষ্টি। যদিও উনার বই পড়ে কাহিনীর স্টাইল ধরে ফেলতে পারি এখন কিন্তু তারপরেও ভালো লাগে। আফ্রিকার জঙ্গলের কথা, উপজাতিদের কথা, যুদ্ধ আরও কত কি আছে লেখকের লেখায়।।

অ্যালান ভার্ননের খাস ভৃত্য জিকি। অ্যালান ভার্নন একজন প্রাক্তন মেজর। ভালোবাসেন প্রেমিকা বারবারা-কে। কিন্তু প্রেমিকাকে কাছে পেতে টাকা পয়সা চাই তার। সততা নিষ্ঠার কারনে অবৈধ উপায়ে বড়লোক হওয়ার সুযোগ থাকলে নিজের বিবেকের কাছে বাঁধা পরে স্যর রবার্ট এইলওয়ার্ড এবং রবার্টের পার্টনার মি. চ্যাম্পার্স-হ্যাসওয়েল এর কুট চালে ধরা দেননি। কিন্তু তাঁকে যেতে হবে আফ্রিকা। সেখানে গেলেই হয়তো তাঁর ভাগ্য খুলবে। কিন্তু তাঁর জন্য চরম মূল্য দিতে হতে পারে, সেটা অ্যালান প্রথমে না বুঝলেও আসিকি জাতির দেবী আসিকার কাছে যখন ধরা পরলো তখন হারে হারে টের পেলো। আসিকি শব্দটার অর্থ-আত্মা। তাঁদের দেবীর এত স্বর্ণ যে সেইসব স্বর্ণের কোনও মূল্যই নেই তাঁর কাছে। দেবীর কাছে মূল্যবান হচ্ছে রক্ত...'।।

রেটিং - ৫ এ ৫।।

[sabisteb aka callisto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mud, mosquitoes, and misery

London 1908. Die Sahara zu bewässern, und so für den Ackerbau zu erschließen, erscheint Major Alan Vernon, einem Ingenieur, eine gute Idee, so dass er gerne in das Projekt seines Cousins und dessen Kompanions Aylward investiert, und seine Expertise zur Verfügung stellt. Schon bald jedoch muss er erkennen, dass es sich bei diesem Projekt um einen großangelegten Aktienbetrug handelt und steigt aus. Das zieht jedoch allerlei Probleme nach sich, denn Lord Aylward hält die Hypothek von Alans Haus und fordert diese ein. Barbara, seine große Liebe und das Mündel seines Cousins, darf ohne dessen Zustimmung bis zu ihrem 25 Geburtstag nicht heiraten oder sie verliert ihr komplettes Vermögen, der jedoch will sie nun Lord Aylward zur Frau geben. Alan hat nur noch eine Wahl, er muss den Fetisch, den sein Onkel Austin, ein Missionar, vor vielen Jahren aus dem Land der Asika stahl zurückbringen und hofft dort von den Eingeborenen mit genug Gold belohnt zu werden, um alle seine finanziellen Probleme auf einen Schlag zu lösen, doch anders als erhofft, erwartet ihn schon bald ein Leben als Spielzeug einer grausamen Priesterin eines Stammes von Götzen anbetenden Wilden.

