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Allan Quatermain, Ayesha, and Umslopogaas #4
দ্য গোস্ট কিংস
পাহাড়ি ঢল যখন র্যাচেলকে ভাসিয়ে নিয়ে যাবে ঠিক তখন ঈশ্বর প্রেরিত দূত হয়ে ওকে বাঁচাতে এল রিচার্ড ড্যারিয়েন। প্রেমের দেখা পেল ও। প্রমত্তা নদী। পাহাড়ি ঢল আর হিংস্র সিংহের থাবা এড়িয়ে বেঁচে যাওয়ায় নেটিভরা ওর নাম দিল ইনকোসাজানা অর্থাৎ স্বর্গীয় কন্যা। জুলুল্যাণ্ডে ইনসোকাজানার উপস্থিতি চাইল রাজা ডিনগান। ওদিকে প্রথম দর্শনেই র্যাচেলের প্রেমে পড়ল নিশাচর ইসমাইল। ডিনগানের সাথে ষড়যন্ত্র করে র্যাচেলের বাবা-মাকে হত্যা করল ইসমাইল। চাইল বন্দি করে ওকে দখল করতে। একই সময় সবার চোখে মৃত হিসেবে উপস্থাপন করা হলো রিচার্ডকে। শেষ আশ্রয় রিচার্ডকে হারিয়ে উন্মাদ হয়ে গেল র্যাচেল। এখন, ডিনগান কি তার প্রশ্নের উত্তর পাবে? র্যাচেল কি ফিরে পাবে নিজেকে? আবার কি ফিরবে রিচার্ড?
এসব প্রশ্নের জানতে র্যাচেলের সাথে আমাদেরও যেতে হবে বামুনভূত এলাকায়, বিশাল মহীরুহের বনে।
এসব প্রশ্নের জানতে র্যাচেলের সাথে আমাদেরও যেতে হবে বামুনভূত এলাকায়, বিশাল মহীরুহের বনে।
424 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1908
27 people are currently reading
227 people want to read
About the author
H. Rider Haggard
1,594 books1,101 followersSir 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.
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.
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September 18, 2022
অ্যাডভেঞ্চার এবং ফ্যান্টাসির সমন্বয়ে হেনরি রাইডার হ্যাগার্ডের লেখা অনবদ্য একটি বই পড়লাম, যারা লেখকের বই পড়েছেন তারা জানেন কয়েকটা ঘরানার মিশ্রণ থাকে উনার বইয়ে৷ লেখকের অন্যান্য বইগুলোও যেমন ভালো লাগে, এই বইটাও তার ব্যতিক্রম নয়। অ্যাডভেঞ্চার, রোমাঞ্চ, ফ্যান্টাসি, লোভ, অভিশাপ, ক্ষমতার লড়াই, অলৌকিকতা, ক্রোধ, প্রেম সবকিছুর সমন্বয়ে বইটা অনেক বেশি ভালো লাগলো। বইটা অনেক বেশি ফাস্ট, অনুবাদক সাইফুল আরেফিন অপু অনেক সুন্দর এবং সাবলীলভাবে অনুবাদ করেছেন বইটি, যে কারনে আরো বেশি ভালো লেগেছে পড়তে।
দ্য গোস্ট কিংস
হেনরি রাইডার হ্যাগার্ড
অনুবাদক- সাইফুল আরেফিন অপু
সেবা প্রকাশনী।
'পাহাড়ি ঢল যখন র্যাচেলকে ভাসিয়ে নিয়ে যাবে ঠিক তখন ঈশ্বর প্রেরিত দূত হয়ে ওকে বাঁচাতে এল রিচার্ড ড্যারিয়েন। প্রেমের দেখা পেল ও। প্রমত্তা নদী। পাহাড়ি ঢল আর হিংস্র সিংহের থাবা এড়িয়ে বেঁচে যাওয়ায় নেটিভরা ওর নাম দিল ইনকোসাজানা অর্থাৎ স্বর্গীয় কন্যা। জুলুল্যাণ্ডে ইনসোকাজানার উপস্থিতি চাইল রাজা ডিনগান। ওদিকে প্রথম দর্শনেই র্যাচেলের প্রেমে পড়ল নিশাচর ইসমাইল। ডিনগানের সাথে ষড়যন্ত্র করে র্যাচেলের বাবা-মাকে হত্যা করল ইসমাইল। চাইল বন্দি করে ওকে দখল করতে। একই সময় সবার চোখে মৃত হিসেবে উপস্থাপন করা হলো রিচার্ডকে। শেষ আশ্রয় রিচার্ডকে হারিয়ে উন্মাদ হয়ে গেল র্যাচেল। এখন, ডিনগান কি তার প্রশ্নের উত্তর পাবে? র্যাচেল কি ফিরে পাবে নিজেকে? আবার কি ফিরবে রিচার্ড?
এসব প্রশ্নের জানতে র্যাচেলের সাথে আমাদেরও যেতে হবে বামুনভূত এলাকায়, বিশাল মহীরুহের বনে।'
দ্য গোস্ট কিংস
হেনরি রাইডার হ্যাগার্ড
অনুবাদক- সাইফুল আরেফিন অপু
সেবা প্রকাশনী।
'পাহাড়ি ঢল যখন র্যাচেলকে ভাসিয়ে নিয়ে যাবে ঠিক তখন ঈশ্বর প্রেরিত দূত হয়ে ওকে বাঁচাতে এল রিচার্ড ড্যারিয়েন। প্রেমের দেখা পেল ও। প্রমত্তা নদী। পাহাড়ি ঢল আর হিংস্র সিংহের থাবা এড়িয়ে বেঁচে যাওয়ায় নেটিভরা ওর নাম দিল ইনকোসাজানা অর্থাৎ স্বর্গীয় কন্যা। জুলুল্যাণ্ডে ইনসোকাজানার উপস্থিতি চাইল রাজা ডিনগান। ওদিকে প্রথম দর্শনেই র্যাচেলের প্রেমে পড়ল নিশাচর ইসমাইল। ডিনগানের সাথে ষড়যন্ত্র করে র্যাচেলের বাবা-মাকে হত্যা করল ইসমাইল। চাইল বন্দি করে ওকে দখল করতে। একই সময় সবার চোখে মৃত হিসেবে উপস্থাপন করা হলো রিচার্ডকে। শেষ আশ্রয় রিচার্ডকে হারিয়ে উন্মাদ হয়ে গেল র্যাচেল। এখন, ডিনগান কি তার প্রশ্নের উত্তর পাবে? র্যাচেল কি ফিরে পাবে নিজেকে? আবার কি ফিরবে রিচার্ড?
এসব প্রশ্নের জানতে র্যাচেলের সাথে আমাদেরও যেতে হবে বামুনভূত এলাকায়, বিশাল মহীরুহের বনে।'
August 18, 2011
"The Ghost Kings" was H. Rider Haggard's 32nd novel, out of an eventual 58. Written during the years 1906 and '07, it first saw book publication in September 1908. This novel was penned immediately before Haggard set to work on another African adventure tale, "The Yellow God," but of the two, "The Ghost Kings" is the superior creation. It is more exciting and more detailed, with a greater emphasis on fantasy elements and the supernatural. Indeed, with the exception of its South African setting and the inclusion of such real-life characters as the Zulu chief Dingaan (brother of Chaka) and councilor Mopo (both of whom also featured prominently in Haggard's 1892 masterpiece "Nada the Lily"), the tale could almost be a novel of hard fantasy.
The book cleaves fairly well into two parts. In the first, we meet Rachel Dove, a British missionary's daughter who has been trekked almost all her young life around the wilds of Africa, while her father preaches the Good Word to the natives and her mother suffers silently. Her life is turned around when fellow teenager Richard Darrien rescues her from a flash flood; their common initials alone may clue the reader in that these two are another pair of Haggard's predestined lovers. Some years later, however, Rachel, not having seen Richard during all that intervening time, runs afoul of one of the author's patented lustful villains, Ishmael, a renegade Englishman who plots with the Zulu king to have Rachel for his own. This task is made complicated for the rogue when the Zulus come to view Rachel as their "Inkosazana y Zoola," or Great Lady of the Heavens; the embodiment and incarnation of their goddess. After almost 300 pages of fairly intricate plotting, Haggard's work settles into its second section, in which Rachel, accompanied by Noie, her faithful half Zulu attendant, discovers one of Haggard's "lost civilizations," the Ghost Kings: a dwarflike tribe of tree worshippers who are able to peer into the future with their bowls of dew. Haggard, of course, was the great popularizer of the "lost world" tale, and his Ghost Kings here are an interesting addition to dozens of others in the author's pantheon. Similarly, the Ishmael character, who practically goes insane with lust over the beautiful Rachel, is a fine addition to the pantheon of similar Haggardian wretches, such as Frank Muller in "Jess" (1887), Owen Davies in "Beatrice" (1890), Samuel Rock in "Joan Haste" (1895), Swart Piet in "Swallow" (1899) and Hernando Pereira in the Allan Quatermain adventure "Marie" (1912). For that matter, Noie must be placed in the pantheon of exotic Haggardian women who dare much for love and sacrifice more, a pantheon that includes Maiwa in "Maiwa's Revenge" (1888), Mameena in "Child of Storm" (1913) and, of course, Ayesha, from the author's seminal "She" (1887) and its three sequels. "The Ghost Kings" was supposedly plotted by Haggard with the aid of his old friend Rudyard Kipling, although by the time Rider sat down to write the story out, he had grown dissatisfied with what the pair had outlined, and retained only the Ghost Kings segment from Kipling's input. And although this section IS the most heavily fantasy oriented, it is by no means exclusively so. Rachel's mother and, to a lesser degree, Rachel herself are endowed throughout the tale with the gift of "second sight," a foreseeing ability that aids our heroine on several crucial occasions. And while the Zulu "umtakatis" (wizards) do not play a role in this novel, as in so many of Haggard's others, the magic of the Ghost Kings is shown to be very real and not a little eerie.
