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Tarzan #16
Tarzan and the City of Gold
The original unedited magazine version of this story which finds Tarzan wandering the distant lands of Abyssinia, lured by the secrets and mystery of that land. And it is in one far place that the strange white warrior in armor of ivory leads him to the luxurious court of the most beautiful woman in the world, to slavery, to the arena, to the lion pit, to an atmosphere of love and hate, of intrigue and murder, to new friends and powerful enemies, to the throne of the Great God Thoos, to flaming Xarator, and to the horrors of the Grand Hunt.
First published January 1, 1932
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About the author
Edgar Rice Burroughs
2,916 books2,739 followersEdgar 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
June 10, 2020
"walls which were made to keep one out also invited one to climb them."
Tarzan and the City of Gold narrates another one of ape-man's journeys, across a new area of Africa. But there were several surprises from ERB this time around.
For me, this books stood out of the Tarzan series up to this point in several ways. This is the shortest book by far, though it was clear the story could've been extended quite easily to the usual length of the stories in the series. And there were no sub-plots, which usually are there in all Tarzan series, that converge to the end in the last couple of chapters. True, the Jad-bal-ja was there, but it was not the same thing. And the single-plot story brought a nice bit of change to the usual phase.
And finally, the ending, it really felt like the author was in a hurry to quickly wrap this up, an urgency that occurred during the last part of the last chapter. I have no complaints against the ending, but it is not the same that was inherent in all previous stories.
"a title of nobility does not make a man noble. You may call a jackal a lion, but he will still be a jackal."
"one never knows what the future holds."
Tarzan and the City of Gold narrates another one of ape-man's journeys, across a new area of Africa. But there were several surprises from ERB this time around.
For me, this books stood out of the Tarzan series up to this point in several ways. This is the shortest book by far, though it was clear the story could've been extended quite easily to the usual length of the stories in the series. And there were no sub-plots, which usually are there in all Tarzan series, that converge to the end in the last couple of chapters. True, the Jad-bal-ja was there, but it was not the same thing. And the single-plot story brought a nice bit of change to the usual phase.
And finally, the ending, it really felt like the author was in a hurry to quickly wrap this up, an urgency that occurred during the last part of the last chapter. I have no complaints against the ending, but it is not the same that was inherent in all previous stories.
"a title of nobility does not make a man noble. You may call a jackal a lion, but he will still be a jackal."
"one never knows what the future holds."
March 19, 2015
Note, March 19, 2015: I just edited this review, mostly to correct typos and make it read more smoothly, but the changes aren't substantive.
I picked this book to read because I was under the misapprehension that it was the same one I started to read, as a kid, at somebody else's house, and then never had occasion to go back. It turned out NOT to be that book after all; that one was actually The Return of Tarzan. But since I'd gotten this one, I read it, and found it to a solid adventure yarn, written in typical Burroughs style. The 16th Tarzan novel, it finds the ape-man far from his usual coastal West African jungle haunts, traveling (for unspecified reasons) in the mountains of Ethiopia. There, he rescues a white man from a bandit gang. The stranger proves to be from one of two warring, pre-technological cities in a remote area, with no direct contact with the outside world. (His being several weeks journey from his home is a necessary plot device, but poorly explained and therefore glossed over quickly. :-)) Naturally, Tarzan undertakes to see him safely home.
Burroughs' usual theme of primitivism is much in evidence here. Indeed in some ways, Tarzan comes across here as less polished and civilized than he does in the first books of the series, or in Tarzan at the Earth's Core; he rescues the bandits' captive, for instance, mostly out of pique, to get back at them for spoiling his hunting. (And while he asserts elsewhere in the book that he only kills for self-defense or for food, neither of these are his motives for dispatching the bandits' sentry, for instance --though, since they avowedly intended to kill the prisoner in the morning, most readers would deem that justifiable.) He does, though, continue to come across as having a very real integrity and a brave willingness to stick up for the abused and endangered.
The author departs somewhat here from the formula of his Pellucidar and Martian series in one respect; there, when a beautiful woman appears in the story, she's an admirable lady who plays a relatively passive plot role as the hero's love interest. Here, we have a beautiful woman in the person of Queen Nemone; but she's not exactly Tarzan's love interest (though she'd like to be), she's insane and capable of being quite sadistic, and her plot role isn't passive --people might call her quite a few names, but "passive" wouldn't be one of them. :-) But she's an interesting character; readers can, in a way, pity her: left an orphan at a young age, a ruling queen in a male chauvinist society --all the nobles of her court are male-- only because her brother was deemed insane, and never safe or sure of her position, but stuck in it with no place to go except crazy. (To me, her most poignant line was, "if I were gracious and merciful they would think me weak; then they would take advantage of me; and eventually they would destroy me.") Of course, she's also a virtual poster girl for Lord Acton's dictum about the corrupting influence of power; and she has normal human needs, but obviously wouldn't dare to marry one of her subjects and thus make him king --which helps make her interest in Tarzan psychologically credible.
The storyline here is exciting; there's never a dull moment, what with escape from murderous bandits, hand-to-hand combat with big cats, near death in a raging, rain-swollen river --and that's just the first 40 pages! :-) It's not deep stuff, but the characters engage our interest and emotions, and the messages imparted are mostly sound; and for the original readers, it would have been suspenseful --we know that Burroughs didn't kill Tarzan off, but other writers have done that to their series characters at times, and the first readers didn't know for sure that he wouldn't. His "lost race" aspect isn't too far-fetched to be believable; though he doesn't actually explain where the people of these cities originally came from, several things suggest an origin from an expedition sent by Alexander the Great, or the Ptolmies: their personal and place names sound Greek, as do their monetary units, their class structure and city-state polity is Greek-like, and their material culture resembles that of the Hellenistic age. (Though they're ignorant of archery; and given Burroughs' disdain for research, all of the above could be pure coincidence. :-)) It's also not incredible to imagine domesticated lions --actually, some lions are domesticated today, on movie lots or in circuses, and grown lions would be strong enough to pull chariots.
