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King Solomon Mines H Rider Haggard Alexandra Fuller Books

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King Solomon Mines H Rider Haggard Alexandra Fuller Books

This adventure yarn has stood the test of time. It has been made in to numerous film versions, one starring Stewart Granger and another starring Richard Chamberlain as Allen Quatermain. Some readers may only be familiar with the Quatermain character as he was portrayed by Sean Connery in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen film (but that was an entirely different story.) The story is entertaining enough and fairly well written although one cannot confuse author, Haggard with classical authors. Still, the story is fun and packed with numerous life or death scrapes. Modern readers need to remember that this book was written long before the civil rights movement and may jar readers with racist language.


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King Solomon Mines H Rider Haggard Alexandra Fuller Books Reviews

I saw the movie (the one in 1950 with Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr) years after it came out. Sometime in the early '80s I think. I thought the movie was as good as Mogambo with Clark Gable, Grace Kelly, and Ava Gardner. I hadn't seen the movie in years, so I decided to get the DVD and was amazed how much I forgot how good the movie was. This compelled me to get the book, because in most cases the book is always better.

I almost did not buy this book because it was written in 1886, a time when writing novels was very different from today. However, I myself am an author and needed this book for research. I was completely blown away by this book's simplicity, yet detailed, exciting adventure set at a time when not much was known about Africa.

Haggard writes in a method that keeps the reader glued to his book. It's a narrative-style, with the main character, Allan Quartermain, telling this story. And it works! I haven't seen this style for some time and am surprised no one has done it again. The adventure his characters experience in their search for the mines and lost brother of one of the trekkers makes you want to pack your bags and go on the search yourself.

....Who knows! I still might.

David Lucero, author
Ahhhh, finally! A classic that deserves the moniker. I have a new favorite classic author and a new pile of books just waiting to be devoured. Good day, indeed!

The plot Allan Quartermain, elephant hunter (really what better job is there?), chances to meet two men tying to trace the footsteps of a younger brother. Quartermain knows the man and goes in search of the Lost Diamond Mines of King Solomon (really, what better quest is there?) Naturally, on the way lie death and destruction; curses and blessings; cannibals and all the rest. They just don't make 'em like this any more.

The review What an extraordinary adventure! Being attacked by elephants! Almost dying of thirst in the desert! Execution by a witch doctor! A war for African tribal leadership! Starving to death! Freezing in the mountains! Dying of wounds! Trapped in a cave! What is not to love? I inhaled this book. Old-fashioned fun at a time when most books deal with adventures in outer space. What a treat. I immediately went out and bought every other book by this author I could find. I literally could not put it down.

To be politically correct (really?), the descriptions of the elephant slaughter are disturbing but I do understand that was a sign of those times. (My only frownie in a sea of happy faces!)
I remember reading the Classics Illustrated graphic novel version of this great story when I was a kid, and I was delighted to see the original version on . A great classic adventure, with humor, suspense, bloody battles, and even horror. But, as it was with classic adventures, the good guys come out on top and wholesome values are emphasized. Allusions to the Old Testament are numerous.
This is the second series of books I’ve read by R. Rider Haggard, the first being the pair of ‘She’ or Princess Ayesha stories. I found the Ayesha stories more intriguing and my understanding is that ‘She’ was even more popular than Allan Quatermain when first published. Quatermain, however, has probably stood the test of time better and has been more influential. King Solomon’s Mines is regarded as the start of the “Lost World” genre that so many famous writers including Edgar Rice Burroughs and Arthur Conan Doyle carried on. Burroughs, in particular, should probably have paid Haggard royalties for using the Lost World genre in literally half or more of the Tarzan stories.

In the 1800’s writers didn’t create characters as much as they tended to use tropes. That’s why it’s so refreshing that Quatermain breaks stereotypes and confesses to being quite timid. In one of the climactic battles he’s knocked out and only awakes when the fighting has ceased. He is like the anti-Indiana Jones, a character who almost assuredly wouldn’t exist had in not been for Allan Quatermain. The mines of King Solomon very much have an Indiana Jones feel to it including a huge stone door activated by a secret lever.

A modern reader may find the story predictable and derivative but that’s likely because King Solomon’s Mines became the template for so many stories to follow. If I had one issue it would be that the story is told in the first person, which is common for stories from the era. The problem with first person narratives is that you KNOW that no matter what the danger is, the main character MUST survive since they are alive to tell the story. There is a tense scene where Allan and his cohorts are trapped in a seemingly inescapable trap but since he’s narrating we know he survives. Unless he’s telling the story from his eventual tomb.

This is more than just an influential story it’s also a well written story. This is the third book by Haggard I’ve read along with two of his Ayesha stories and I’m a little surprised his name isn’t better known. I’m sure his fans will be offended by my statement but I’m willing to bet that the average person on the street would not recognize R. Rider Haggard’s name. The Ayesha stories made more of a lasting impression on me but this first Quatermain novel is a great book.
This adventure yarn has stood the test of time. It has been made in to numerous film versions, one starring Stewart Granger and another starring Richard Chamberlain as Allen Quatermain. Some readers may only be familiar with the Quatermain character as he was portrayed by Sean Connery in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen film (but that was an entirely different story.) The story is entertaining enough and fairly well written although one cannot confuse author, Haggard with classical authors. Still, the story is fun and packed with numerous life or death scrapes. Modern readers need to remember that this book was written long before the civil rights movement and may jar readers with racist language.