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She, King Solomon's Mines, Allan Quatermain
These three great novels of African adventure continue to be favorite reading of those who love a thrilling tale. Perhaps the reason that they continue to be part of the public imagination, delighting each new generation afresh, is that they are filled with qualities close to the human adventure, discovery, desire for immortality, terror, the search for the primitive . . . for what is unadorned by civilization. As Kipling said of Haggard's work, "It goes, and it grips, and it moves with all the freshness of youth."
Haggard had lived for many years among primitive peoples in Africa, and his knowledge of the Dark Continent was matched by few men. Yet beyond his personal knowledge of Africa, his experience of savage life and wild lands, and his faculty for making us believe impossible tales ― lies a feeling for the supernatural. Adventure alone was not enough for Haggard. As he said, "The thing must have a heart; mere adventures are not enough ― I can turn them out by the peck." About "She," one of the great mythical creations of the late 19th century, he said, "The only clear notion that I had was that of an immortal woman inspired by immortal love . . . and it came―it came faster than my poor aching hand could set it down." Kipling simply said, "You did not write 'She,' you know. Something wrote it through you."
His novels have been called parables, asking "What are science, learning, and consciousness of knowledge and power, in the face of Omnipotence?" They have been called romance. And they have been called excitingly alive and imaginative by almost everyone who has ever picked up a volume, from R. L. Stevenson to George Orwell.
"Do any of the moderns equal H. Rider Haggard as spinners of suspense yarns?" ― Los Angeles Times "Haggard could spin a yarn so full of suspense and color that you couldn't put the story down." ― Washington Post
Haggard had lived for many years among primitive peoples in Africa, and his knowledge of the Dark Continent was matched by few men. Yet beyond his personal knowledge of Africa, his experience of savage life and wild lands, and his faculty for making us believe impossible tales ― lies a feeling for the supernatural. Adventure alone was not enough for Haggard. As he said, "The thing must have a heart; mere adventures are not enough ― I can turn them out by the peck." About "She," one of the great mythical creations of the late 19th century, he said, "The only clear notion that I had was that of an immortal woman inspired by immortal love . . . and it came―it came faster than my poor aching hand could set it down." Kipling simply said, "You did not write 'She,' you know. Something wrote it through you."
His novels have been called parables, asking "What are science, learning, and consciousness of knowledge and power, in the face of Omnipotence?" They have been called romance. And they have been called excitingly alive and imaginative by almost everyone who has ever picked up a volume, from R. L. Stevenson to George Orwell.
"Do any of the moderns equal H. Rider Haggard as spinners of suspense yarns?" ― Los Angeles Times "Haggard could spin a yarn so full of suspense and color that you couldn't put the story down." ― Washington Post
656 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1887
64 people are currently reading
292 people want to read
About the author
H. Rider Haggard
1,586 books1,095 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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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 7, 2010
Adventure novels of the best kind. It takes a certain world-view, but certainly for his time he had a progressive view of Africa, where these stories all take place. I read She a few years ago, and that hooked me on his tales of African adventure, with battles and strange magics and myths. It involves a fountain of youth, lost love returning through the bloodline centuries later, and the unconquerable wilderness of Africa.
I just finished King Solomon's Mines, the first Allan Quartermain novel, and while it was not as interesting as She, it does include battle and treasure and almost dying in the desert, three things that thrill the twelve-year old in all of us. What I really liked is that Allan Quartermain himself is a 55-year old coward - certainly working against type. But then, he really isn't the pulp-hero of this, but rather the wise observer/recorder, mostly.
I just finished King Solomon's Mines, the first Allan Quartermain novel, and while it was not as interesting as She, it does include battle and treasure and almost dying in the desert, three things that thrill the twelve-year old in all of us. What I really liked is that Allan Quartermain himself is a 55-year old coward - certainly working against type. But then, he really isn't the pulp-hero of this, but rather the wise observer/recorder, mostly.