IMO, the main flaw here is completely absent from the text itself, and a flaw because of its complete absence --any role for Jane. She's Tarzan's wife, and supposedly the love of his life --but he's gone off and left her, presumably to tend the tree-house, while he traipses off adventuring on the other side of the continent for who knows how long; and when he thinks of those left behind, even his monkey rates a mention, but she doesn't. (If I have to leave Barb for a week to go to a library conference, I miss her something fierce.) And while he's not physically unfaithful to her with Nemone --and given that lady's disposition, the fact that he's married admittedly wouldn't have been the smartest item of information to impart-- it seems completely incredible that no thought of Jane would cross his mind, in that context, with enough significance for Burroughs to mention it. (At one point, I thought perhaps she'd died in a previous book --but Wikipedia doesn't indicate that she dies in the series, and she appears in a later book.) Interestingly, both of Burroughs' marriages failed. One has to wonder if Tarzan's seeming amnesia about Jane doesn't reflect the priority (or lack of it) that marriage played in his creator's mind --and if Burroughs' own wives weren't as patient with this as he assumed that Jane should be!
I picked this book to read because I was under the misapprehension that it was the same one I started to read, as a kid, at somebody else's house, and then never had occasion to go back. It turned out NOT to be that book after all; that one was actually The Return of Tarzan. But since I'd gotten this one, I read it, and found it to a solid adventure yarn, written in typical Burroughs style. The 16th Tarzan novel, it finds the ape-man far from his usual coastal West African jungle haunts, traveling (for unspecified reasons) in the mountains of Ethiopia. There, he rescues a white man from a bandit gang. The stranger proves to be from one of two warring, pre-technological cities in a remote area, with no direct contact with the outside world. (His being several weeks journey from his home is a necessary plot device, but poorly explained and therefore glossed over quickly. :-)) Naturally, Tarzan undertakes to see him safely home.
Burroughs' usual theme of primitivism is much in evidence here. Indeed in some ways, Tarzan comes across here as less polished and civilized than he does in the first books of the series, or in Tarzan at the Earth's Core; he rescues the bandits' captive, for instance, mostly out of pique, to get back at them for spoiling his hunting. (And while he asserts elsewhere in the book that he only kills for self-defense or for food, neither of these are his motives for dispatching the bandits' sentry, for instance --though, since they avowedly intended to kill the prisoner in the morning, most readers would deem that justifiable.) He does, though, continue to come across as having a very real integrity and a brave willingness to stick up for the abused and endangered.
The author departs somewhat here from the formula of his Pellucidar and Martian series in one respect; there, when a beautiful woman appears in the story, she's an admirable lady who plays a relatively passive plot role as the hero's love interest. Here, we have a beautiful woman in the person of Queen Nemone; but she's not exactly Tarzan's love interest (though she'd like to be), she's insane and capable of being quite sadistic, and her plot role isn't passive --people might call her quite a few names, but "passive" wouldn't be one of them. :-) But she's an interesting character; readers can, in a way, pity her: left an orphan at a young age, a ruling queen in a male chauvinist society --all the nobles of her court are male-- only because her brother was deemed insane, and never safe or sure of her position, but stuck in it with no place to go except crazy. (To me, her most poignant line was, "if I were gracious and merciful they would think me weak; then they would take advantage of me; and eventually they would destroy me.") Of course, she's also a virtual poster girl for Lord Acton's dictum about the corrupting influence of power; and she has normal human needs, but obviously wouldn't dare to marry one of her subjects and thus make him king --which helps make her interest in Tarzan psychologically credible.
The storyline here is exciting; there's never a dull moment, what with escape from murderous bandits, hand-to-hand combat with big cats, near death in a raging, rain-swollen river --and that's just the first 40 pages! :-) It's not deep stuff, but the characters engage our interest and emotions, and the messages imparted are mostly sound; and for the original readers, it would have been suspenseful --we know that Burroughs didn't kill Tarzan off, but other writers have done that to their series characters at times, and the first readers didn't know for sure that he wouldn't. His "lost race" aspect isn't too far-fetched to be believable; though he doesn't actually explain where the people of these cities originally came from, several things suggest an origin from an expedition sent by Alexander the Great, or the Ptolmies: their personal and place names sound Greek, as do their monetary units, their class structure and city-state polity is Greek-like, and their material culture resembles that of the Hellenistic age. (Though they're ignorant of archery; and given Burroughs' disdain for research, all of the above could be pure coincidence. :-)) It's also not incredible to imagine domesticated lions --actually, some lions are domesticated today, on movie lots or in circuses, and grown lions would be strong enough to pull chariots.