"The Ghost Kings" is fascinating for several other reasons, besides its tremendous action, mystical plot and interesting characters. It shows clearly the sympathy and esteem that Haggard felt for the native races ("they are not hypocrites, and they are not vulgar; that is the privilege of civilised nations"). And, thanks to a journey that Rachel takes into the realm of the dead with the aid of the Mother of the Trees, we get to see what Haggard's conception of the afterlife is (or, at least, ONE of his conceptions; it varies greatly from the descriptions given in his short story "Barbara Who Came Back"). The book even shows Haggard, who was once an avid hunter, beginning to take an antihunting stance, a position that would find its greatest expression three years later in the author's short novel "The Mahatma and the Hare." "The Ghost Kings" is simply written but complexly plotted, with the exception of that afterlife sequence, which is written like prose poetry. In all, it is a very fine novel from Haggard's middle period, and one that is well worth seeking out.
The book cleaves fairly well into two parts. In the first, we meet Rachel Dove, a British missionary's daughter who has been trekked almost all her young life around the wilds of Africa, while her father preaches the Good Word to the natives and her mother suffers silently. Her life is turned around when fellow teenager Richard Darrien rescues her from a flash flood; their common initials alone may clue the reader in that these two are another pair of Haggard's predestined lovers. Some years later, however, Rachel, not having seen Richard during all that intervening time, runs afoul of one of the author's patented lustful villains, Ishmael, a renegade Englishman who plots with the Zulu king to have Rachel for his own. This task is made complicated for the rogue when the Zulus come to view Rachel as their "Inkosazana y Zoola," or Great Lady of the Heavens; the embodiment and incarnation of their goddess. After almost 300 pages of fairly intricate plotting, Haggard's work settles into its second section, in which Rachel, accompanied by Noie, her faithful half Zulu attendant, discovers one of Haggard's "lost civilizations," the Ghost Kings: a dwarflike tribe of tree worshippers who are able to peer into the future with their bowls of dew. Haggard, of course, was the great popularizer of the "lost world" tale, and his Ghost Kings here are an interesting addition to dozens of others in the author's pantheon. Similarly, the Ishmael character, who practically goes insane with lust over the beautiful Rachel, is a fine addition to the pantheon of similar Haggardian wretches, such as Frank Muller in "Jess" (1887), Owen Davies in "Beatrice" (1890), Samuel Rock in "Joan Haste" (1895), Swart Piet in "Swallow" (1899) and Hernando Pereira in the Allan Quatermain adventure "Marie" (1912). For that matter, Noie must be placed in the pantheon of exotic Haggardian women who dare much for love and sacrifice more, a pantheon that includes Maiwa in "Maiwa's Revenge" (1888), Mameena in "Child of Storm" (1913) and, of course, Ayesha, from the author's seminal "She" (1887) and its three sequels. "The Ghost Kings" was supposedly plotted by Haggard with the aid of his old friend Rudyard Kipling, although by the time Rider sat down to write the story out, he had grown dissatisfied with what the pair had outlined, and retained only the Ghost Kings segment from Kipling's input. And although this section IS the most heavily fantasy oriented, it is by no means exclusively so. Rachel's mother and, to a lesser degree, Rachel herself are endowed throughout the tale with the gift of "second sight," a foreseeing ability that aids our heroine on several crucial occasions. And while the Zulu "umtakatis" (wizards) do not play a role in this novel, as in so many of Haggard's others, the magic of the Ghost Kings is shown to be very real and not a little eerie.
"The Ghost Kings" is fascinating for several other reasons, besides its tremendous action, mystical plot and interesting characters. It shows clearly the sympathy and esteem that Haggard felt for the native races ("they are not hypocrites, and they are not vulgar; that is the privilege of civilised nations"). And, thanks to a journey that Rachel takes into the realm of the dead with the aid of the Mother of the Trees, we get to see what Haggard's conception of the afterlife is (or, at least, ONE of his conceptions; it varies greatly from the descriptions given in his short story "Barbara Who Came Back"). The book even shows Haggard, who was once an avid hunter, beginning to take an antihunting stance, a position that would find its greatest expression three years later in the author's short novel "The Mahatma and the Hare." "The Ghost Kings" is simply written but complexly plotted, with the exception of that afterlife sequence, which is written like prose poetry. In all, it is a very fine novel from Haggard's middle period, and one that is well worth seeking out.
March 3, 2016
I really enjoyed this - it was full of Haggard-y goodness. It is a story of heroic proportions with Rachel Dove mistaken for a white goddess by the Zulu people. They'd like her to stay with them always, for good fortune. She, luckily, has a fair share of smarts, intuition, and Scottish psychic powers to allow her to occasionally read the future. These qualities and the help of heroic Richard (also drop dead handsome, so its a nice package) may help her to escape with her life. Unfortunately, Rachel must also thwart evil Ishmael's plans to force her to marry him. Haggard explains Ishmael's personality with one of the best summaries of the evils of not correcting spoiled children I've ever read.
It was a cracking good adventure. However, it was no People of the Mist, which remains my favorite. I miss Otter, who was such a great heroic sidekick, and Ishmael, while clearly nutso, is no match for Soa's batshit craziness.
It was a cracking good adventure. However, it was no People of the Mist, which remains my favorite. I miss Otter, who was such a great heroic sidekick, and Ishmael, while clearly nutso, is no match for Soa's batshit craziness.