October 7, 2023
OK a confession. I have not finished this book. It is a trilogy of three novels in one volume and I have only finished the first one, namely King Solomon's Mines. I picked it up after listening to a talk some time ago on The Rest is History podcast about this book and its place in the imperial consciousness of late Victorian Britain. The book is in some ways the prototype for a genre of books that came after and which is now a genre of films, which includes favourites like Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider, to name just a few. The story certainly anticipates those tales which came later. Interestingly I happened to be reading at the same time a few different biographies of David Livingstone, whose adventures in Africa predated the publication of King Solomon’s Mines by at least 30 years, but sometimes it felt like they were all the same story.
Rider Haggard’s book is full of attitudes and mindsets we now would regard as inappropriate, if not downright immoral. The protagonists have no problem shooting big game in a way that looks to me like senseless slaughter, but presumably to the Victorian readers would have been an expression of man’s fight against nature. African people are respected, but there is no doubt that the white characters of the books are the heroes and see themselves as superior in every way, in keeping with the evolutionary ideas of the day which depicted the non European races of the world to be a lower and less developed form of life, not to mention the imperial narrative of civilising and Christianising the savages. Such attitudes grate on the modern reader in a way that would not have even occurred to the original audience.
It is an engaging story, but less so than modern thrillers, which we see in two hours of extreme excitement on our TV screens. I am not sure that I will ever get to the other two books in this trilogy. There is so much to read these days and at the end of the book I only had a vague hankering to find out “what happens next.” The end of the first book is not really a “cliffhanger.”
Rider Haggard’s book is full of attitudes and mindsets we now would regard as inappropriate, if not downright immoral. The protagonists have no problem shooting big game in a way that looks to me like senseless slaughter, but presumably to the Victorian readers would have been an expression of man’s fight against nature. African people are respected, but there is no doubt that the white characters of the books are the heroes and see themselves as superior in every way, in keeping with the evolutionary ideas of the day which depicted the non European races of the world to be a lower and less developed form of life, not to mention the imperial narrative of civilising and Christianising the savages. Such attitudes grate on the modern reader in a way that would not have even occurred to the original audience.
It is an engaging story, but less so than modern thrillers, which we see in two hours of extreme excitement on our TV screens. I am not sure that I will ever get to the other two books in this trilogy. There is so much to read these days and at the end of the book I only had a vague hankering to find out “what happens next.” The end of the first book is not really a “cliffhanger.”
April 4, 2008
I feel that I ought to have a bookshelf for really bad books. Not just sort of ho-hum, dull books, that you put down and never get back to, but the sort of books that you keep reading just to see if they can maintain the level of wretchedness they've perpetrated so far (or, of course, because someone assigns them to you, or you're doing research).
I read Haggard's *She* last fall, doing research for my class on Tolkien. A writer suggested that She might have influenced Tolkien's depiction of Shelob. Dunno that I thought it did, but wow. I'd never read Haggard before, and it lived down to its reputation.
Tolkien's work has its problems: the lower class characters are all comic, the good characters are all white, etc. Haggard takes that a step lower. You are expected to laugh at the lower class character merely *because* they are lower-class, not because he bothered to make them funny. You are expected to cheer for the white Englishmen because they are white Englishman, not because they are at all compelling. Same with the black characters who are villains. As Twain once said of Fenimore Cooper's novels, the reader "dislikes the good people in it, is indifferent to the others, and wishes they would all get drowned together."
I hear King Solomon's Mines is a bit better--anything with Quatermain would probably be an improvement. But She? Wow. My first pick on my shelf of "really bad books"
For those of you on campus here, on the subject of really bad, guess what I discovered the library has? The complete works of Edward Bulwer-Lytton. No, I am not joking. They also had "The Elusive Pimpernel" (sequel to the "Scarlet Pimpernel"), which I hear is splendidly awful! I've checked it out and I'll keep you posted on it.
I read Haggard's *She* last fall, doing research for my class on Tolkien. A writer suggested that She might have influenced Tolkien's depiction of Shelob. Dunno that I thought it did, but wow. I'd never read Haggard before, and it lived down to its reputation.