IMO, the main flaw here is completely absent from the text itself, and a flaw because of its complete absence --any role for Jane. She's Tarzan's wife, and supposedly the love of his life --but he's gone off and left her, presumably to tend the tree-house, while he traipses off adventuring on the other side of the continent for who knows how long; and when he thinks of those left behind, even his monkey rates a mention, but she doesn't. (If I have to leave Barb for a week to go to a library conference, I miss her something fierce.) And while he's not physically unfaithful to her with Nemone --and given that lady's disposition, the fact that he's married admittedly wouldn't have been the smartest item of information to impart-- it seems completely incredible that no thought of Jane would cross his mind, in that context, with enough significance for Burroughs to mention it. (At one point, I thought perhaps she'd died in a previous book --but Wikipedia doesn't indicate that she dies in the series, and she appears in a later book.) Interestingly, both of Burroughs' marriages failed. One has to wonder if Tarzan's seeming amnesia about Jane doesn't reflect the priority (or lack of it) that marriage played in his creator's mind --and if Burroughs' own wives weren't as patient with this as he assumed that Jane should be!
April 29, 2025
Tarzan and the City of Gold is the 16th of the 24 Tarzan novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs (or ERB). Last year, I decided to re-read the Tarzan novels as an adult, and I have read and reviewed from #1 to this present novel within that time frame with the aspiration to reach the 24th sometime before the end of 2025.
To be honest, I have complained that ERB recycled his novels by using the same tropes over and over in his best-known serials: John Carter and Tarzan. This one reuses the lost world trope for the 15th time(?). If I exaggerate it's only by a little bit. However, Tarzan is the main character in this one (he is not always) when generally a guest MC comes onto the scene so that Tarzan can save him/her from a lost world beasty, Tarzan will disappear for the majority of the narrative, only to return at the climax to save the day.
Here in City of Gold, Tarzan rescues a warrior that comes from the City of Ivory, a rival to the title city and then becomes responsible for taking care of the warrior named Valthor. When Tarzan is captured by the guards of Cathne (City of Gold) the queen (Nemone) is smitten by Tarzan. He soon realizes that she is absolutely nuts. She has a pet lion that Tarzan must fight and an imperious braggart gladiator type named Phobeg that faces off against the king of the apes.
This really was a thoroughly enjoyable read with all of the purple prose you can shake a stick at. Ther are un characters with expansive, cinematic, fight scenes that are the stock in trade that made ERB a favored writer.
To be honest, I have complained that ERB recycled his novels by using the same tropes over and over in his best-known serials: John Carter and Tarzan. This one reuses the lost world trope for the 15th time(?). If I exaggerate it's only by a little bit. However, Tarzan is the main character in this one (he is not always) when generally a guest MC comes onto the scene so that Tarzan can save him/her from a lost world beasty, Tarzan will disappear for the majority of the narrative, only to return at the climax to save the day.
Here in City of Gold, Tarzan rescues a warrior that comes from the City of Ivory, a rival to the title city and then becomes responsible for taking care of the warrior named Valthor. When Tarzan is captured by the guards of Cathne (City of Gold) the queen (Nemone) is smitten by Tarzan. He soon realizes that she is absolutely nuts. She has a pet lion that Tarzan must fight and an imperious braggart gladiator type named Phobeg that faces off against the king of the apes.
This really was a thoroughly enjoyable read with all of the purple prose you can shake a stick at. Ther are un characters with expansive, cinematic, fight scenes that are the stock in trade that made ERB a favored writer.
June 23, 2025
Sairasvuoteella ei välttämättä tee mieli tarttua mihinkään hirvittävän monimutkaiseen, joten silloin on erinomainen hetki kaivaa hyllystä esiin vanhat Tarzan-kirjat. Sarjan kuudestoista romaani "Tarzan ja kultainen kaupunki" (Karhu, 1952) ilmestyi alun perin kuusiosaisena jatkokertomuksena miehille suunnatussa Argosy-lehdessä vuonna 1932.
"Tarzan ja kultainen kaupunki" on vauhdikas ja varsin viihdyttävä seikkailukertomus, vaikka kliseisiä juonenkäänteitä on annosteltu mukaan varsin reilulla kädellä. Lukija saa itse asiassa nauttia yhden tuntemattoman sivilisaation sijasta peräti kahdesta kadonneesta kaupungista, joista toisessa ei kyllä ehditä edes pistäytyä. Lisäksi taistellaan leijonan kanssa, sotkeudutaan juonitteluihin, tehdään vihollisten suunnitelmat naurunalaisiksi kaameilla kepposilla ja niin edespäin.
Kuvankaunis mutta pahasti sekaisin oleva kuningatar Nemone on kiinnostava hahmo. Legendaarisen Oparin ylipapittaren La'n tavoin hänkin rakastuu päähenkilöömme ja yrittää useampaan otteeseen saada tämän retkahtamaan itseensä. Myös Tarzan tuntee Nemonea kohtaan jonkinlaista vetovoimaa, mutta jaksaa vastustaa kiusausta. No Sex Please, We're British? Tai ehkä myös apinamies ymmärtää sekstailun olevan merkityksetöntä ilman tunnetta:
"Kukka ei puhkea siemenestä, mies vastasi. - Se kasvaa vähitellen, kuten rakkauskin. Se, mikä puhkeaa omasta hehkustaan itsestään esiin, ei ole rakkautta, vaan intohimoa. En ole tuntenut sinua kauan, enkä tunne sinua tarpeeksi hyvin, Nemone. (s. 156-157)."
Tarzan kyllä jaksaa käydä Nemonen kanssa keskusteluja, jotka antavat ymmärtää että sivistynyt maailma menetti viidakolle yhden ihan kohtalaisen terapeutin:
"- En koskaan nauti kuolemaa nähdessäni niinkuin toivoisin. Elämä ei ole koskaan sellaista kuin toivon.
- Ehkäpä et toivo oikeaita asioita, arveli mies. - Oletko koskaan yrittänyt toivoa jotakin, mikä tuottaa iloa ja onnea jollekulle toiselle kuin itsellesi?