Dieser Roman ist eine gelungene Mischung aus klassischem Afrika Abenteuerroman (scheint im heutigen Nigeria zu spielen), Fantasy und ein wenig Sozialkritik. Alan Vernon reist durch damals unbekannte Gebiete, begegnet Kannibalen und anderen feindlichen Eingeborenen und natürlich auch einer schönen, mächtigen Priesterin, die ihn ähnlich wie in She/Sie nicht wieder hergeben will. Der Fetisch little Bonsa und ihr Gatte big Bonsa scheinen, wie deren Priesterin Asiki über übernatürliche Fähigkeiten zu verfügen, was der Geschichte einen mythisch-fantastischen Anschein verleiht, wie er auch heute in Mystery Serien immer noch zu finden ist, nur wurden die afrikanischen Götter und ihre Macht heute durch Außerirdische und Psi-Fähigkeiten ersetzt. Mit von der Partie ist der klassische Sidekick, wie man ihn auch heute noch aus Fantasy Serien und Büchern kenn: Jeekie. Jeekie ist ein alter Asika, der vor vielen Jahren mit Major Vernons Onkel Austin aus dem Land der Asika floh und seitdem in England als Diener der Familie lebt und Alan wie sein eigenes Kind liebt. Jeekie scheint feige, ist dabei jedoch listig und rettet seinen Herren mehr als einmal.
Ungewöhnlich jedoch erscheint einem die subtile und auch heute noch aktuelle Sozialkritik, die gerade in der Zeit der Euro- und Bankenkrise wieder besonders aktuell ist. Vernon entzieht sich noch rechtzeitig einem großaufgezogenen Aktienbetrug, der die Investitionsblase an den Börsen Anfang des 19. Jahrhunderts ausnutzen sollte, und muss sich belehren lassen: „they never mean to do it, they only mean to get the millions from the public.” Auch können die Asika nicht verstehen, was Alan an Gold findet „The gift I sent to you was taken from this heap, but in truth it is but a poor gift, seeing that although this stuff is bright and serves for cups and other things, it has no use at all and is only offered to the gods because it is harder to come by than other metals.” etwas, was die weißen Menschen jedoch immer noch nicht verstanden haben, auch 100 Jahre später.
Der Autor wendet sich auch gegen die erzwungene Heirat von Frauen und bezieht Stellung für die Liebesheirat, dieses Motiv erscheint in der Geschichte drei Mal. Zum einen soll Barbara gegen ihren Willen Lord Aylward ehelichen, die Asiki heiratet alle paar Jahre einen Mungana, den sie jedoch hasst und Vernon soll gegen seinen Willen die Asiki heiraten. Sie fragt ihn auch einmal direkt, ob er es gerecht findet, dass sie einen Mann heiraten soll, den sie hasst und warum sie diesen dann gut behandeln sollte. Überhaupt fällt es auf, dass alle Frauen dieses Buches starke Frauen sind, die nicht dem Willen der Männer unterwerfen. Barbara fährt Auto und spielt das Spiel ihres Onkels nur mit, weil sie ihr Vermögen nicht verlieren will und die Asiki ist die Herrscherin ihres Volkes, die Herrin über Leben und Tod.
Auch gibt es immer wieder Hinweise, dass der Autor ein Anhänger von Darwins Theorien gewesen sein muss: „back to the time when I was a monkey woman sitting in those cedar trees“
Sir Rider Haggards Art zu schreiben, zieht einen sofort in den Bann. Der Autor ist ein Meister der Bilder, wie diese Todeszene zeigt: „The poor man rose to his feet with great deliberation, reminding Alan in some grotesque way of a speaker who has suddenly been called on to address a meeting and seeks to gain time for the gathering of his thoughts. Then he turned towards that vast audience of the trees, stretched out his hand with a declamatory gesture, said something in a composed voice, and fell upon his face stone dead! The swift poison had reached his heart and done its work.”

Dennoch hat auch diese Geschichte ihre Mängel, deren größter es ist, dass viele Ereignisse in kleinen Nebensätzen bereits zu Anfang vorweg genommen werden. Man weiß schon nach den erste Kapitel, dass es gut ausgehen wird und auch die unglaubwürdige Szene, in welcher Asika Alan Visionen von litte und big Bonsa empfangen lässt wirkt deplaziert, zum einem wegen der dürftigen Begründung, warum Asika die Visionen nicht selber anschaut, zum anderen, weil sie den Rest der Handlung fast komplett vorweg nimmt und somit die Spannung abtötet.

Fazit: Obwohl dieser Roman über 100 Jahre alt ist, ist er immer noch spannend und aktuell und wirkt wie ein aktueller historischer Abenteuerroman, nur ohne die heute üblichen historischen Fehler, da er zu der Zeit geschrieben wurde, in welcher er spielt.