August 3, 2025
অন্য বই গুলোর মতো অতোটা জমেনি। অ্যাডভেঞ্চার আছে কিছুটা, তাও আরেকটু ভালো কিছু আশা করেছিলাম। সম্ভবত নাগা ডা লিলি বইটি আগে পড়া উচিত ছিল।
August 28, 2018
|| রিভিউ ||
বইঃ দ্য গোস্ট কিংস
লেখকঃ হেনরি রাইডার হ্যাগার্ড
রূপান্তরঃ সাইফুল আরেফিন অপু
প্রকাশকঃ সেবা প্রকাশনী
প্রকাশকালঃ ২০১৬
ঘরানাঃ অ্যাডভেঞ্চার/ফ্যান্টাসি/থ্রিলার/ক্লাসিক
প্রচ্ছদঃ রনবীর আহমেদ বিপ্লব
পৃষ্ঠাঃ ৪২৪
মুদ্রিত মূল্যঃ ১৪৬ টাকা
ধরণঃ পেপারব্যাক
কাহিনি সংক্ষেপঃ অন্ধকার আফ্রিকার বুকে খ্রিস্টধর্ম প্রচারের লক্ষ্যে সভ্য জগৎ ছেড়েছেন মি. ডাভ। তাঁর সঙ্গী হয়েছেন স্ত্রী মিসেস ডাভ ও কন্যা র্যাচেল। সুন্দরী র্যাচেলের সাথে এক ঝড়-ঢলের মুহূর্তে দেখা হয় যুবক রিচার্ড ড্যারিয়েনের। পরস্পরের প্রেমে পড়ে যায় ওরা। এরপর আসে বিচ্ছেদ। কিন্তু উত্তরাধিকার থেকে প্রাপ্ত মানসিক শক্তি থেকে র্যাচেল জানতো, আবারো দেখা হবে ওর আর ড্যারিয়েনের।
সময়ের সাথে সাথে তরুণী হয়ে ওঠা র্যাচেল ঘটনাচক্রে পরিণত হয় জুলুল্যান্ডের সবচেয়ে প্রভাবশালী একজনে। তার নাম দেয়া হয় ইনকোসাজানা-ই-জুলা। অর্থাৎ, স্বর্গীয় কন্যা। র্যাচেলের ভেতরের ঐশ্বরিক গুণাগুণের কারণে স্বয়ং জুলু রাজা ডিনগানও ঝুঁকিয়ে রাখে তার মাথা। বন্য জুলু জাতির ভাগ্যনিয়ন্তার আসনে অধিষ্ঠিত হয় খ্রিস্টান প্যাস্টর মি. ডাভের মেয়ে র্যাচেল।
কিন্তু যতোটা সহজ মনে হচ্ছে, মোটেও ততোটা সহজ ছিলোনা পরিস্থিতি। জুলুল্যান্ডের সর্বময় ক্ষমতার শীর্ষে থেকেও র্যাচেল বুঝতে পারে, সে আসলে বন্দী। এদিকে প্রেমিক ড্যারিয়েনেরও কোন খবর নেই। অনেকের মাঝে বসবাস করেও একপ্রকার নিঃসঙ্গ র্যাচেলের একমাত্র নির্ভরযোগ্য সঙ্গী হয়ে ওঠে নেটিভ মেয়ে নোয়ি। যে কিনা রহস্যময় বৃক্ষজাতির মানুষ।
আরেক শ্বেতাঙ্গ নিশাচর ইসমাইল প্রেমে পড়ে র্যাচেলের। ওকে যেকোন মূল্যে দখল করার জন্য নানা ছক কষতে থাকে সে। জুলু রাজা ডিনগানের সাথে ষড়যন্ত্র করে বিপদে ফেলে র্যাচেলের বাবা-মাকে। আর হয়তো এই কারণেই সমগ্র জুলু জাতির ওপরে এসে পড়ে ইনকোসাজানার অভিশাপ। তাতেও দমে যায়না কুটিল স্বভাবের ইসমাইল। র্যাচেলের প্রতি প্রেম যেন তাকে একেবারে অন্ধ করে দিয়েছে।
একের পর এক বিপদ। সেসব সামলাতে গিয়�� নিজের মানসিক ভারসাম্য একপ্রকার হারিয়েই বসে সকলের ইনকোসাজানা র্যাচেল৷ কিন্তু তাতেও যেন শান্তি নেই। বিশাল সব বৃক্ষের বনে বসবাসকারী রহস্যময় বামনজাতির দেশেও তাকে রাখতে হয় পা। বৃক্ষমাতার আসনে বসার জন্য তাকে চেপে ধরে সবাই। সেখানেও ষড়যন্ত্র। এসবের মধ্য দিয়েই ইনকোসাজানার গল্প ধীর পায়ে এগিয়ে চলে সমাপ্তির দিকে।
পাঠ প্রতিক্রিয়াঃ হেনরি রাইডার হ্যাগার্ড আমার প্রিয় লেখকদের একজন। উনার লেখা আফ্রিকা বিষয়ক অ্যাডভেঞ্চার উপন্যাসগুলো বরাবরই আমাকে খুব টানে। বিশেষ করে তাঁর সৃষ্ট অমর চরিত্র শিকারী অ্যালান কোয়ার্টারমেইনকে নিয়ে যে উপন্যাসগুলো তিনি লিখেছেন, সেগুলো কখনোই ভোলার মতো না৷ পাঠকপ্রিয় জুলু ট্রিলোজির (মেরি, চাইল্ড অভ স্টর্ম ও ফিনিশড) মতো কাজ যাঁর কলম থেকে বেরিয়েছে, তাঁকে ও তাঁর কাজকে মনে রাখতেই হবে।
'দ্য গোস্ট কিংস' হ্যাগার্ড সাহেবের অন্যতম স্মরণীয় সাহিত্যকর্ম। অ্যাডভেঞ্চারের সাথে ফ্যান্টাসিকে মিলিয়ে এবং এসবের সাথে রোমাঞ্চের প্রলেপ মাখিয়ে তিনি রচনা করেছেন অনবদ্য এই বইটা৷ ৪২৪ পৃষ্ঠার এই বইটার কাহিনি শুরু থেকেই বেশ দ্রুতগতির ছিলো। আফ্রিকায় ধর্ম প্রচারের উদ্দেশ্যে যাওয়া এক প্যাস্টর পরিবারের কথা দিয়ে গল্পটা শুরু হলেও ধীরে ধীরে সেখানে উঠে এসেছে অলৌকিকতা, প্রেম, ক্ষমতালিপ্সা, ঘৃণা, অভিশাপ ও কান্নার মতো ব্যাপারগুলো। হ্যাগার্ড সাহেব তাঁর এই বইতে সুচারুভাবে মানবিক আবেগের সাথে সমাবেশ ঘটিয়েছেন আফ্রিকান মিথ ও সংস্কৃতির। তবে শেষের দিকে এসে কাহিনি সামান্য বোরিং মনে হচ্ছিলো। যদিও সেই 'মনে হওয়া' ব্যাপারটা কেটে গেছে কিছু সময় পরেই। পাঠানুভূতি ভালো ছিলো।
সাইফুল আরেফিন অপুর রূপান্তর বেশ সহজ ও সাবলীল ছিলো। বইটা পড়তে গিয়ে যে ব্যাপারটা সবচেয়ে বেশি সাহায্য করেছে তা হলো ছোট ছোট বাক্য প্রয়োগ। এই কারণে কোথাও কোন বক্তব্য নিয়ে ধোঁয়াশার অবকাশ ছিলোনা। সেবা সুলভ রূপান্তরের সাথে সাথে 'দ্য গোস্ট কিংস'-এ এই ব্যাপারটা একটা প্লাস পয়েন্ট ছিলো। আর এই কারণেই বোধহয় রকেট গতিতে বইটা পড়া শেষ হয়েছে আমার।
সেবা'র বইয়ে সাধারণত টাইপিং মিসটেক পাওয়া যায়না। তবে এই বইয়ের এক জায়গায় ব্যাপারটা খেয়াল করেছি। ১৪৪ পৃষ্ঠায় 'সাড়া দিচ্ছে না তাদের কেউ'-এর জায়গায় 'সাড়া দিচ্ছে নড় তাদের কেউ' হয়ে গেছে। এটা অবশ্য ভয়াবহ কোন ভুল না। হতেই পারে৷ রনবীর আহমেদ বিপ্লবের করা প্রচ্ছদটা ভালো লেগেছে৷ এখনো যারা পড়েননি, পড়ে ফেলতে পারেন 'দ্য গোস্ট কিংস'। আশা করি খারাপ লাগবেনা।
ব্যক্তিগত রেটিংঃ ৪/৫
গুডরিডস রেটিংঃ ৩.৭৬/৫
© শুভাগত দীপ
(২৮ আগস্ট, ২০১৮)
বইঃ দ্য গোস্ট কিংস
লেখকঃ হেনরি রাইডার হ্যাগার্ড
রূপান্তরঃ সাইফুল আরেফিন অপু
প্রকাশকঃ সেবা প্রকাশনী
প্রকাশকালঃ ২০১৬
ঘরানাঃ অ্যাডভেঞ্চার/ফ্যান্টাসি/থ্রিলার/ক্লাসিক
প্রচ্ছদঃ রনবীর আহমেদ বিপ্লব
পৃষ্ঠাঃ ৪২৪
মুদ্রিত মূল্যঃ ১৪৬ টাকা
ধরণঃ পেপারব্যাক
কাহিনি সংক্ষেপঃ অন্ধকার আফ্রিকার বুকে খ্রিস্টধর্ম প্রচারের লক্ষ্যে সভ্য জগৎ ছেড়েছেন মি. ডাভ। তাঁর সঙ্গী হয়েছেন স্ত্রী মিসেস ডাভ ও কন্যা র্যাচেল। সুন্দরী র্যাচেলের সাথে এক ঝড়-ঢলের মুহূর্তে দেখা হয় যুবক রিচার্ড ড্যারিয়েনের। পরস্পরের প্রেমে পড়ে যায় ওরা। এরপর আসে বিচ্ছেদ। কিন্তু উত্তরাধিকার থেকে প্রাপ্ত মানসিক শক্তি থেকে র্যাচেল জানতো, আবারো দেখা হবে ওর আর ড্যারিয়েনের।
সময়ের সাথে সাথে তরুণী হয়ে ওঠা র্যাচেল ঘটনাচক্রে পরিণত হয় জুলুল্যান্ডের সবচেয়ে প্রভাবশালী একজনে। তার নাম দেয়া হয় ইনকোসাজানা-ই-জুলা। অর্থাৎ, স্বর্গীয় কন্যা। র্যাচেলের ভেতরের ঐশ্বরিক গুণাগুণের কারণে স্বয়ং জুলু রাজা ডিনগানও ঝুঁকিয়ে রাখে তার মাথা। বন্য জুলু জাতির ভাগ্যনিয়ন্তার আসনে অধিষ্ঠিত হয় খ্রিস্টান প্যাস্টর মি. ডাভের মেয়ে র্যাচেল।
কিন্তু যতোটা সহজ মনে হচ্ছে, মোটেও ততোটা সহজ ছিলোনা পরিস্থিতি। জুলুল্যান্ডের সর্বময় ক্ষমতার শীর্ষে থেকেও র্যাচেল বুঝতে পারে, সে আসলে বন্দী। এদিকে প্রেমিক ড্যারিয়েনেরও কোন খবর নেই। অনেকের মাঝে বসবাস করেও একপ্রকার নিঃসঙ্গ র্যাচেলের একমাত্র নির্ভরযোগ্য সঙ্গী হয়ে ওঠে নেটিভ মেয়ে নোয়ি। যে কিনা রহস্যময় বৃক্ষজাতির মানুষ।