Tolkien's work has its problems: the lower class characters are all comic, the good characters are all white, etc. Haggard takes that a step lower. You are expected to laugh at the lower class character merely *because* they are lower-class, not because he bothered to make them funny. You are expected to cheer for the white Englishmen because they are white Englishman, not because they are at all compelling. Same with the black characters who are villains. As Twain once said of Fenimore Cooper's novels, the reader "dislikes the good people in it, is indifferent to the others, and wishes they would all get drowned together."
I hear King Solomon's Mines is a bit better--anything with Quatermain would probably be an improvement. But She? Wow. My first pick on my shelf of "really bad books"
For those of you on campus here, on the subject of really bad, guess what I discovered the library has? The complete works of Edward Bulwer-Lytton. No, I am not joking. They also had "The Elusive Pimpernel" (sequel to the "Scarlet Pimpernel"), which I hear is splendidly awful! I've checked it out and I'll keep you posted on it.
February 17, 2024
Are there any other H. Rider Haggard novels? Well, yeah, over fifty, but naming one of them besides these three would be an excellent Final Jeopardy question.
Chronologically, Mines comes first, She next, ending with Alan. You’d think Alan would come immediately after Mines because Quatermain is the narrator of both, but I’m guessing Haggard was already working on the other novels before Mines took off. Quatermain became such a popular figure Haggard no doubt felt a boost in sales would follow if he named the sequel after the title character. Don’t know. I’m not a Haggard expert, nor of Victorian book sales. And, from these three, I think I’ve had all the Haggard I need for one lifetime.
Not that these aren’t good books. They are, quite the buckling of swash and pip pip cheerio keep a stiff upper lip English pluck and fortitude which is always fun. But apparently Victorian audiences were far more forgiving of plot devices and unbelievable coincidences and deus ex machina than we modern sophisticates. And of racism.
Because, hoo boy, are these novels racist. Not in such a blanket manner but in what feels like an ingrained sense of English superiority, especially to higher melanin levels. Haggard spent quite a lot of time in South Africa and the Transvaal, and his dismissiveness of African servants and bearers has got Rhodesia written all over it. However, he expresses great admiration for the Zulu and Masai characters in his novels, who are powerful and noble warriors. Yes, there’s still a sense of superiority towards these characters, but at least he gives them their due. Nothing commands an Englishman’s respect more than soundly defeating them in a battle, but, even then, they still retain a measure of contempt. After all, they still call us the colonies.
King Solomon’s Mine should be better titled King Solomon’s Civil War because the vast majority of the book is taken up with a fight between King Twala of Kukuanaland and the rightful king. It would be a spoiler to tell you who the rightful king is, so we’ll leave that unspoken should you find yourself on a desert island with just this book to read. Suffice to say that the legendary mines are more of a secondary consideration than the civil war, which is, I gotta say, well described, quite bloody, and rather exciting. Haggard can write battle scenes.
The book opens with Quatermain, a more or less retired Great White Hunter, on a packet boat when he happens to run into Sir Henry Curtis and Captain Good who just happen to be looking for Sir Henry’s brother lost somewhere in Africa on a quest to find King Solomon’s mines, of which Quatermain just happens to have on his person a hand drawn map written in blood that shows the way to those very mines. What are the odds? Quatermain says, “Yeah, sure, I’ll help you go find your brother” and, really, this is what prompts you to follow a map you’ve had all this time which shows where the most fabulous treasure in the world is located, even though you’re broke?
There’s a lot of stuff like this in the book, and you will roll eyes over the incredible coincidences that happen at the most fortuitous times. I suppose that’s because Haggard intended this as a juvenile novel and, back then, writers wanted to encourage kids, not break their spirits like today’s YA novels do. So keep that in mind and it will keep your eye rolling to a minimum.
The next novel is She, probably Haggard’s best known novel, which I attribute to Ursula Andress. No, no, it was popular way before Andress, single handedly launching that whole “Lost World” trope. Quatermain is not in this novel. Instead, we get Great White Professor Horace Holly, who is charged with the raising of a dying colleague’s son and of keeping a locked strongbox that is not to be opened until the child, Leo Vincey, reaches 25 years old. Holly is a dedicated and quite loving foster parent and, really, the descriptions of his raising of Leo will warm your heart. But, then, 25th birthday, open the box and look at this, ancient clues and a map to a lost African kingdom of fabulous wealth. Hmm. Sounds vaguely familiar.
