Allan Quatermain

When Allan Quatermain's son Harry a physician dies of smallpox , he was a volunteer treating hospital patients; thankfully now an extinct disease, the father is naturally devastated and becomes very restless. Prosperous but bored in Merry Old England, Allan is alone in the world except for his two close friends, Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good, the former a retired army officer in the service of Queen Victoria and the latter, an ex- British navy captain both much younger men.The trio had become rich after their King Solomon's Mines adventures,visiting Quatermain about a week after the funeral, Curtis and Good begin to talk of returning to Africa.The same idea that Allan has been thinking about, they decide... go to Mt. Kenya (second highest mountain on the continent after Kilimanjaro) and then, the vast unknown beyond with all the dangers. Rumors of a white tribe in the interior has been circulating recently, a lost civilization? The men half believe it but it gives them a goal to reach...Arriving in East Africa a few months later in the small town of Lamu on an island, with the same name. Meeting a former Zulu chief Umslopogaas, a born killer and outcast. Great friend of Hunter Quaterman (they haven't seen each other in many years), as he's known to Europeans, Macumazahn to the native people . Umslopogaas with a little forceful persuasion, gets his five Wakwafi companions to joins the expedition as needed carriers.Landing on the coast of Kenya things go bad quickly. All of their hired local porters desert, wanted more pay (this will cause trouble later) so the friends buy a couple of canoes in a village, and the remaining nine head up the Tana River. Slow but steady progress, but benefits outweigh the negatives when moonbeams hit the surface of the river making it a silvery stream and with the nearby majestic hippopotamuses rising and sinking in this watery, eminently enchanting place as close to Nirvana as you can get on Earth, but Hell shows up too, the Masai tribe unexpectedly attacks them. As torrential rains on an open canoe makes Quatermain's party miserable indeed ...if only they can escape the pursuers. Their destination is a Mission run by a Scottish missionary named MacKenzie, with his family, where they'll be safe? No one tells the Masai and a deadly battle commences, the Zulu warrior Umslopogaas is always smelling blood... not the last battle in this novel. Further on, an underwater river discovers the party and sucks them down into the dark, eerie, bowels of a volcanic crater mountain giving them a heart stopping ride... the end ; or does it lead to greater adventures and more unbelievable sights and sounds, hint their quest will not be in vain. There are four superior and quite exciting "incidents" in this book, better than the original this sequel is in my opinion... Warning this contains a lot of beautiful women and "hungry men".

I have read Haggard’s <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/682681.She__She___1_" title="She (She, #1) by H. Rider Haggard" rel="noopener">She</a> and <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/23814.King_Solomon_s_Mines__Allan_Quatermain___1_" title="King Solomon's Mines (Allan Quatermain, #1) by H. Rider Haggard" rel="noopener">King Solomon's Mines</a>, and I basically knew what to expect when I began <i>Allan Quatermain</i>. In many ways, AQ is a combination of the other two novels, but not quite as good as either one of them. It’s an adventure fantasy, starring rich Englishmen in deepest darkest Africa. They shoot a lot of animals and incidentally kill off quite a few African servants in the course of their quest. And what are they searching for, you ask? Why an unknown civilization of white people in an area where almost no one has gone before. <br /><br />When the men find their Lost Civilization, Haggard doubles down on a good thing. Instead of one mysterious white woman ruling the area (as in <i>She</i>), he provides two of them in this novel! And just to show that the love triangle trope is not unique to modern romance literature, both of these queenly personages fall head over heels in love with Allan’s companion, Sir Henry. To say that this causes problems is an understatement. Also similar to <i>She</i> is Allan’s position vis-à-vis Sir Henry, just as Horace Holly played wise, humbler advisor to his young companion Leo.<br /><br />I adore Haggard’s <i>She</i>, having discovered this portal to fantastical adventure during my high school years. I feel affection for all of his work because of that and it is impossible for me to rate it objectively, but if you are only going to read one of his adventure fantasies, choose <i>She</i> and get to know She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed. Allan is just not quite as much fun.

অনেকদিন পরে হ্যাগার্ডের বই পড়ালাম। দারুণ উপভোগ করেছি বইটা। অনুবাদ, গল্প সব সবকিছুই পড়ে তৃপ্ত হওয়ার মতো।