আরেক শ্বেতাঙ্গ নিশাচর ইসমাইল প্রেমে পড়ে র্যাচেলের। ওকে যেকোন মূল্যে দখল করার জন্য নানা ছক কষতে থাকে সে। জুলু রাজা ডিনগানের সাথে ষড়যন্ত্র করে বিপদে ফেলে র্যাচেলের বাবা-মাকে। আর হয়তো এই কারণেই সমগ্র জুলু জাতির ওপরে এসে পড়ে ইনকোসাজানার অভিশাপ। তাতেও দমে যায়না কুটিল স্বভাবের ইসমাইল। র্যাচেলের প্রতি প্রেম যেন তাকে একেবারে অন্ধ করে দিয়েছে।
একের পর এক বিপদ। সেসব সামলাতে গিয়�� নিজের মানসিক ভারসাম্য একপ্রকার হারিয়েই বসে সকলের ইনকোসাজানা র্যাচেল৷ কিন্তু তাতেও যেন শান্তি নেই। বিশাল সব বৃক্ষের বনে বসবাসকারী রহস্যময় বামনজাতির দেশেও তাকে রাখতে হয় পা। বৃক্ষমাতার আসনে বসার জন্য তাকে চেপে ধরে সবাই। সেখানেও ষড়যন্ত্র। এসবের মধ্য দিয়েই ইনকোসাজানার গল্প ধীর পায়ে এগিয়ে চলে সমাপ্তির দিকে।
পাঠ প্রতিক্রিয়াঃ হেনরি রাইডার হ্যাগার্ড আমার প্রিয় লেখকদের একজন। উনার লেখা আফ্রিকা বিষয়ক অ্যাডভেঞ্চার উপন্যাসগুলো বরাবরই আমাকে খুব টানে। বিশেষ করে তাঁর সৃষ্ট অমর চরিত্র শিকারী অ্যালান কোয়ার্টারমেইনকে নিয়ে যে উপন্যাসগুলো তিনি লিখেছেন, সেগুলো কখনোই ভোলার মতো না৷ পাঠকপ্রিয় জুলু ট্রিলোজির (মেরি, চাইল্ড অভ স্টর্ম ও ফিনিশড) মতো কাজ যাঁর কলম থেকে বেরিয়েছে, তাঁকে ও তাঁর কাজকে মনে রাখতেই হবে।
'দ্য গোস্ট কিংস' হ্যাগার্ড সাহেবের অন্যতম স্মরণীয় সাহিত্যকর্ম। অ্যাডভেঞ্চারের সাথে ফ্যান্টাসিকে মিলিয়ে এবং এসবের সাথে রোমাঞ্চের প্রলেপ মাখিয়ে তিনি রচনা করেছেন অনবদ্য এই বইটা৷ ৪২৪ পৃষ্ঠার এই বইটার কাহিনি শুরু থেকেই বেশ দ্রুতগতির ছিলো। আফ্রিকায় ধর্ম প্রচারের উদ্দেশ্যে যাওয়া এক প্যাস্টর পরিবারের কথা দিয়ে গল্পটা শুরু হলেও ধীরে ধীরে সেখানে উঠে এসেছে অলৌকিকতা, প্রেম, ক্ষমতালিপ্সা, ঘৃণা, অভিশাপ ও কান্নার মতো ব্যাপারগুলো। হ্যাগার্ড সাহেব তাঁর এই বইতে সুচারুভাবে মানবিক আবেগের সাথে সমাবেশ ঘটিয়েছেন আফ্রিকান মিথ ও সংস্কৃতির। তবে শেষের দিকে এসে কাহিনি সামান্য বোরিং মনে হচ্ছিলো। যদিও সেই 'মনে হওয়া' ব্যাপারটা কেটে গেছে কিছু সময় পরেই। পাঠানুভূতি ভালো ছিলো।
সাইফুল আরেফিন অপুর রূপান্তর বেশ সহজ ও সাবলীল ছিলো। বইটা পড়তে গিয়ে যে ব্যাপারটা সবচেয়ে বেশি সাহায্য করেছে তা হলো ছোট ছোট বাক্য প্রয়োগ। এই কারণে কোথাও কোন বক্তব্য নিয়ে ধোঁয়াশার অবকাশ ছিলোনা। সেবা সুলভ রূপান্তরের সাথে সাথে 'দ্য গোস্ট কিংস'-এ এই ব্যাপারটা একটা প্লাস পয়েন্ট ছিলো। আর এই কারণেই বোধহয় রকেট গতিতে বইটা পড়া শেষ হয়েছে আমার।
সেবা'র বইয়ে সাধারণত টাইপিং মিসটেক পাওয়া যায়না। তবে এই বইয়ের এক জায়গায় ব্যাপারটা খেয়াল করেছি। ১৪৪ পৃষ্ঠায় 'সাড়া দিচ্ছে না তাদের কেউ'-এর জায়গায় 'সাড়া দিচ্ছে নড় তাদের কেউ' হয়ে গেছে। এটা অবশ্য ভয়াবহ কোন ভুল না। হতেই পারে৷ রনবীর আহমেদ বিপ্লবের করা প্রচ্ছদটা ভালো লেগেছে৷ এখনো যারা পড়েননি, পড়ে ফেলতে পারেন 'দ্য গোস্ট কিংস'। আশা করি খারাপ লাগবেনা।
ব্যক্তিগত রেটিংঃ ৪/৫
গুডরিডস রেটিংঃ ৩.৭৬/৫
© শুভাগত দীপ
(২৮ আগস্ট, ২০১৮)
July 8, 2019
Quintessential H. Rider Haggard. The Ghost Kings sets its initial story in quasi magical Zululand before plunging headlong into the utterly mystical realm of the Mother of Trees and the ghostly dwarfs who have one foot in this world and another in the world to come. Its clash between the "real" and the "spiritual" is a recurring theme in Haggard's work. There is one difference in this story, however. And that concerns the heroine, Rachel Dove. Of all the Haggard novels I have read (and I have finished a number by now), this one has the strongest heroine of all. It is Rachel's story, almost entirely so. Not the eponymous women of Nada the Lily, Cleopatra, or even She can match what is largely a feminine perspective of not only Rachel but her friend, Noie, and the Mother of Trees herself, Nya. And, yes, Ghost Kings is something of a companion piece to Nada but only in that several of the characters in the latter make brief appearances in the former.
Otherwise, the novel is notable because of its treatment of the Afterlife. For Haggard life after death seems to have much in common with the ancient Greek Underworld. Inhabitants of it seek after pardon or affirmation, with many caught between a state of terror and aspiration for release. It is a limbo of sorts. Not a place that would seem all that pleasant to its potential inhabitants.
Otherwise, the novel is notable because of its treatment of the Afterlife. For Haggard life after death seems to have much in common with the ancient Greek Underworld. Inhabitants of it seek after pardon or affirmation, with many caught between a state of terror and aspiration for release. It is a limbo of sorts. Not a place that would seem all that pleasant to its potential inhabitants.
June 7, 2023
Dedicated to my grandfather Alfonso Velasco Fernández.
Ladies and gentlemen taking advantage of the hours before still sleep make the most of them, and I think the best way is to write another review.
Henry Rider Haggard is a writer with history. Since he was one of my paternal grandfather's favorite writers (I do not know my maternal grandfather's readings. My father's family has read more than my mother's.) My grandfather's other two favorite writers were P.C. Wren https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., and James Oliver Curwood https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (the writer of the "bear" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... adapted by Jean-Jacques Annaud https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... my grandfather was a lover of Canada he said that if there was a war. World War III is understood to go there, or to Bolivia like Butch Cassidy, and Sundance Kid. James Oliver Curwood was very much in the vein of Jack London https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...) to James Oliver Curwood I'm going to read for the first time this year, when I finished my next reading "Twin Mavericks" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... .