- Miksi sitä toivoisin? hän kysyi. - Toivon itselleni onnea. Tehkööt toiset samoin. Minä tavoittelen omaa onneani.
- Etkä koskaan saavuta sitä, apinamies keskeyttti hyväntuulisesti.
- Ehkä en osaisi nauttia senkään vertaa, jos yrittäisin tehdä vain toisia onnelliseksi, Nemone intti.
- Sellaisiakin ihmisiä on, mies myönsi. - Sinä olet ehkä yksi heistä, joten voit jatkaa onnesi etsintää omalla tavallasi. Tietenkään et sitä löydä, mutta tunnethan odotuksen iloa, ja sekin on jotakin." (s. 174)
Loppuratkaisu tulee aika vauhdilla ja on vähän deus ex machina -tyyppinen, mutta kaiken kaikkiaan tämä oli Burroughsia sieltä paremmasta päästä. Vahva kolmen tähden suoritus.
"Tarzan ja kultainen kaupunki" on vauhdikas ja varsin viihdyttävä seikkailukertomus, vaikka kliseisiä juonenkäänteitä on annosteltu mukaan varsin reilulla kädellä. Lukija saa itse asiassa nauttia yhden tuntemattoman sivilisaation sijasta peräti kahdesta kadonneesta kaupungista, joista toisessa ei kyllä ehditä edes pistäytyä. Lisäksi taistellaan leijonan kanssa, sotkeudutaan juonitteluihin, tehdään vihollisten suunnitelmat naurunalaisiksi kaameilla kepposilla ja niin edespäin.
Kuvankaunis mutta pahasti sekaisin oleva kuningatar Nemone on kiinnostava hahmo. Legendaarisen Oparin ylipapittaren La'n tavoin hänkin rakastuu päähenkilöömme ja yrittää useampaan otteeseen saada tämän retkahtamaan itseensä. Myös Tarzan tuntee Nemonea kohtaan jonkinlaista vetovoimaa, mutta jaksaa vastustaa kiusausta. No Sex Please, We're British? Tai ehkä myös apinamies ymmärtää sekstailun olevan merkityksetöntä ilman tunnetta:
"Kukka ei puhkea siemenestä, mies vastasi. - Se kasvaa vähitellen, kuten rakkauskin. Se, mikä puhkeaa omasta hehkustaan itsestään esiin, ei ole rakkautta, vaan intohimoa. En ole tuntenut sinua kauan, enkä tunne sinua tarpeeksi hyvin, Nemone. (s. 156-157)."
Tarzan kyllä jaksaa käydä Nemonen kanssa keskusteluja, jotka antavat ymmärtää että sivistynyt maailma menetti viidakolle yhden ihan kohtalaisen terapeutin:
"- En koskaan nauti kuolemaa nähdessäni niinkuin toivoisin. Elämä ei ole koskaan sellaista kuin toivon.
- Ehkäpä et toivo oikeaita asioita, arveli mies. - Oletko koskaan yrittänyt toivoa jotakin, mikä tuottaa iloa ja onnea jollekulle toiselle kuin itsellesi?
- Miksi sitä toivoisin? hän kysyi. - Toivon itselleni onnea. Tehkööt toiset samoin. Minä tavoittelen omaa onneani.
- Etkä koskaan saavuta sitä, apinamies keskeyttti hyväntuulisesti.
- Ehkä en osaisi nauttia senkään vertaa, jos yrittäisin tehdä vain toisia onnelliseksi, Nemone intti.
- Sellaisiakin ihmisiä on, mies myönsi. - Sinä olet ehkä yksi heistä, joten voit jatkaa onnesi etsintää omalla tavallasi. Tietenkään et sitä löydä, mutta tunnethan odotuksen iloa, ja sekin on jotakin." (s. 174)
Loppuratkaisu tulee aika vauhdilla ja on vähän deus ex machina -tyyppinen, mutta kaiken kaikkiaan tämä oli Burroughsia sieltä paremmasta päästä. Vahva kolmen tähden suoritus.
December 8, 2009
While still a classic pot boiler from the pen of Edgar Rice Burroughs, there is a good deal of tongue in cheek humor here, from the cell mate that tells Tarzan that he is a weakling, to a mad queen in love with the Ape Man. What a movie this one would have made.
February 8, 2021
This was one of my favorite Tarzan novels, but it's not without its flaws. The ending is abrupt and there's some pretty major plot points that were never really cleared up, but it still was a good read from start to finish. It was straightforward and the plot stayed on point the entire time.
But there's not just one lost city here, but two. As I've said in previous reviews, you can't toss a stick in these novels without hitting a lost city and they just keep coming! If you can overlook that aspect, and the fact we get a lot of plots rehashed, there's good stuff here.
For example, in this one Tarzan finds lost cities. There's a mad queen enamored with him. There's an imprisoned member of royalty who's the rightful heir to the crown. Etc. I think half the Tarzan novels published have at least some of those tropes in the plot.
Still, most readers know this by now and we still enjoy it. Always a fun read.
But there's not just one lost city here, but two. As I've said in previous reviews, you can't toss a stick in these novels without hitting a lost city and they just keep coming! If you can overlook that aspect, and the fact we get a lot of plots rehashed, there's good stuff here.
For example, in this one Tarzan finds lost cities. There's a mad queen enamored with him. There's an imprisoned member of royalty who's the rightful heir to the crown. Etc. I think half the Tarzan novels published have at least some of those tropes in the plot.
Still, most readers know this by now and we still enjoy it. Always a fun read.