It's been several decades since I first read <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/23814.King_Solomon_s_Mines" title="King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard" rel="noopener">King Solomon's Mines</a> and was enthralled. Now that I've a E-reader, Haggard's other Quatermain novels are suddenly accessible in a way they haven't been before, so I've decided to revisit Mr. Quatermain.<br /><br />The voice is the same, and this is a delight, since it's Quatermain's voice that, to me, sets KSM apart from other novels of this ilk and era. I confess it is in part for Quatermain's wry assessment of himself and others that I most enjoyed the other of his adventures. He waxes more poetical and philosophical in this book, but perhaps that's fittings, since this adventure occurs near the end of his life—as I understand it, even though there are some sixteen other Allan Quatermain novels, all or nearly all take place before the events in this book and those in KSM. I at first thought to read them in chronological order as far as Quatermain's life went, but I've decided that the character is what I'm interested in, and for that, it's best to read by publication date, which I am doing.<br /><br />Doubtless some will gripe about the Caucasian patriarchal tone the book takes, but this is a first person narrative, and Quatermain can hardly be expected to be much else. Still, I think he accords most characters who merit it (in Quatermain's eyes) of any race or origin a basic dignity and respect. Even the 'joke' character, the French cook and notorious coward Alphonse, doesn't fare too badly at Quatermain's hands.<br /><br />The plot may seem to some a re-hash of KSM, but there are some profound differences, one being that none of the 'main' four characters seriously plan to come back from this adventure—it is to be a 'swan-song' for all. Too, the land they seek is more fantastic and less realistic, and Haggard's African expertise comes more into play with geography than with explaining them and their customs to us.<br /><br />Overall, <i>Allan Quartermain</i>, just like the preceding novel and all of the Quatermain tales I've read thus far, is a yarn. If you enjoy yarns, you'll enjoy it. If you read seeking some deep truth, you may well find the book wanting, and need to mine elsewhere.<br /><br />There is one quote, however, which I'll extricate for you. <br /><br />I detest individuals who make one the subject of their disagreeable presentiments, or who, when they dream that they saw one hanged as a common felon, or some such horror, will insist upon telling one all about it at breakfast, even if they have to get up early to do it.<br /><br />Alan Quartermain, <i>Alan Quartermain</i> H. Rider Haggard<br /><br />Which leaves me wondering how much Twain Haggard read.<br />

ENGLISH: This novel is a sequel to "King Solomon's Mines" with the same three main characters, and the last of the novels about Allan Quatermain in the Allan's chronological order, although not the last Haggard wrote.<br /><br />I have found the following problem with this book: In "King Solomon Mines" there was a reason for the trip toward the unknown, as Henry Curtis was looking for his lost brother, and Allan, although he did not want to go, was convinced by the offer of a great amount of money that would be put at the disposal of his son, if something happened to him. In "Allan Quatermain," however, they start on a dangerous trip, just because they have heard a rumor that there may be an unknown kingdom in the heart of Africa, inhabited by white people, and travel to discover the truth of this report, moved only by curiosity.<br /><br />I have never liked much those adventure novels based on the existence of a captivating white woman hidden somewhere (usually in Africa), who has a devastating effect on the heart of the main male character. I put in this subgenre books like "L'Atlantide" by Pierre Benoit, and "She" by Rider Haggard. I think Haggard had fulfilled his due by writing "She," and another novel in the same line was totally unnecessary.<br /><br />ESPAÑOL: Esta novela es la secuela de "Las Minas del Rey Salomón" con los mismos tres personajes principales, y la última de las novelas sobre Allan Quatermain, en el orden cronológico propio de Allan, aunque no fue la última que Haggard escribió sobre ese personaje.<br /><br />Tengo el siguiente problema con este libro: en "Las Minas del Rey Salomón" había una razón para el viaje hacia lo desconocido, pues Henry Curtis quería encontrar a su hermano perdido, y a Allan, aunque no quería ir, lo convenció la oferta de mucho dinero, que se pondría a disposición de su hijo, si a él le sucediera algo. En "Allan Qatermain", en cambio, se lanzan a un viaje peligroso, sólo porque han oído el rumor de que puede existir un reino desconocido en el corazón de África habitado por gente de raza blanca, y emprenden el viaje para descubrir la verdad de ese rumor, movidos únicamente por la curiosidad.<br /><br />Nunca me han gustado demasiado las novelas de aventuras basadas en la existencia de una mujer blanca cautivadora escondida en algún lugar remoto (generalmente en África), que afecta de forma devastadora el corazón del principal personaje masculino. Este subgénero incluye libros como "La Atlántida" de Pierre Benoit, y "Ella" de Rider Haggard. Creo que Haggard había cumplido plenamente con este subgénero al escribir "Ella", y que otra novela en la misma línea era innecesaria.<br />