This is very interesting because everyone has commented on the great resemblance that unites me with my grandfather. However, I do not think I have inherited his mathematical talent (nor would I choose Canada as destinations, or Bolivia I feel more fascinated by Poland, or Japan), although my father thinks so. Yes, I have inherited his pessimism, and his pretension to seek affection by pitying others (as if it does not go very well). He also tried to be as affectionate as he can with people. From P.C. Wren my grandfather's favorite novel, and mine (despite not liking my friend Professor Manuel Alfonseca https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., whose wonderful novels I recommend, and his blog on science Divulciencia available its publications in both English and Spanish.) we agree on our favorite novel that is "Beau Ideal" https://www.goodreads.com/series/1414... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... (with the angel of death, and that almost Freudian story https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...). My father's favorite (reader of Don Quixote https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3..., and Agatha Christie https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...) from the Foreign Legion trilogy is "Beau Sabreuer" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... (he always liked the stories of Robinsons, and survival "The Island"). mysterious" by Jules Verne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... "The Swiss Robinsons" by Johann David Wyss https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... to name a few). But we do not agree with Haggard my grandfather's favorite novel was the sequel to "King Solomon's Mines" "Allan Quatermain" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... it was also one of Sir Winston Churchill's favorite reads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... . The problem may be generational, my grandfather lived through the heyday of colonialism, which did not have that ominous component it has today, and I am the son of decolonization with that Marxist and anti-colonial historiography that takes over current historiography and education. That is why colonialism, and the African colonies catch me very far away. My favorites of Henry Rider Haggard are "The Brethren" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... (the book that I liked the most of the Crusades, and that I chose as the best reading in 2013 beating "When I whistle" by Shusaku Endo, and "Brave Story" by Miyuki Miyabe, and "The wrinkle in time" by Madeleine L'Engle https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... one of my best years without a doubt, but it does not exceed the year 2018. At a time when secularism has prevailed, and a covert anti-Christianity powered by Protestants https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., Marxists, Pan-Arabists, jihadists, and now by Wokism), and I also liked the saga of "Eric Brighteyes" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... that many say inspired J.R.R. Tolkien https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... . Some critics venture, that apart from the Virgin Mary. Ayesha https://www.goodreads.com/series/7223... was one of Galadriel's models. Undoubtedly who influenced was Edgar Rice Burroughs the La of Opar https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... is She of Rider Haggard. In fact Edgar Rice Burroughs is a bad imitator of Henry Rider Haggard who I think writes better than Edgar Rice Burroughs, but there was the genius of cultivating science fiction with his Barsoom novels, and Amtor https://www.goodreads.com/series/4394... https://www.goodreads.com/series/4352... and his intraterrestrial saga of Pellucidar https://www.goodreads.com/series/4033... . I'll never know if my grandfather would have liked J.R.R. Tolkien, probably not.
However, Haggard is much more than the author of these novels, and good proof of this is this novel "The Ghost Kings" that recovers the African themes of "King Solomon's Mines", "Allan Quatermain", "She", and others in fact this novel is related to "Lily or nothing" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... where the assassination of Chaka is told (who in this novel is compared to Napoleon. In fact Shaka managed to defeat a descendant of Napoleon, and the English) by Mopo, and the government of Dingaal. This story would take place in the middle of "Lily or Nothing", and Mopo comes out as well. According to the prologue this story was published in the 40s (in Spain), but it was very mutilated by the lack of paper in the Spanish postwar period (he spoke of the Spanish edition) and by the censorship that eliminated the most esoteric topics. This novel is more along the lines of "Amon's Daughter/Morning Star" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1..., and notes the influence of https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Theosophy and Haggard's membership in the Golden Dawn to which Sir Arthur belonged Doy https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... le. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (see Goodreads for my review of W. Somerset Maugham's "Wizard" https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), and from which Charles Williams https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (C.S. Lewis' friend https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., Dorothy L. Sayers) managed to escape. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., W. H. Auden https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., T.S. Eliot https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., and J.R.R. Tolkien).
I'm not a fan of censorship, but I'm about to think it did him a favor since the worst thing about this novel is the esoteric, magical part. They are 2/3 of exceptional novel almost touching (5/5), which is spoiled with the appearance of "The Ghost Kings" that are supposed to be the claim, but they are the worst without any doubt of the novel. C.S. Lewis is right to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of Rider Haggard. It creates very powerful atmospheres, and subjugating, but does not solve the plots well. C.S. Lewis in his essay "Other Worlds" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... do not know how Allan Quatermain, and his friends escaped from the final trap in "King Solomon's Mines" (Henry Rider Haggard's novels inspired Michael Crichton's "Congo" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...). The deaths of Ishmael (the one in call me Ishmael narrator of "Moby Dick" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... not, but is another Ishmael), and Pani are very poorly described, and are very silly like that of Sirius Black in "Order of the Phoenix" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... . These are silly accidental deaths. Once I have talked about the flaws I can talk about the argument, and its strengths.
This is the story of a couple of missionaries the Dove (John), and (Jayne) who go to Africa to preach the word to the African tribes, but and this is very good because of the vehemence, and the little tact of Pastor Dove, who is called by the natives Infundusi (the vociferator in Zulu language) fights with the Boers. The author has a more current vision than that of G.K. Chesterton https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., and Hilaire Belloc https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., and reproaches them for their racism, and for being slaveholders. That's not to say that this Crusade wasn't a cacicada of Cecil Rhodes https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (the Soros https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., and the Bill Gates https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... of the time) to do business hence G.K. Chesterton, and Hilaire Belloc opposed the Boer War vehemently while almost everyone supported it in England, including the socialists, and pacifists, while opposing tooth and nail the Great War. In any case, Haggard is critical of the modes of evangelization of certain Protestant confessions, which humiliate the natives, and mess with them. Above all, they stumble upon the question of polygamy, hence it is seen that he has less success than Charles de Foucauld https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... in getting converts. I found this novel less religious than others by Henry Rider Haggard. However, Jayne (who has lost two children due to the weather and the bad conditions to which her husband has subjected her) has the gift of prophecy because of her Scottish ancestry, which her daughter Rachel has inherited, and she is calm, because she knows that Providence will be benevolent with Rachel Dove (the protagonist) to whom her father (unconsciously) sends to look for food. She gets lost, and meets an English settler named Richard Darrien with whom she falls in love. Then the events take place for which she will be revered by the African tribes. There is a storm, it survives lightning, it is not eaten by lions. What causes Africans to revere her as a goddess the Inkosozayane Zoola Zulu and is their White Goddess as Ayesha, or She capable of performing miracles, and Prophecies. Rachel's partner and Richard separate, and the father goes to the other end to convert the Zulus, but does not dare to enter the country of the Zulus, who are ruled by a tyrant named Dingaal (if you want to know how he acceded to the throne read "Lily, or nothing". In fact, this novel is set in the middle of the work cited.) There they will find a white man who has become corrupted named Ishmael (who awaits a death. Here the one who is prophesied something ends up happening to him) who is a white man who has acquired the worst habits of the whites, and the Zulus with a harem worthy of Solomon's (in the novel we are told of his origins, and background, and they explain how he arrived at his current situation) (I have the feeling that if Haggard had written a novel about King Solomon it would have been very good https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... ). In addition to being suspicious, he is a coward, he lets Rachel get along with the Zulus and prevents the death of Noie (Ishmael advised to kill her entire family, and her) who is an African from another tribe. Although this off the Woke, you have to see how Africans treat each other. The Zulus enslave, war, exterminate other African tribes. They are not much better than the English, Dutch, French, Portuguese, Germans and other Western peoples. Which shows how false Viola Davis' King Woman Movie is, which falsified, and sweetened the historical facts. The Africans settle with John Dove fleeing from the Zulus, and he welcomes them in Ramah. Dingaal is nothing more than a tyrant with power over life, and death. He orders the murder of Noie's family (instigated by Ishmael), and forces the protagonist to go to Zululand, and play the role of the Goddess. Rachel has power, but must survive the intrigues of Ishmael (known as Ibubesi the Marauder of the Night by the Zulus). Ishmael despite having a lot of black women (which is why he will fight with John Dove although he liked him at first, but of course it seemed little for his daughter) wants to marry Rachel whom he fears, and loves at the same time, because he believes the legends of the Inkosozanaye. Rachel feels like in a prison despite her power, from which Richard Darrien comes to free her. But Dingaal who wants Rachel to stay convinces the abused Ishmael (who has been beaten up by the Zulus) to take Rachel's parents to Zululand so that she can stay with the Zulus, but he does it so badly that in the end they die from manslaughter (I exonerate Ishmael anyway I don't think his plan was to kill Rachel's parents and I don't think his plan was to kill Rachel's parents. I think it was accidental. Although John had hit him with a cake in Mafooti when he discovered that he was a polygamist.) Noie has left Zululandia as an ambassador sent by Dingaal to look for the mythical ghost town expert in omens, and mass, and who worship trees, and of small stature. Noie is the daughter of Zulu, and ghost town of the mythical Seyapis. That is why (due to the absence of Noie) Rachel goes with Richard Darrien (Dario for the Indians), but does not escape since, he leaves with the authorization of Dingaal (the plan of this is that he ends up staying in Zululandia forced by circumstances. To me he's more villainous than Ishmael.) Many of the things that happen in Zululand almost seem like "A Song of Ice, and Fire" https://www.goodreads.com/series/4379... with solemn titles like the King's Voice, The King's Killer, The White Hand. The dialogues, and the setting are very successful, and are the best of the novel. Ishmael after the manslaughter kidnapped Rachel, and Darrien (this story reminded me of "Through the desert, and the jungle" by Henryk Sienkiewicz https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...) a lot of adventures happen that I can not tell you since it would blow up the plot, which makes Rachel go crazy, and curse the Zulus. You can only find healing with the ghost town, whose appearance is mythical, and links to the events narrated in "Lily, and nothing". In the ghost town there is a power struggle between Nya (Noie's relative), and Eddo (who wants to be Shaka, or Dingaal), and there will be a happy ending at the cost of a great sacrifice (like that of Charles Dickens' "Tale of Two Cities" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...). The last part of which I have not spoken almost barely, is the worst of the novel, and the burden. Too weird, and esoteric for my taste. All in all I enjoyed his first two thirds a lot, and my grade is (3'5/5).