In my Dover Press version of this book, there are pages of transcribed Greek and cuneiform languages that must have driven the typesetter bonkers and really, quite impressive. It’s a measure of the education level back then that Haggard thought nothing of including it. Not that I expect Victorian readers to casually toss off Greek and Assyrian like it’s Cockney but, there’s a better chance they could than we can. I mean, we don’t even teach cursive anymore. One thing that got me, all of this writing was supposed to be on a potsherd. Had to be more like a slab of marble.
So hie they to Africa and adventures galore, with the party suffering ungodly deprivations until they are captured by a lost tribe called the Amahagger, one of whom, the lovely Ustane, kisses Leo, which means they’re married. As good as any other ceremony, I suppose. The Amahagger are not generally nice and decide to eat Mohammed, the captain of the ship, and there’s a big fight until Bilal, a high-ranking member of the tribe, shows up just before everyone is in a pot to say the white people are under the protection of Ayesha, She Who Must Be Obeyed, a title subsequently made hilarious by the Rumpole of the Bailey series. What then ensues is reincarnation and prophecies and eternal flames and magic and I gotta say, pretty exciting stuff.
Alan Quatermain is probably Haggard’s response to a lot of public demand and here we go again, Great White Hunter hears about a fabulous lost civilization of white people - what’s with all the white people hiding out in central Africa? - and heads off with Curtis and Good to see what this is about. And get themselves in the middle of another godawful civil war. Frankly, I think a lot of bloodshed would have been avoided if the Amahagger had ended up eating Quatermain’s party somewhere in Mines. Of course, fortuity raises its lucky head throughout but, by this time, you’re ready for it. This book has a great character, the Zulu warrior Umslopogass, who is a badass.
Overall, these are really good books, adventure novels that thrill and Errol Flynn their way across Africa. If you find yourself on that desert island and have these, you’ll be entertained.
Chronologically, Mines comes first, She next, ending with Alan. You’d think Alan would come immediately after Mines because Quatermain is the narrator of both, but I’m guessing Haggard was already working on the other novels before Mines took off. Quatermain became such a popular figure Haggard no doubt felt a boost in sales would follow if he named the sequel after the title character. Don’t know. I’m not a Haggard expert, nor of Victorian book sales. And, from these three, I think I’ve had all the Haggard I need for one lifetime.
Not that these aren’t good books. They are, quite the buckling of swash and pip pip cheerio keep a stiff upper lip English pluck and fortitude which is always fun. But apparently Victorian audiences were far more forgiving of plot devices and unbelievable coincidences and deus ex machina than we modern sophisticates. And of racism.
Because, hoo boy, are these novels racist. Not in such a blanket manner but in what feels like an ingrained sense of English superiority, especially to higher melanin levels. Haggard spent quite a lot of time in South Africa and the Transvaal, and his dismissiveness of African servants and bearers has got Rhodesia written all over it. However, he expresses great admiration for the Zulu and Masai characters in his novels, who are powerful and noble warriors. Yes, there’s still a sense of superiority towards these characters, but at least he gives them their due. Nothing commands an Englishman’s respect more than soundly defeating them in a battle, but, even then, they still retain a measure of contempt. After all, they still call us the colonies.
King Solomon’s Mine should be better titled King Solomon’s Civil War because the vast majority of the book is taken up with a fight between King Twala of Kukuanaland and the rightful king. It would be a spoiler to tell you who the rightful king is, so we’ll leave that unspoken should you find yourself on a desert island with just this book to read. Suffice to say that the legendary mines are more of a secondary consideration than the civil war, which is, I gotta say, well described, quite bloody, and rather exciting. Haggard can write battle scenes.