March 23, 2011
An extremely brisk and entertaining read.
The machinations of the city of Cathne were interesting to consider: a conflicted yet insane queen manipulated behind the scenes by a motley crew. Their motivations weren't clearly spelled out, especially the mysterious slave M'duze, whose hold over the queen is never explained.
The tail end feels hurried...I almost wonder if Burroughs had some greater ambition or plan but ran out of time or ambition or something. The city of Athnea, the Ivory City, is only referenced.
The machinations of the city of Cathne were interesting to consider: a conflicted yet insane queen manipulated behind the scenes by a motley crew. Their motivations weren't clearly spelled out, especially the mysterious slave M'duze, whose hold over the queen is never explained.
The tail end feels hurried...I almost wonder if Burroughs had some greater ambition or plan but ran out of time or ambition or something. The city of Athnea, the Ivory City, is only referenced.
December 30, 2019
ENGLISH: This 16th volume among Tarzan's novels repeats the same elements that appear once and again in the series: a lost valley in Africa with two lost cities in permanent struggle; a beautiful queen, madly in love with Tarzan; an impossible situation, which Tarzan manages to fix in the end, although this time he has the help of a deus ex machina: the lion Jad-Bal-Ja.
This novel is quite unnecessary, because it brings nothing new, and even gives the impression that Burroughs's style has deteriorated somewhat, which usually happens in the last volumes of his series, such as John Carter in Mars.
According to Goodreads, two stars means "It was OK." I think that's a good description of this book.
ESPAÑOL: Este volumen 16 de las novelas de Tarzán repite los mismos elementos que aparecen una vez y otra en la serie: un valle perdido en África con dos ciudades perdidas en lucha permanente; una reina hermosísima, enamorada perdidamente de Tarzán; una situación imposible, que Tarzán sabe arreglar al final, aunque esta vez cuente con la ayuda de un deus ex machina: el león Jad-Bal-Ja.
La novela es bastante innecesaria, pues no aporta nada nuevo, e incluso da la impresión de que el estilo de Burroughs se ha deteriorado un tanto, cosa que suele ocurrirle en los últimos volúmenes de sus series, como la de John Carter en Marte.
De acuerdo con Goodreads, dos estrellas significa "este libro está bien para pasar un rato". Me parece la calificación oportuna.
This novel is quite unnecessary, because it brings nothing new, and even gives the impression that Burroughs's style has deteriorated somewhat, which usually happens in the last volumes of his series, such as John Carter in Mars.
According to Goodreads, two stars means "It was OK." I think that's a good description of this book.
ESPAÑOL: Este volumen 16 de las novelas de Tarzán repite los mismos elementos que aparecen una vez y otra en la serie: un valle perdido en África con dos ciudades perdidas en lucha permanente; una reina hermosísima, enamorada perdidamente de Tarzán; una situación imposible, que Tarzán sabe arreglar al final, aunque esta vez cuente con la ayuda de un deus ex machina: el león Jad-Bal-Ja.
La novela es bastante innecesaria, pues no aporta nada nuevo, e incluso da la impresión de que el estilo de Burroughs se ha deteriorado un tanto, cosa que suele ocurrirle en los últimos volúmenes de sus series, como la de John Carter en Marte.
De acuerdo con Goodreads, dos estrellas significa "este libro está bien para pasar un rato". Me parece la calificación oportuna.
December 18, 2024
In which Tarzan finds himself in a battle between a city of gold and a city of Ivory in what is now Ethiopia. He encounters a femme fatale type Queen who wants Tarzan for his own. There’s absolutely no mention of Jane (hasn’t been for awhile now), but there’s talk of La from the City of Opar. In the afterword, they make note of that, but it isn’t mentioned why Jane isn’t mentioned in the series anymore.
It was nice to have Tarzan as the main character in a Tarzan story once again.
It was nice to have Tarzan as the main character in a Tarzan story once again.
March 13, 2021
Despite the Two Star Rating, this was a fun and enjoyable read. The story continues nicely from the last book. Tarzan is wandering through what was Abyssinia, around the Rift Valley. He comes to the rescue of a captured man and then the adventures begin.
This story flows well, full of action, drama, love, intrigue. At this level, it works really well.
However, scratching the surface, we find Tarzan the man who can pick up any language pretty much instantly, can charm and smooch anyone, and yes, still find himself imprisoned. The core elements are a rehash of other stories; two cities hidden away in a remote part of Africa, at war with each other but don’t know why, yet trade with each other once a year. The cities are literally made of Gold with there own structure. Plus, Burroughs must be desperate for ‘mythical names’. Surely both cities are just a poor hidden name for Carthage and Athens?
Occasionally you wonder, what happened to Tarzan’s Wife and Son? You now just accept that they were a one off and Tarzan is a confirmed bachelor. You would think Burroughs would explore this further. Plus, he successfully ends this story in two paragraphs.
A good story, BUT, don’t read into it too much.
This story flows well, full of action, drama, love, intrigue. At this level, it works really well.
However, scratching the surface, we find Tarzan the man who can pick up any language pretty much instantly, can charm and smooch anyone, and yes, still find himself imprisoned. The core elements are a rehash of other stories; two cities hidden away in a remote part of Africa, at war with each other but don’t know why, yet trade with each other once a year. The cities are literally made of Gold with there own structure. Plus, Burroughs must be desperate for ‘mythical names’. Surely both cities are just a poor hidden name for Carthage and Athens?