Ladies and gentlemen taking advantage of the hours before still sleep make the most of them, and I think the best way is to write another review.
Henry Rider Haggard is a writer with history. Since he was one of my paternal grandfather's favorite writers (I do not know my maternal grandfather's readings. My father's family has read more than my mother's.) My grandfather's other two favorite writers were P.C. Wren https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., and James Oliver Curwood https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (the writer of the "bear" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... adapted by Jean-Jacques Annaud https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... my grandfather was a lover of Canada he said that if there was a war. World War III is understood to go there, or to Bolivia like Butch Cassidy, and Sundance Kid. James Oliver Curwood was very much in the vein of Jack London https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...) to James Oliver Curwood I'm going to read for the first time this year, when I finished my next reading "Twin Mavericks" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... .
This is very interesting because everyone has commented on the great resemblance that unites me with my grandfather. However, I do not think I have inherited his mathematical talent (nor would I choose Canada as destinations, or Bolivia I feel more fascinated by Poland, or Japan), although my father thinks so. Yes, I have inherited his pessimism, and his pretension to seek affection by pitying others (as if it does not go very well). He also tried to be as affectionate as he can with people. From P.C. Wren my grandfather's favorite novel, and mine (despite not liking my friend Professor Manuel Alfonseca https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., whose wonderful novels I recommend, and his blog on science Divulciencia available its publications in both English and Spanish.) we agree on our favorite novel that is "Beau Ideal" https://www.goodreads.com/series/1414... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... (with the angel of death, and that almost Freudian story https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...). My father's favorite (reader of Don Quixote https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3..., and Agatha Christie https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...) from the Foreign Legion trilogy is "Beau Sabreuer" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... (he always liked the stories of Robinsons, and survival "The Island"). mysterious" by Jules Verne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... "The Swiss Robinsons" by Johann David Wyss https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... to name a few). But we do not agree with Haggard my grandfather's favorite novel was the sequel to "King Solomon's Mines" "Allan Quatermain" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... it was also one of Sir Winston Churchill's favorite reads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... . The problem may be generational, my grandfather lived through the heyday of colonialism, which did not have that ominous component it has today, and I am the son of decolonization with that Marxist and anti-colonial historiography that takes over current historiography and education. That is why colonialism, and the African colonies catch me very far away. My favorites of Henry Rider Haggard are "The Brethren" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... (the book that I liked the most of the Crusades, and that I chose as the best reading in 2013 beating "When I whistle" by Shusaku Endo, and "Brave Story" by Miyuki Miyabe, and "The wrinkle in time" by Madeleine L'Engle https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... one of my best years without a doubt, but it does not exceed the year 2018. At a time when secularism has prevailed, and a covert anti-Christianity powered by Protestants https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., Marxists, Pan-Arabists, jihadists, and now by Wokism), and I also liked the saga of "Eric Brighteyes" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... that many say inspired J.R.R. Tolkien https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... . Some critics venture, that apart from the Virgin Mary. Ayesha https://www.goodreads.com/series/7223... was one of Galadriel's models. Undoubtedly who influenced was Edgar Rice Burroughs the La of Opar https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... is She of Rider Haggard. In fact Edgar Rice Burroughs is a bad imitator of Henry Rider Haggard who I think writes better than Edgar Rice Burroughs, but there was the genius of cultivating science fiction with his Barsoom novels, and Amtor https://www.goodreads.com/series/4394... https://www.goodreads.com/series/4352... and his intraterrestrial saga of Pellucidar https://www.goodreads.com/series/4033... . I'll never know if my grandfather would have liked J.R.R. Tolkien, probably not.
However, Haggard is much more than the author of these novels, and good proof of this is this novel "The Ghost Kings" that recovers the African themes of "King Solomon's Mines", "Allan Quatermain", "She", and others in fact this novel is related to "Lily or nothing" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... where the assassination of Chaka is told (who in this novel is compared to Napoleon. In fact Shaka managed to defeat a descendant of Napoleon, and the English) by Mopo, and the government of Dingaal. This story would take place in the middle of "Lily or Nothing", and Mopo comes out as well. According to the prologue this story was published in the 40s (in Spain), but it was very mutilated by the lack of paper in the Spanish postwar period (he spoke of the Spanish edition) and by the censorship that eliminated the most esoteric topics. This novel is more along the lines of "Amon's Daughter/Morning Star" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1..., and notes the influence of https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Theosophy and Haggard's membership in the Golden Dawn to which Sir Arthur belonged Doy https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... le. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (see Goodreads for my review of W. Somerset Maugham's "Wizard" https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), and from which Charles Williams https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (C.S. Lewis' friend https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., Dorothy L. Sayers) managed to escape. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., W. H. Auden https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., T.S. Eliot https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., and J.R.R. Tolkien).
I'm not a fan of censorship, but I'm about to think it did him a favor since the worst thing about this novel is the esoteric, magical part. They are 2/3 of exceptional novel almost touching (5/5), which is spoiled with the appearance of "The Ghost Kings" that are supposed to be the claim, but they are the worst without any doubt of the novel. C.S. Lewis is right to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of Rider Haggard. It creates very powerful atmospheres, and subjugating, but does not solve the plots well. C.S. Lewis in his essay "Other Worlds" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... do not know how Allan Quatermain, and his friends escaped from the final trap in "King Solomon's Mines" (Henry Rider Haggard's novels inspired Michael Crichton's "Congo" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...). The deaths of Ishmael (the one in call me Ishmael narrator of "Moby Dick" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... not, but is another Ishmael), and Pani are very poorly described, and are very silly like that of Sirius Black in "Order of the Phoenix" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... . These are silly accidental deaths. Once I have talked about the flaws I can talk about the argument, and its strengths.