The book opens with Quatermain, a more or less retired Great White Hunter, on a packet boat when he happens to run into Sir Henry Curtis and Captain Good who just happen to be looking for Sir Henry’s brother lost somewhere in Africa on a quest to find King Solomon’s mines, of which Quatermain just happens to have on his person a hand drawn map written in blood that shows the way to those very mines. What are the odds? Quatermain says, “Yeah, sure, I’ll help you go find your brother” and, really, this is what prompts you to follow a map you’ve had all this time which shows where the most fabulous treasure in the world is located, even though you’re broke?
There’s a lot of stuff like this in the book, and you will roll eyes over the incredible coincidences that happen at the most fortuitous times. I suppose that’s because Haggard intended this as a juvenile novel and, back then, writers wanted to encourage kids, not break their spirits like today’s YA novels do. So keep that in mind and it will keep your eye rolling to a minimum.
The next novel is She, probably Haggard’s best known novel, which I attribute to Ursula Andress. No, no, it was popular way before Andress, single handedly launching that whole “Lost World” trope. Quatermain is not in this novel. Instead, we get Great White Professor Horace Holly, who is charged with the raising of a dying colleague’s son and of keeping a locked strongbox that is not to be opened until the child, Leo Vincey, reaches 25 years old. Holly is a dedicated and quite loving foster parent and, really, the descriptions of his raising of Leo will warm your heart. But, then, 25th birthday, open the box and look at this, ancient clues and a map to a lost African kingdom of fabulous wealth. Hmm. Sounds vaguely familiar.
In my Dover Press version of this book, there are pages of transcribed Greek and cuneiform languages that must have driven the typesetter bonkers and really, quite impressive. It’s a measure of the education level back then that Haggard thought nothing of including it. Not that I expect Victorian readers to casually toss off Greek and Assyrian like it’s Cockney but, there’s a better chance they could than we can. I mean, we don’t even teach cursive anymore. One thing that got me, all of this writing was supposed to be on a potsherd. Had to be more like a slab of marble.
So hie they to Africa and adventures galore, with the party suffering ungodly deprivations until they are captured by a lost tribe called the Amahagger, one of whom, the lovely Ustane, kisses Leo, which means they’re married. As good as any other ceremony, I suppose. The Amahagger are not generally nice and decide to eat Mohammed, the captain of the ship, and there’s a big fight until Bilal, a high-ranking member of the tribe, shows up just before everyone is in a pot to say the white people are under the protection of Ayesha, She Who Must Be Obeyed, a title subsequently made hilarious by the Rumpole of the Bailey series. What then ensues is reincarnation and prophecies and eternal flames and magic and I gotta say, pretty exciting stuff.
Alan Quatermain is probably Haggard’s response to a lot of public demand and here we go again, Great White Hunter hears about a fabulous lost civilization of white people - what’s with all the white people hiding out in central Africa? - and heads off with Curtis and Good to see what this is about. And get themselves in the middle of another godawful civil war. Frankly, I think a lot of bloodshed would have been avoided if the Amahagger had ended up eating Quatermain’s party somewhere in Mines. Of course, fortuity raises its lucky head throughout but, by this time, you’re ready for it. This book has a great character, the Zulu warrior Umslopogass, who is a badass.
Overall, these are really good books, adventure novels that thrill and Errol Flynn their way across Africa. If you find yourself on that desert island and have these, you’ll be entertained.
March 15, 2018
She-4/5 it has a unique cats of characters that make for a great early fantasy work. King Solomon’s Mines 2/5 it’s very predictable and a bit boring. Though I suppose it establishes the numbers every other adventure goes by. I don’t think it holds up. Allan Quartermain - 3/5 much more imaginative. The adventure captures the reader more. It has its flaws and dull moments. Despite the colloquial racism the Zulu character is the best and feels like he belongs in an Howard Sword and Sorcery story.
December 22, 2019
I was worried about this book as I've been trying to slog my way through Robert E. Howard's short stories which are rife with racism and misogyny and I thought this would be just like that. Fortunately this is much better on those two fronts but suffers from both. And I really enjoyed She and King Solomon's Mines but could have done without Allan Quartermain. It was more of the same but worse. And suffered from a lack of editing.