Occasionally you wonder, what happened to Tarzan’s Wife and Son? You now just accept that they were a one off and Tarzan is a confirmed bachelor. You would think Burroughs would explore this further. Plus, he successfully ends this story in two paragraphs.
A good story, BUT, don’t read into it too much.
December 1, 2008
Good novel within the Tarzan series. Jane is long forgotten as Tarzan explores another part of the jungle and becomes prisoner to a beautiful, though evil, queen. Doesn't break any new ground but is an enjoyable read if you accept Edgar Rice Burrough's conventions - good triumphs over evil, lots of coincidences, animals nobler than man.
July 27, 2008
Not one lost city, but two. Oh my! Love it.
August 17, 2022
Confesso, era uma lacuna, mas nunca tinha lido uma aventura de Tarzan no original, escrita por E. R. Burroughs. Foi uma boa surpresa, um mergulho na pulp fiction de aventuras dos inícios do século XX, quando África era o palco do sonho da aventura pura, com as suas selvas, perigosos animais, exóticas tribos e misteriosas civilizações ocultas no vasto continente. É, também, um olhar sobre esta forma narrativa, sobre a capacidade de um autor há muito desaparecido em escrever de formas que, ainda hoje, são empolgantes e agarram o leitor até ao final do romance. É literatura pop, escapista, é certo, mas está muito bem feita.
Nesta aventura, o circunspecto Tarzan vageia pelos desertos da Abissínia, esquivando-se a bandoleiros. Ao salvar uma vítima de um destes grupos, Tarzan acaba por descobrir duas cidades perdidas no meio das montanhas, eternas rivais. Uma é riquíssima, graças a um veio de ouro que permite aos seus habitantes viverem em faustosas arquiteturas douradas. É essa a cidade que Tarzan irá explorar, entrando nela um pouco por acaso, sendo feito prisioneiro. Uma condição que depressa perde, ao mostrar-se inflexível perante a bela rainha da cidade, uma mulher enlouquecida pela sua condição de poderio, cruel, infeliz, e em eterna luta contra as intrigas palacianas. Claro está que o herói irá ver-se envolvido nestas intrigas, enfrentando perigos e desafios cada vez mais violentos.
Esta história toca em todos os pontos deste género de literatura. Temos o superior homem branco, simbiose entre a civilização ocidental e a sabedoria da selva (a descrição física inicial de Tarzan roça o homoerótico). Temos os perigosos bandoleiros árabes. Cidades esquecidas e civilizações misteriosas. Nobres sem escrúpulos que fazem tudo para chegar ao topo do poder. Sacrifícios humanos e rituais violentos. Portentosos leões que terão de ser enfrentados. E, claro, uma sensual femme fatale, que irá tentar o herói. É marca de época, pulp clássico no seu melhor.
Nesta aventura, o circunspecto Tarzan vageia pelos desertos da Abissínia, esquivando-se a bandoleiros. Ao salvar uma vítima de um destes grupos, Tarzan acaba por descobrir duas cidades perdidas no meio das montanhas, eternas rivais. Uma é riquíssima, graças a um veio de ouro que permite aos seus habitantes viverem em faustosas arquiteturas douradas. É essa a cidade que Tarzan irá explorar, entrando nela um pouco por acaso, sendo feito prisioneiro. Uma condição que depressa perde, ao mostrar-se inflexível perante a bela rainha da cidade, uma mulher enlouquecida pela sua condição de poderio, cruel, infeliz, e em eterna luta contra as intrigas palacianas. Claro está que o herói irá ver-se envolvido nestas intrigas, enfrentando perigos e desafios cada vez mais violentos.
Esta história toca em todos os pontos deste género de literatura. Temos o superior homem branco, simbiose entre a civilização ocidental e a sabedoria da selva (a descrição física inicial de Tarzan roça o homoerótico). Temos os perigosos bandoleiros árabes. Cidades esquecidas e civilizações misteriosas. Nobres sem escrúpulos que fazem tudo para chegar ao topo do poder. Sacrifícios humanos e rituais violentos. Portentosos leões que terão de ser enfrentados. E, claro, uma sensual femme fatale, que irá tentar o herói. É marca de época, pulp clássico no seu melhor.
July 2, 2020
This entry in the series had nearly all of the elements for a successful Tarzan novel; lost cities, wild animals, violent death of the bad guys (and gals), beautiful queens of the lost cities, and that most noble of savages; Lord John Greystoke.
Missing however was the humor of Tarzan. There were two moments where Tarzan played tricks on his captors (both deadly), but at no time did the Lord of the Jungle seem to enjoy himself. Also missing was Jane, not even a single mention of her. Very strange, and makes a few of the hardcore ERB communities wonder aloud if Burroughs truly wrote the book.
I think he did, because every sentence was vintage Tarzan and his world. Personally, I'm of the opinion that Burroughs pounded this out to meet a deadline so he could work on something else. Another few pages of what I detailed as missing would have made this a 4 or 5 star effort.
This version is written more for younger audiences, and would be a good introduction to Tarzan. Parents of kids younger than 12 should probably read it first in case they have a problem with some of the descriptions used of the Cathne society and its citizens.
Even with the 'missing' pieces, this is still a good read. So ...
Find it. Buy it. Read it!
Missing however was the humor of Tarzan. There were two moments where Tarzan played tricks on his captors (both deadly), but at no time did the Lord of the Jungle seem to enjoy himself. Also missing was Jane, not even a single mention of her. Very strange, and makes a few of the hardcore ERB communities wonder aloud if Burroughs truly wrote the book.