This is the story of a couple of missionaries the Dove (John), and (Jayne) who go to Africa to preach the word to the African tribes, but and this is very good because of the vehemence, and the little tact of Pastor Dove, who is called by the natives Infundusi (the vociferator in Zulu language) fights with the Boers. The author has a more current vision than that of G.K. Chesterton https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., and Hilaire Belloc https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., and reproaches them for their racism, and for being slaveholders. That's not to say that this Crusade wasn't a cacicada of Cecil Rhodes https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (the Soros https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., and the Bill Gates https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... of the time) to do business hence G.K. Chesterton, and Hilaire Belloc opposed the Boer War vehemently while almost everyone supported it in England, including the socialists, and pacifists, while opposing tooth and nail the Great War. In any case, Haggard is critical of the modes of evangelization of certain Protestant confessions, which humiliate the natives, and mess with them. Above all, they stumble upon the question of polygamy, hence it is seen that he has less success than Charles de Foucauld https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... in getting converts. I found this novel less religious than others by Henry Rider Haggard. However, Jayne (who has lost two children due to the weather and the bad conditions to which her husband has subjected her) has the gift of prophecy because of her Scottish ancestry, which her daughter Rachel has inherited, and she is calm, because she knows that Providence will be benevolent with Rachel Dove (the protagonist) to whom her father (unconsciously) sends to look for food. She gets lost, and meets an English settler named Richard Darrien with whom she falls in love. Then the events take place for which she will be revered by the African tribes. There is a storm, it survives lightning, it is not eaten by lions. What causes Africans to revere her as a goddess the Inkosozayane Zoola Zulu and is their White Goddess as Ayesha, or She capable of performing miracles, and Prophecies. Rachel's partner and Richard separate, and the father goes to the other end to convert the Zulus, but does not dare to enter the country of the Zulus, who are ruled by a tyrant named Dingaal (if you want to know how he acceded to the throne read "Lily, or nothing". In fact, this novel is set in the middle of the work cited.) There they will find a white man who has become corrupted named Ishmael (who awaits a death. Here the one who is prophesied something ends up happening to him) who is a white man who has acquired the worst habits of the whites, and the Zulus with a harem worthy of Solomon's (in the novel we are told of his origins, and background, and they explain how he arrived at his current situation) (I have the feeling that if Haggard had written a novel about King Solomon it would have been very good https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... ). In addition to being suspicious, he is a coward, he lets Rachel get along with the Zulus and prevents the death of Noie (Ishmael advised to kill her entire family, and her) who is an African from another tribe. Although this off the Woke, you have to see how Africans treat each other. The Zulus enslave, war, exterminate other African tribes. They are not much better than the English, Dutch, French, Portuguese, Germans and other Western peoples. Which shows how false Viola Davis' King Woman Movie is, which falsified, and sweetened the historical facts. The Africans settle with John Dove fleeing from the Zulus, and he welcomes them in Ramah. Dingaal is nothing more than a tyrant with power over life, and death. He orders the murder of Noie's family (instigated by Ishmael), and forces the protagonist to go to Zululand, and play the role of the Goddess. Rachel has power, but must survive the intrigues of Ishmael (known as Ibubesi the Marauder of the Night by the Zulus). Ishmael despite having a lot of black women (which is why he will fight with John Dove although he liked him at first, but of course it seemed little for his daughter) wants to marry Rachel whom he fears, and loves at the same time, because he believes the legends of the Inkosozanaye. Rachel feels like in a prison despite her power, from which Richard Darrien comes to free her. But Dingaal who wants Rachel to stay convinces the abused Ishmael (who has been beaten up by the Zulus) to take Rachel's parents to Zululand so that she can stay with the Zulus, but he does it so badly that in the end they die from manslaughter (I exonerate Ishmael anyway I don't think his plan was to kill Rachel's parents and I don't think his plan was to kill Rachel's parents. I think it was accidental. Although John had hit him with a cake in Mafooti when he discovered that he was a polygamist.) Noie has left Zululandia as an ambassador sent by Dingaal to look for the mythical ghost town expert in omens, and mass, and who worship trees, and of small stature. Noie is the daughter of Zulu, and ghost town of the mythical Seyapis. That is why (due to the absence of Noie) Rachel goes with Richard Darrien (Dario for the Indians), but does not escape since, he leaves with the authorization of Dingaal (the plan of this is that he ends up staying in Zululandia forced by circumstances. To me he's more villainous than Ishmael.) Many of the things that happen in Zululand almost seem like "A Song of Ice, and Fire" https://www.goodreads.com/series/4379... with solemn titles like the King's Voice, The King's Killer, The White Hand. The dialogues, and the setting are very successful, and are the best of the novel. Ishmael after the manslaughter kidnapped Rachel, and Darrien (this story reminded me of "Through the desert, and the jungle" by Henryk Sienkiewicz https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...) a lot of adventures happen that I can not tell you since it would blow up the plot, which makes Rachel go crazy, and curse the Zulus. You can only find healing with the ghost town, whose appearance is mythical, and links to the events narrated in "Lily, and nothing". In the ghost town there is a power struggle between Nya (Noie's relative), and Eddo (who wants to be Shaka, or Dingaal), and there will be a happy ending at the cost of a great sacrifice (like that of Charles Dickens' "Tale of Two Cities" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...). The last part of which I have not spoken almost barely, is the worst of the novel, and the burden. Too weird, and esoteric for my taste. All in all I enjoyed his first two thirds a lot, and my grade is (3'5/5).
April 25, 2017
As with other Haggard books, The Ghost Kings was a page-turner for me. Although there was some suspended belief going on, other story elements were enlightening. Rachel is a missionary's daughter and she becomes a kind of friendly hostage with a Zulu tribe. She has the extreme belief that her father conveys, "The Shouter" to the Zulus. But even her mother considers her to be beyond harm because she somehow stands up to anything. The plot includes two English men, one violently set on marrying her when he lives with a number of African wives, and the other a young man that she weathers a storm with and who she keeps in her heart because of prophetic dreams. She knows how to intimidate the Zulu's with spiritual power and with the Boer army threat. And she has made a close friend and companion of a girl who is part pygmy, though pursued by the Zulu king. Noi's father was a dwarf, and the ghost kings, dwarves too, rescue her from the Zulu's eventually. It took me a little while to confirm that the story wasn't becoming totally speculative at that point. The dwarf tribe in the forest must have been a pygmy tribe. That word wasn't used but when I read some about pygmies, the religion and tribal description was very similar to the book's. They finally hold Rachel too, and after her parents died. This book has a very sad ending for the pygmy tribe. It was fascinating, Rachel coming off almost like a female Tarzan at times, and the religious quests, done with a kind of meditation and written very beautifully. Haggard's adventure in this book seemed to have spun off into the speculative, it seems, but the story was a page-turner in that I stopped reading other books to finish it.
June 23, 2021
অন্ধকার আফ্রিকার বুকে খ্রিস্টধর্ম প্রচারের লক্ষ্যে সভ্য জগৎ ছেড়েছেন মি.ডাভ,স্ত্রী মিসে�� ডাভ ও কন্যা র্যাচেল।একদিন ঝড়ের মাঝে পাহাড়ি ঢল যখন র্যাচেলকে ভাসিয়ে নিয়ে যাবে ঠিক তখন ওকে বাঁচায় রিচার্ড ড্যারিয়েন।প্রেমের দেখা পেল ও।এরপর আসে বিচ্ছেদ। কিন্তু উত্তরাধিকার থেকে প্রাপ্ত মানসিক শক্তি থেকে র্যাচেল জানতো, আবারো দেখা হবে ওর আর ড্যারিয়েনের।পাহাড়ি ঢল আর সিংহের থাবা এড়িয়ে বেঁচে যাওয়ায় নেটিভরা ওর নাম দিল ইনকোসাজানা-ই-জুলা অর্থাৎ স্বর্গীয় কন্যা।প্রথম দর্শনেই র্যাচেলের প্রেমে পড়ল নিশাচর ইসমাইল বা ইবুবেসি।র্যাচেলের নির্ভরযোগ্য সঙ্গী হয়ে ওঠে নেটিভ মেয়ে নোয়ি যাকে সে প্রাণে বাচিয়েছিলো।র্যাচেলের ঐশ্বরিক গুণাগুণের কারণে জুলুল্যাণ্ডে তার উপস্থিতি চাইল রাজা ডিনগান।বন্য জুলু জাতির ভাগ্যনিয়ন্তার আসনে অধিষ্ঠিত হয় সে।র্যাচেলকে পেতে কাফ্রিদের ভুল পথে চালিয়ে হত্যা করে র্যাচেলের বাবা-মাকে আর ওকে দখল করতে বন্দি করল এবং রিচার্ডকে সবার চোখে মৃত হিসেবে উপস্থাপন করলো।সব হারিয়ে উন্মাদ হলো র্যাচেল।আগুনে পুরে মারা গেলো ইবুবেসি।ইনকোসাজানার আপনজনদের হত্যা করায় অভিশাপ নেমে আসলো জুলুদের উপর দুর্ভিক্ষ দেখা দিলো তাদের দেশে।নোয়ির সাথে ভুতজাতির দেশে পা রাখে র্যাচেল।সেখানে র্যাচেলের শক্তি ব্যবহার করতে
বৃক্ষমাতার আসনে বসার জন্য চেপে ধরে কুটিল পুরোহিত এডো।সেখানে বৃক্ষমাতা নায়ার সাহায্যে র্যাচেলের আত্না যায় রিচার্ডের কাছে তাকে ডেকে আনে পথ দেখিয়ে।নায়ার মৃত্যুর পর নোয়ি,র্যাচেল আর রিচার্ডকে বাচাতে ভুতজাতির প্রাণ বৃক্ষে আগুন লাগিয়ে দেয় নোয়ি।তাই ধ্বংস হয় ভুত জাতি এবং নোয়ি নিজেও।কেবল বেচে থাকে র্যাচেল আর রিচার্ড।অ্যাডভেঞ্চারের সাথে ফ্যান্টাসিকে মিলিয়ে হেনরি রাইডার রচনা করেছেন অনবদ্য এই বইটা৷
বৃক্ষমাতার আসনে বসার জন্য চেপে ধরে কুটিল পুরোহিত এডো।সেখানে বৃক্ষমাতা নায়ার সাহায্যে র্যাচেলের আত্না যায় রিচার্ডের কাছে তাকে ডেকে আনে পথ দেখিয়ে।নায়ার মৃত্যুর পর নোয়ি,র্যাচেল আর রিচার্ডকে বাচাতে ভুতজাতির প্রাণ বৃক্ষে আগুন লাগিয়ে দেয় নোয়ি।তাই ধ্বংস হয় ভুত জাতি এবং নোয়ি নিজেও।কেবল বেচে থাকে র্যাচেল আর রিচার্ড।অ্যাডভেঞ্চারের সাথে ফ্যান্টাসিকে মিলিয়ে হেনরি রাইডার রচনা করেছেন অনবদ্য এই বইটা৷
April 2, 2013
It was an interesting story of a couragous girl who grew into a strong and spiritually aware young lady. She was thought of by the Zulos to be a spirit, their own god!!! She played the part well and seemed to become the god they were seeking. There is a sweet little love story going on, but in typical Haggart fashion, it does not over power the story of the Zulos, their king Dingaan and the Ghost Kings from the Ppl of the Trees. I did not enjoy this book as much as I usually enjoy Haggart. Still it was a good story and I'm glad I read it. I would recommend it to someone if I were ask.