September 16, 2023
Enormous fun but hasn’t aged brilliantly
March 23, 2025
3.75 stars. Contextualised in its time it was a nice collection of adventures novels. Description quite long sometimes, but they show the vivid imagination of the author, which I enjoyed.
October 2, 2021
She
(first story in Three Adventure Novels, published by Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1951)
This is a silly story, written eloquently. I kept turning the pages and reading with insatiable curiosity to learn where on earth the author was going next with this strange and imaginative tale of preposterous happenings. The setting is Africa, but reference is made to the history and mythology of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, as the characters apparently alternately speak with each other in Arabic, Greek, or Latin—besides Zulu. I guess it was fun—if you like horror. By the end, however, I crave a break before tackling the next two stories. I’m giving it five stars for its amazing creative composition, but am still deciding if I “liked” it.
*************
King Solomon’s Mines
(second story in Three Adventure Novels, published by Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1951)
This second of the trilogy of stories by H. Rider Haggard is of another “adventure” of the narrator Allan Quatermain, who treks through a different African geography to a different settlement of African tribes, but the chief focus is upon the sadistic violence encountered. The quest for the mysterious Solomon’s Mines of diamonds and gold is the driver of exploration by Quatermain and two other Englishmen into heretofore unknown central African jungle and desert and featured mountains, and leads to their interactions with tribal factions who war with each other.
The author’s imagination has to be inspired at least partly from real life stories as well as encounters he personally had in his years of living (and hunting big game?) in Africa. Sure wish I could know the true stories.
**************
Allan Quatermain
(third story in Three Adventure Novels, published by Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1951)
At last, I am completely enthralled by H. Rider Haggard’s imaginative and preposterous stories set in Africa in the late nineteenth century. Through these last two offerings he carries through with some of the same characters, and the situations he puts them through are so craftily told that suspending disbelief is not only easy but enjoyable. His fiction is so unique that it is not comparable to any other I have ever read. And by writing in the “first person” he is able to add personal philosophy, which only adds to the appreciation of plot and “resolution” of it. His imagination was amazing.
(first story in Three Adventure Novels, published by Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1951)
This is a silly story, written eloquently. I kept turning the pages and reading with insatiable curiosity to learn where on earth the author was going next with this strange and imaginative tale of preposterous happenings. The setting is Africa, but reference is made to the history and mythology of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, as the characters apparently alternately speak with each other in Arabic, Greek, or Latin—besides Zulu. I guess it was fun—if you like horror. By the end, however, I crave a break before tackling the next two stories. I’m giving it five stars for its amazing creative composition, but am still deciding if I “liked” it.
*************
King Solomon’s Mines
(second story in Three Adventure Novels, published by Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1951)
This second of the trilogy of stories by H. Rider Haggard is of another “adventure” of the narrator Allan Quatermain, who treks through a different African geography to a different settlement of African tribes, but the chief focus is upon the sadistic violence encountered. The quest for the mysterious Solomon’s Mines of diamonds and gold is the driver of exploration by Quatermain and two other Englishmen into heretofore unknown central African jungle and desert and featured mountains, and leads to their interactions with tribal factions who war with each other.
The author’s imagination has to be inspired at least partly from real life stories as well as encounters he personally had in his years of living (and hunting big game?) in Africa. Sure wish I could know the true stories.
**************
Allan Quatermain
(third story in Three Adventure Novels, published by Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1951)
At last, I am completely enthralled by H. Rider Haggard’s imaginative and preposterous stories set in Africa in the late nineteenth century. Through these last two offerings he carries through with some of the same characters, and the situations he puts them through are so craftily told that suspending disbelief is not only easy but enjoyable. His fiction is so unique that it is not comparable to any other I have ever read. And by writing in the “first person” he is able to add personal philosophy, which only adds to the appreciation of plot and “resolution” of it. His imagination was amazing.
July 19, 2013
I actually have a five-novel volume of Haggard novels/novellas I picked up on the free cart at the library. I've read both She and King Solomon's Mines from it.
They're racist, sexist, classist. Once, and if, you get beyond that, they're not particularly well-written. The action follows predictable story arcs, there's little or no character development.