I think he did, because every sentence was vintage Tarzan and his world. Personally, I'm of the opinion that Burroughs pounded this out to meet a deadline so he could work on something else. Another few pages of what I detailed as missing would have made this a 4 or 5 star effort.
This version is written more for younger audiences, and would be a good introduction to Tarzan. Parents of kids younger than 12 should probably read it first in case they have a problem with some of the descriptions used of the Cathne society and its citizens.
Even with the 'missing' pieces, this is still a good read. So ...
Find it. Buy it. Read it!
September 28, 2022
Eschewing the formula of the previous two books, where Tarzan plays a peripheral part until the end, the jungle lord is in this tale from front to end. Tarzan is caught in a flash flood and washed down a river to discover the City of Cathne, also known as the City of Gold. This city is literally built with bricks of gold and the residents keep hunting lions and lions to pull chariots as well as worship a lion god.
Tarzan is captured and set to be fed to the lions but the seductive queen Nemone takes a liking to him. Jane is never mentioned in this book, still Tarzan mightily resists Nemone's advances. For a time, Nemone puts up with this because she sees Tarzan as a challenge she can overcome, but eventually her personality swings become too much. She threatens to feed Tarzan's friends to the lion god and Tarzan becomes the prey in a lion hunt.
There are many other political machinations involved and the deus ex machina of the story is Tarzan's pet lion Jad-bal-ja--though the groundwork is laid throughout the book so it doesn't feel like a cheat, but rather an inevitable culmination of Jad-bal-ja's search for the missing Tarzan.
Tarzan is captured and set to be fed to the lions but the seductive queen Nemone takes a liking to him. Jane is never mentioned in this book, still Tarzan mightily resists Nemone's advances. For a time, Nemone puts up with this because she sees Tarzan as a challenge she can overcome, but eventually her personality swings become too much. She threatens to feed Tarzan's friends to the lion god and Tarzan becomes the prey in a lion hunt.
There are many other political machinations involved and the deus ex machina of the story is Tarzan's pet lion Jad-bal-ja--though the groundwork is laid throughout the book so it doesn't feel like a cheat, but rather an inevitable culmination of Jad-bal-ja's search for the missing Tarzan.
August 18, 2025
This one I'm genuinely not sure if I've read before or not. Parts of it definitely felt familiar, but it was also (very, very loosely) adapted as the first episode of the 1970s Filmation Tarzan cartoon series, so ... [insert shrug emoji here]
This time around, Tarzan is still swanning about up in Abyssinia (which may or may not have something to do with ERB having access to a bunch of relatively recent books about the region). He finds yet another isolated valley with yet another pair of lost, feuding cities, although this time here's no explicit historical antecedent -- maybe Greek?, just based on the names and some of the terms, but it's never explained; we're just expected to roll with it.
As is Tarzan, who enters the valley after rescuing a lost inhabitant of the City of Ivory, but they're both promptly captured by warriors from the City of Gold, which is where we'll spend most or all of our time.
And this City of Gold has a queen, Nemone, who has some serious throbbing, biological urges for Tarzan, to which he never actually succumbs (again, despite the complete absence of the word "Jane" from the text). And Nemone is probably the highlight of the book, being somewhere between La of Opar and Ayesha from H. Rider Haggard's She.
And if you're only going to read one later-period Tarzan novel (which, for the record, I read a total of seven Burroughs novels -- 3 Pellucidar and 4 Tarzan -- in seven days, and that was probably Too Much Burroughs), this might be the one to choose.
This time around, Tarzan is still swanning about up in Abyssinia (which may or may not have something to do with ERB having access to a bunch of relatively recent books about the region). He finds yet another isolated valley with yet another pair of lost, feuding cities, although this time here's no explicit historical antecedent -- maybe Greek?, just based on the names and some of the terms, but it's never explained; we're just expected to roll with it.
As is Tarzan, who enters the valley after rescuing a lost inhabitant of the City of Ivory, but they're both promptly captured by warriors from the City of Gold, which is where we'll spend most or all of our time.
And this City of Gold has a queen, Nemone, who has some serious throbbing, biological urges for Tarzan, to which he never actually succumbs (again, despite the complete absence of the word "Jane" from the text). And Nemone is probably the highlight of the book, being somewhere between La of Opar and Ayesha from H. Rider Haggard's She.
And if you're only going to read one later-period Tarzan novel (which, for the record, I read a total of seven Burroughs novels -- 3 Pellucidar and 4 Tarzan -- in seven days, and that was probably Too Much Burroughs), this might be the one to choose.
January 8, 2026
It's REALLY hard to read these now. After 15 previous books, there is no surprise left in a Tarzan book for me. The settings may change, the characters may have a different name, but the situations are all the same and the character responses are all the same too. Read a couple Tarzan books, and you've pretty much read them all.
I inherited this lot of Tarzan books, and I made a promise to read every book in that collection as a tribute to my friend. There are only 2 Tarzan books left, and I am looking forward to being done with Tarzan books after that. That's not to say that the Tarzan books are bad. They are dated fun, but man, these have just gotten to the point of tiresome for me. If you're new to the Tarzan books, you can largely pick up any Tarzan book at any point and have a decent time.
I inherited this lot of Tarzan books, and I made a promise to read every book in that collection as a tribute to my friend. There are only 2 Tarzan books left, and I am looking forward to being done with Tarzan books after that. That's not to say that the Tarzan books are bad. They are dated fun, but man, these have just gotten to the point of tiresome for me. If you're new to the Tarzan books, you can largely pick up any Tarzan book at any point and have a decent time.
August 24, 2018
This is not about Opar, the City of Gold, but another City of Gold. (Wow. There seems to be a lot of gold in Africa.)