March 17, 2020
Undoubtly this book is dated.
Haggard wrote this in 1908. There are some interesting themes in here which are not too unexpected. Pretty much none of the non-white characters are active. The lead "black" character is actually half black and half white. The main lead is a white female who treats everyone with respect. All the non-white characters also treat her as being above them; as a Goddess who will fulfill their religion. Yet Haggard depicts their religion as having agency in the world. He also has a bad white man who mistreats the natives (on their own terms) and yet "rules them" but he also has a good white man who generally ignores the natives.
It's a little odd that a female is the lead. Reading it today, you might expect the female to be weak and submissive but she is not. All in all this is a strange book meant for entertainment at the time but instructive today about how ideally, whites should treat non-whites and what whites should expect of non-whites in terms of attitude and behaviors (such that non-whites should always be respectful, and differing and so on).
Haggard wrote this in 1908. There are some interesting themes in here which are not too unexpected. Pretty much none of the non-white characters are active. The lead "black" character is actually half black and half white. The main lead is a white female who treats everyone with respect. All the non-white characters also treat her as being above them; as a Goddess who will fulfill their religion. Yet Haggard depicts their religion as having agency in the world. He also has a bad white man who mistreats the natives (on their own terms) and yet "rules them" but he also has a good white man who generally ignores the natives.
It's a little odd that a female is the lead. Reading it today, you might expect the female to be weak and submissive but she is not. All in all this is a strange book meant for entertainment at the time but instructive today about how ideally, whites should treat non-whites and what whites should expect of non-whites in terms of attitude and behaviors (such that non-whites should always be respectful, and differing and so on).
February 2, 2018
Written in 1908 and another African tale set in Zulu country. According to Haggard: "The Zulus have a strange story of a white girl, Rachel Dove, who in Dingaan's day was supposed to 'hold the spirit' of some legendary goddess of theirs who is also white. This girl, they say, was very beautiful and brave, and had great power in the land before the battle of the Blood River, 1838, which they fought with the emigrant Boers. Her title was Lady of the Zulus, or more shortly, Zoola, which means Heaven." This is her story. It is also a love story between Rachel and Richard Darrien who fall in love as teenagers and, in typical Haggard fashion, under go years of trials and tibulations before they can actually be together. Then, of course, there is the rejected jealous suiter who provides all kinds of bad complications for the couple.
The basic tale is very good, but drawn out with repeated complications. With Haggard, the road to true love and fulfillment is never easy and not always granted in this life. The story also features elements of the mystical and supernatural.
The basic tale is very good, but drawn out with repeated complications. With Haggard, the road to true love and fulfillment is never easy and not always granted in this life. The story also features elements of the mystical and supernatural.
February 10, 2026
I enjoyed the first two-thirds of the book the most. After Ishmael’s death, the story becomes quite boring. The journey to the Tree Kingdom feels unnecessarily stretched with excessive description and artificial dramatic buildup.
The ending is the worst part of the novel. Everything is suddenly resolved and neatly settled in an almost magical way, and I could not understand how Richard managed to find his way to the Tree Kingdom. The final portion feels overly dramatic and excessively supernatural. However, Nyas' affection for Rachel and Noies' sacrifice left a deep emotional impression on me.
The book was enjoyable to read, but even though it had a happy ending, I wasn’t really satisfied with how it ended. Overall, it left me with mixed feelings. Still, it’s a Haggard novel, so I can’t truly hate it, even though it’s far from his best works.
The ending is the worst part of the novel. Everything is suddenly resolved and neatly settled in an almost magical way, and I could not understand how Richard managed to find his way to the Tree Kingdom. The final portion feels overly dramatic and excessively supernatural. However, Nyas' affection for Rachel and Noies' sacrifice left a deep emotional impression on me.
The book was enjoyable to read, but even though it had a happy ending, I wasn’t really satisfied with how it ended. Overall, it left me with mixed feelings. Still, it’s a Haggard novel, so I can’t truly hate it, even though it’s far from his best works.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2020
В иное произведение Райдера Хаггарда лучше и не вникать. Умел писать он без всякого вдохновения, только из-за необходимости создавать литературные произведения. На то писательское ремесло и существует, чтобы добывать пропитание способом, к которому надо уметь относиться критически. Вот и «Призрачные короли» — есть ещё одна выдумка об Африке, где может происходить абсолютно всё, при этом остаётся не настолько уж и важным, что там происходило в действительности. Исходить из народных верований, стараясь понять культуру, не лучшее из доступных исследователю средств. Впрочем, Хаггард предлагал к вниманию вымысел, ни к чему не побуждающий.
(c) Trounin
(c) Trounin
May 25, 2024
ঠিক হেনরি রাইডার হ্যাগার্ড সুলভ বই বলে মনে হলো না, জুলু রাজ্যের অন্যান্য বই নিয়ে যতটা এডভেঞ্চারের ছোয়া পেয়েছি এটাতে তেমন পাইনি। হেনরি রাইডার হ্যাগার্ডের অন্যান্য বইয়ের মতো এটারও কেন্দ্রীয় চরিত্রে ছিলো এক নারী, অলৌকিক শক্তি সম্পন্ন এক নারী। জুলুদের কাছে যে দেবীর চেয়েও বেশি কিছু, নারীকেন্দ্রীক চরিত্রের গল্পগুলোতে যা হয়, পাণিপ্রার্থীদের মাঝে বিরোধ। সেখান থেকেই মূলত এই গল্পের শুরু। তবে শেষটা মধুর হলেও জমিয়ে উঠতে পারেনি বলেই মনে হচ্ছে।
August 23, 2022
বেশ ভালো একটা বই
October 27, 2024
You couldn’t ask for much more than a bit of adventure, romance, magic, prophecies, hostages, and some clear bad guys to boo. Copy is the 5th impression but couldn’t be bothered to scroll and find
March 27, 2025
ভালোই লেগেছে। তবে আরও ভালোভাবে উপভোগ করবার জন্য নাডা দ্য লিলি বইটা আগে পড়ে নিতে হবে।
January 25, 2016
Un libro que se puede dividir en tres partes, la primera la referente del viaje de Rachel y su familia atravesando África, siguiendo "el llamado" misionero de su padre hasta asentarse del otro lado del río que marca el comienzo del territorio Zulú y aquí es donde empezaría la segunda parte que es donde se cuenta las aventuras, los sufrimientos de Rachel con este pueblo debido a sus creencias y al fomento de las mismas por parte de un hombre blanco con intereses propios, llegando esta parte a un punto crítico es donde da inicio a la tercera parte en donde la protagonista se ve envuelta con el pueblo de Los reyes fantasmas que dan nombre al libro, de las tres partes la que más disfrute es lo que ocurre con ella y el pueblo zulú, la primera parte fue una introducción a la acción y la última se me hizo algo pesada como si hubiera estado de más. Pese a eso, este libro me gustó mucho y lo recomiendo como clásico de aventura con un toque de magia.
June 27, 2016
3.5 stars
So, this was a required reading for a class from this semester, and believe it or not, I kind of liked it. It was interesting and fascinating to see a novel first published in the early 20th century feature a strong female protagonist.
This has an overwhelming amount of problematic features (racism, xenophobia, sexism, religious intolerance, among others), but I appreciated what it did for the narrative of female protagonists in the history of literature.
So, this was a required reading for a class from this semester, and believe it or not, I kind of liked it. It was interesting and fascinating to see a novel first published in the early 20th century feature a strong female protagonist.
This has an overwhelming amount of problematic features (racism, xenophobia, sexism, religious intolerance, among others), but I appreciated what it did for the narrative of female protagonists in the history of literature.
January 29, 2025
*Yawn*
Plot: Mary Sue become queen of the Zulu, and everything just magically resolves itself.
Sort of.
It is a tedious slog. Not Haggard's best work at all. Not even his mediocre work. And it has all the right elements. Midgets, weirdo tribal witches, Zulu warriors. But a story needs more than just stuff.
Plot: Mary Sue become queen of the Zulu, and everything just magically resolves itself.
Sort of.
It is a tedious slog. Not Haggard's best work at all. Not even his mediocre work. And it has all the right elements. Midgets, weirdo tribal witches, Zulu warriors. But a story needs more than just stuff.
February 17, 2016
Rachel seems to be the Spirit that the Zulus rely for advices in certain war. However, it's uncertain. even for Rachel, in the strength of her powers. Nice tale, of a twenty-something year old along South Africa.
unfinished
November 26, 2018ভালো না লাগলেও শেষ করতে হবে, এই অভ্যাস থেকে মুক্ত হওয়া দরকার। সময় সীমিত। বহু ভালো বই অপঠিত এখনো।
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