In Haggard's defense: Allan Quatermain is a coward, which is a nice twist to the usual self-deprecating Victorian hero; the black heroes in King Solomon's mines are two-dimensional stereotypes but no more than the white heroes (besides the narrator/protagonist, Quatermain), but they remain true heroes and friends without the "surprisingly good/honest/smart for a black man" qualifier seen far too often in Edgar Rice Burroughs and elsewhere.
If you're interested in the origins of the adventure novel, want to read something without engaging any of the complicated bits of your brain or just want to know where Indiana Jones got started, these books are not bad (She is more racist and misogynist than King Solomon, but more interesting). For those of you who may have seen one of the uber-trashy movies based on these books (particularly the 1985 version with a semi-clothed Sharon Stone), don't expect even PG-13 titillation, though. This is Victorian pulp fiction.
Otherwise, there's nothing to see here, folks.
They're racist, sexist, classist. Once, and if, you get beyond that, they're not particularly well-written. The action follows predictable story arcs, there's little or no character development.
In Haggard's defense: Allan Quatermain is a coward, which is a nice twist to the usual self-deprecating Victorian hero; the black heroes in King Solomon's mines are two-dimensional stereotypes but no more than the white heroes (besides the narrator/protagonist, Quatermain), but they remain true heroes and friends without the "surprisingly good/honest/smart for a black man" qualifier seen far too often in Edgar Rice Burroughs and elsewhere.
If you're interested in the origins of the adventure novel, want to read something without engaging any of the complicated bits of your brain or just want to know where Indiana Jones got started, these books are not bad (She is more racist and misogynist than King Solomon, but more interesting). For those of you who may have seen one of the uber-trashy movies based on these books (particularly the 1985 version with a semi-clothed Sharon Stone), don't expect even PG-13 titillation, though. This is Victorian pulp fiction.
Otherwise, there's nothing to see here, folks.
May 9, 2008
H. Rider Haggard, his book
She
and his character Allan Quatermain are so heavily referenced throughout pop culture (even unknowingly) that I thought I simply had to read this when it fell into my hands. I suppose you could call this a learning experience: I learned I am not a fan.
Haggard may have had a strong influence on the army of novelists and comic-book artists and storytellers that followed him, and they have produced an astounding body of work in all possible genres, but he himself was not a very good writer. I read the first two books in this omnibus—She and King Solomon's Mines, but by that time I was so tired of his stop-and-go prose that I set it down. Maybe I'll go back and read Allan Quatermain some day, but the first chapter didn't seem promising.
Besides the technical writing faults, there is also an overt Christian bias (who ever heard of a pious adventure-story writer?), a more-or-less expected white bias and an avowed tendency to misogyny, none of which are easy for this modern reader to swallow.
I have to recommend this author and his books because of their influence on the modern English adventure story, but if you have no interest in the creation of archetypes and the like, I would suggest picking up one of the modern novels Haggard influenced instead of Haggard's work itself.
Haggard may have had a strong influence on the army of novelists and comic-book artists and storytellers that followed him, and they have produced an astounding body of work in all possible genres, but he himself was not a very good writer. I read the first two books in this omnibus—She and King Solomon's Mines, but by that time I was so tired of his stop-and-go prose that I set it down. Maybe I'll go back and read Allan Quatermain some day, but the first chapter didn't seem promising.
Besides the technical writing faults, there is also an overt Christian bias (who ever heard of a pious adventure-story writer?), a more-or-less expected white bias and an avowed tendency to misogyny, none of which are easy for this modern reader to swallow.
I have to recommend this author and his books because of their influence on the modern English adventure story, but if you have no interest in the creation of archetypes and the like, I would suggest picking up one of the modern novels Haggard influenced instead of Haggard's work itself.