There seems to be reoccurring themes in these books. Here’s another ‘two unknown tribes of common descent at war with each other, but still trading’.
And I don’t know why Tarzan claimed that Valthor was ‘molded in his own standards’ when he wasn’t smart enough to know to sleep on the ground unprotected in the jungle.
Footnote: 1) Why do idiots always throw away the weapon when running away? I can see other burdens that might slow you, but not your means of defense. 2) They always describe Tarzan as an Adonis or Apollo, but other than his great strength and stamina, after a lifetime living in the jungle his body should be so covered in scars, etc., it shouldn’t be very pretty. The rest depends on his genes, which may or may not have been in his favor. He could have been from a family of short people and his diet and/or lack of proper vitamins, etc. would have had an effect on his looks. So this is definitely pure fantasy.
Fave scenes: the shooting of the crocodile, Erot’s reaction to being ordered into the pit, Erot’s fate and the fight of the two lions.
There seems to be reoccurring themes in these books. Here’s another ‘two unknown tribes of common descent at war with each other, but still trading’.
And I don’t know why Tarzan claimed that Valthor was ‘molded in his own standards’ when he wasn’t smart enough to know to sleep on the ground unprotected in the jungle.
Footnote: 1) Why do idiots always throw away the weapon when running away? I can see other burdens that might slow you, but not your means of defense. 2) They always describe Tarzan as an Adonis or Apollo, but other than his great strength and stamina, after a lifetime living in the jungle his body should be so covered in scars, etc., it shouldn’t be very pretty. The rest depends on his genes, which may or may not have been in his favor. He could have been from a family of short people and his diet and/or lack of proper vitamins, etc. would have had an effect on his looks. So this is definitely pure fantasy.
Fave scenes: the shooting of the crocodile, Erot’s reaction to being ordered into the pit, Erot’s fate and the fight of the two lions.
April 2, 2022
Burroughs seems to have phoned this one in. We are given no back story for the Strange New World Tarzan enters, though I see elements of Ayesha/She in Nemone. The Ape-man dominates gladiatorial games, as he did in “Lost Empire,” and deliberately provokes a ruler while confounding those who try to manipulate her.
This was written about the time of Burroughs’s first divorce, which may explain why Jane is not present in many of the Tarzan books. I would still like to see more character development, and fewer Deus Ex Machina moments.
This was written about the time of Burroughs’s first divorce, which may explain why Jane is not present in many of the Tarzan books. I would still like to see more character development, and fewer Deus Ex Machina moments.
May 4, 2021
Pulp kirjandus. Kui 5/6 raamatus sujub enamvähem loogiliselt (arvestades ER Burroughsi tavapärast arusaama loogikast) siis viimase 1/6ndikul visatakse kiirelt mingi lõpp kokku, nii et traagleniidid paistavad - kõik võimalikud asjad juhtuvad, tekivad kordused ja ebaloogilisused, palju niidiotsi jääb kokku sõlmimata. Kui eelmises 14 raamatus mainitakse koguaeg et Tarzanil on naine, siis siin raamatus ei tule see kordagi isegi jutuks (raamatu kontekstis oluline fakt).
November 7, 2025
This was a really fun one! For once, it didn't switch between different characters, and Tarzan actually had a love interest (although a very complicated one at that). There were plenty of exciting, fun, and funny scenes and I love how stoic Tarzan always is. My one complaint is that I felt the ending was very abrupt (not the first time now), and I felt like there were still some secrets that needed to be revealed!
May 1, 2022
This guy will have to admit, this was a pleasure to read. Tarzan novels are ht and mss wth me. Some are great and others not so much. This story was well developed and each part of the story was full of purpose. Most of the characters are two-dimensional, however, that can be easily overlooked when one becomes fully absorbed.
May 10, 2017
This being the 16th Tarzan book I've read, they tend to blend together and repeat; same story, same conclusion. This one is really no different, except, for whatever reason, this one was better than probably the last ten. The ending was a bit weak, but I really enjoyed this one.
December 20, 2019
At the time I read this edition, a birthday present from my grandmother, I would have rated this a 5. However, this is a typical later Tarzan book written formulaically with two opposing cities at war with each other most of the time. But a great Tarzan adventure nevertheless.
December 20, 2019
When the Tarzan books were reprinted in the 1960's, I bought and read this one even though I had read the Whitman edition as a kid back in the 1950's. This one was complete and unabridged, unlike the Whitman edition "Authorized Abridged Edition".
January 6, 2020
I have always enjoyed reading Edgar Rice Burrough’s books. This was one of the first books I had as a child and thought it was lost. Finding it, I could not resist reading it again. It was well worth my time.
January 27, 2021
Far-Fetched but Engaging
Coincidences play a part in this novel, as they do in all the Tarzan stories up to this point, but it held my attention. I wonder how many more hidden civilizations will appear in the remaining books of this series.
Coincidences play a part in this novel, as they do in all the Tarzan stories up to this point, but it held my attention. I wonder how many more hidden civilizations will appear in the remaining books of this series.
March 8, 2023
This Tarzan story was focused more on his witty banter between the characters. It was a welcomed change of pace! Don’t worry, there is still action involved, but it felt like more like a “side note” to me.
May 30, 2020
The story takes Tarzan to the distant land of Absynnian. There he finds many things. Fights in an arena, beautiful women and other adventures.
February 7, 2022
I read this many years ago, and only remembered bits of it. It was not as good as I remembered it. Some peices are definitely problematic, but the descriptions and imagery are vivid.
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