[John Peel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alan Vernon has innocently become involved in a swindle on the London stock market. He resigns, and faces ruin. In order to try and marry his fiance and ransom his estate, he heads to Africa in search of gold - only to find something far stranger...

This is another of Haggard's excellent African romances, this one concerning a devilish ruler of a lost tribe who is determined to make him her next husband. The Yellow God has strange powers, and Vernon is led by forces he cannot control. Luckily for him, he has the best help possible in his rascally manservant, Jeekie. Jeekie is one of Haggard's best characters, full of wit and impish behavior. A wonderfully engaging book.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quintessential Haggard. Similar to but not up to the standard of the earlier The People of the Mist. Still, quite good. This novel also imparts more of a sense of humor than that former adventure story. It's done primary through Jeekie, the African friend and servant Alan Vernon takes with him into West Africa, in order to come out with a horde of gold. Jeekie's commentary on Christianity, European civilization, and the nature of white people not only skewers those institutions with comic insight but it is stingingly accurate. Otherwise the story is taught and efficient. Fast paced.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as much as I have enjoyed any of Haggard's swashbuckling adventure works. Jeekie is a gem of a character. Whether he is throttling a cannibal who may have eaten his mother, or helping the hero out of a jam, Jeekie is the brains of the operation and a delight to listen to.

[Kawsar Mollah · Rating 3 out of 5]

বেশি ভালো লাগেনি। মোটামোটি লেগেছে।

[George Polansky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as entertaining as his other works.

[Trounin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Перед чтением «Жёлтого бога» нужно усвоить две вещи. Первая: Райдер почти созрел до идеи продолжить описывать похождения Аллана Квотермейна. Вторая: не всё то следует понимать буквально, как оно преподносится вниманию. Исходя из этого и следует знакомиться с очередным произведением Хаггарда.

Давайте начнём с конца. Предлагается увидеть новую африканскую причуду — поклонение Жёлтому богу. Вдумчивый читатель сразу отметит хитрость Райдера, иносказательно взявшегося повествовать ровно о той же страсти, присущей практически всем людям на планете — страсти к Жёлтому богу, который ими понимается под видом золота. И это не шутка! Хаггард описывал все те симптомы, характерные для людей, излишне помешавшихся на жизни, когда целью является желание овладеть как можно большим числом накоплений. Они истинно поклоняются Жёлтому богу, практически лишаясь души и теряя человеческие качества. Для примера Райдер расскажет про мужчин, становящихся мужьями Жёлтого бога — от пресыщения через год они умирают, истомившись от доставшихся им возможностей. Это довольно грубая формулировка, при том должная быть угодной читателю.

(c) Trounin

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Haggard African novel, but not an Alan Quatermain one. It features elements of the fantastic, a lost race, reincarnation and an immortal woman. Starts in England with young retire Major Alan Vernon and his love Barbara. Their relationship is complicated by his lack of fortune, her guardian uncle and the desire of the wealthy financial business partner of the uncle to marry Barbara. Vernon set out for Africa with his faithful major domo Jeekie to seek his fortune with a lost African tribe. By far the best character in the novel is Jeekie who constantly saves the day in a variety of ways and who provides continuous humor.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Yellow God offers a taste of Haggard’s classic adventure style, with its West African setting, mysterious native religion, and dangerous quest. The book has some fun moments, though it doesn’t quite reach the excitement or legendary feel of his bigger hits like King Solomon’s Mines or She. At times the story drags, and the characters aren’t as sharply drawn—but Jeekie, the main character’s servant, is a real standout. Funny and surprisingly clever, Jeekie often steals the show and even ends up playing the hero a few times.

Overall, the book has its charms, but it feels more like a minor work—enjoyable here and there, but not one you’re likely to remember for long.

[Wade Burgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a fun adventure novel. Jeekie had some funny lines. This novel was nothing really “novel” because Haggard re-uses his same situations and again. But, worth a second read. I actually listened to an audiobook.

[Fantasy Literature · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sandy: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...