January 12, 2015
I do not want to go too much into the storyline for fear of giving away the ending, but there are additional novels involving Allan Allan Quatermain. The review will apply to basically all the novels in the Allan Quatermain series. The interesting part is that after finishing the novel Allan Quatermain you would think the story ends, but it does not. The novels are about three privileged Englishmen who, out of life's boredom, head over to Africa for a little adventure. When reading the books you have to remember the time period in which they written. The novel is full of racist remarks, and is delightfully politically incorrect by today's standards. The novel is thrilling, fun and easy to read, full of adventure and exciting exploits. Like King Solomon's Mine, all the continue with plenty of fighting, romance, and excitement. The novels are like reading a previous version of Indiana Jones books. The novels are very easy to read, and very entertaining. The novels were written and take place over 100 years ago, and gives you a picture of life in Africa during that time. All the novels are worth reading!!!
The author Sir Henry Rider Haggard, KBE (22 June 1856 – 14 May 1925) was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a founder of the Lost World literary genre. His books were the precursor to the Indiana Jones Novels.
The author Sir Henry Rider Haggard, KBE (22 June 1856 – 14 May 1925) was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a founder of the Lost World literary genre. His books were the precursor to the Indiana Jones Novels.
November 4, 2013
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, with its exotic adventures in dark Africa. One can almost feel the scorching sun, vast herds of wildebeest, and endless plains. This vividness is of course largely due to beautiful and colourful language.
This issue consists of three books, but they are similar enough to review at once.
With the notable exception of 'She', being the better book mainly by virtue of the character of 'She'. Reviewed alone I might've been inclined to award 5 stars.
Male and female characters are as such archetypical, but as such quite enjoyable.
Note the age of the book. Some racism, sexism and etnocentrism are to be expected.
(but is it wrong to kind of enjoy this as a mark of antiquatedness?)
This issue consists of three books, but they are similar enough to review at once.
With the notable exception of 'She', being the better book mainly by virtue of the character of 'She'. Reviewed alone I might've been inclined to award 5 stars.
Male and female characters are as such archetypical, but as such quite enjoyable.
Note the age of the book. Some racism, sexism and etnocentrism are to be expected.
(but is it wrong to kind of enjoy this as a mark of antiquatedness?)
November 17, 2008
This book actually covered 3 of Haggards best works; "She, King Solomon's mines and Allen Quartermain".
Although dated over 140 years if anyone is a lover of Indiania Jones style adventure these are the original stores that started Speilburg and Lucas with their stories.
The only turn off from the novels that I have found was during the period they were written women were still expected to stay at home thus the books are a bit sexist for our era.
Although dated over 140 years if anyone is a lover of Indiania Jones style adventure these are the original stores that started Speilburg and Lucas with their stories.
The only turn off from the novels that I have found was during the period they were written women were still expected to stay at home thus the books are a bit sexist for our era.
May 8, 2012
This collection gets you the three best works of H. Rider Haggard, and so it is a great bargain. He was the first and greatest of the African-adventure authors. A late Victorian, so you have to simply go along with the cultural imperialism, racism, sexism, and general un-PC stuff. If you can do this, and also adapt to the prose conventions of the time, you are in for a great ride.
January 23, 2016
Good, solid, old-fashioned adventure yarns, which have invited--and will continue to invite--cinematic adaptations. Rereading these childhood favorites, whose more "adult" dimensions escaped me at the time, was a welcome dip into affectionate nostalgia.
August 1, 2025
Really enjoyed King Solomon's Mines. It is especially cool that Haggard, puzzled over the success of Treasure Island, told a friend that he could write an equally good adventure and then proceeded to do just that.
May 8, 2007
Historic escapism.....
September 3, 2007
such a nice book to read.
July 30, 2008
Fascinating look at the origins of the adventure novel. Without Haggard there would be no Indiana Jones or other such adventure heroes. A fun, strange read.
Want to read
November 18, 2008One day, i promise to get to this.
August 18, 2012
Just started it with many pages to go........
July 19, 2013
A fan of all his books - whee
July 15, 2014
The three best books of HRH....amazing....
April 3, 2017
Probably better than you think they're gonna be? But there's not really any rush to get to these. Especially the third one, "Allan Quartermain"-- you probably only need to read that one if you find yourself with an unshakeable craving for "King Solomon's Mines" but your copy of "King Solomon's Mines" has fallen apart because you love "King Solomon's Mines" so much.
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