ALLAN QUATERMAIN is a lunk-headed adventure yarn that manages to entertain despite its patent absurdity. But if you're the type of reader who can't take stories at face-value, chances are you will hate it. This is, after all, a story about three priviledged Englishmen who, out of boredom, head over to Africa for a little adventure and wind up instigating vast cultural upheaval and the loss of countless human lives. Deconstructionists will doubtlessly find the novel packed full of racism, sexism, jingoism...basically any "ism" you can think of. Plus, our intrepid heroes seem bent on shooting a lot of exotic animals for no good reason (Though, to their credit, they do refrain from shooting any elephants because the ivory would be too difficult to transport). But H. Rider Haggard was a product of his time, so let's cut the guy a little slack, ok?<br />ALLAN QUATERMAIN reads like a mix of elements culled from two of Haggard's earlier books, KING SOLOMON'S MINES and SHE. Actually, most everything Haggard wrote was basically a rehash of these two books. Some sections of ALLAN QUATERMAIN are vibrant and fun to read, whereas other sections are incredibly dull and made me wish for something more interesting to do, like wash the dishes. It doesn't help that ALLAN QUATERMAIN is written in the style of a journal or diary. Now there's a literary device that never fails to get old fast!<br />Still, there's a lot to like about ALLAN QUATERMAIN. A lost civilization ruled by a pair of majestically beautiful queens, a savage African warrior tribe, an underground river near the heart of a volcano, a land filled with gold, homicidal sun-worshippers, ancient prophecies, political intrigue, and an epic battle that culminates in a desperate race against time. Taken for what it's worth, ALLAN QUATERMAIN is a passably good time.

This is the sequel to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2533379364?book_show_action=false&amp;from_review_page=1" rel="nofollow noopener"> <i>King Solomon's Mines</i> </a> (my review). It’s an early <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_world" rel="nofollow noopener"> <i>Lost World</i> </a> genre story. This story was “more of the same” of <i>King Solomon’s Mines</i>. It is considerably more <i>authentic</i> in narration and world building than contemporary <i>historical fiction</i>. The author did not “mess with” the previous story's popular formula. If you liked that one, you’ll like this one. <br /><br />This book has a copyright of 1887. It’s been continuously in print for more than 130-years. Its also very short. My copy was 160-pages, although print is small and closely spaced. That’s about the size of a modern novella. The book is also in the public domain. A free copy is available on <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org" rel="nofollow noopener">Project Gutenberg</a>. Also, while reading the previous novel is not necessary, its certainly very helpful.<br /><br />I've developed an interest in books written during the Victorian era. This was an easily readable Victorian novel. However, readers should prepare themselves for the <i>period</i> vocabulary. The style will seem overly flowery and verbose to most. For example, don’t become "flummoxed" by “notwithstanding”. In addition, there is no built-in historical education in the story's narrative. It's audience was assumed to have a background knowledge of 1880-90’s British involvement in Africa, mostly through reading the newspapers.<br /><br />A now very old-fashioned artifice is used for the story. The reader is led to believe the story is the publication of a surviving manuscript mysteriously received by the heirs of lost African adventurers. It being a diary account of Allan Quartermain and his companions’ adventures. The story is actually written in a semi-epistolary form. It cuts back and forth between first-person narration, the manuscript’s entries, and “Editor’s Notes”. The main POV is of Quatermain, the protagonist, although Sir Henry Curtis contributes an epilogue-like final chapter. Action scenes are in Quartermain’s first-person POV, with the manuscript artifice being used for exposition-type narration.<br /><br />Writing was well done. I could find no technical problems. After so many publications, I believe the text has been thoroughly combed over editing-wise. Spelling and sentence structure was all in British English. Some of the place names have changed their spelling and some their names entirely. (Following the expedition's progress on a map is problematic.) I found the action and descriptive prose to be better handled than the dialog, which I though too melodramatic. I appreciated the author’s hand at the imagery.<br /><br />This story was written for a popular audience during Victorian times. Certain aspects of the story have obviously been sanitized. There was no use of profanity or any other vulgarity. Some “kissing” occurs, but all sex is within the context of marriage, which may be polygamous. (Only animists have multiple wives.) There is no drug usage, except for pipe smoking and snuff usage. The British adventurers use alcohol in moderation, mostly medicinally, although the natives <i>do</i> overindulge. Violence is moderate. It consists of: physical, edged-weapon and firearms. The trauma inflicted on victims is not graphic. The body count is high. The story bears a striking resemblance in content to modern <i>YA</i> literature.<br /><br />Characters were good. The main characters being the <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GentlemanAdventurer" rel="nofollow noopener"> Gentleman Adventurers</a>. Quatermain is The Great White Hunter, also known by his Zulu name Macumazahn ("Watcher-by-Night"). He’s the wise old man. Sir Henry Curtis is a wealthy, privileged, proper British gentleman action hero. Oddly, Sir Henry doesn’t use his Zulu name. Captain Good RN (retired) is their friend and companion. His Zulu name is “Bougwan” (“Glass Eye”), because he has an artificial ‘glass’ eye. He’s the group’s <i>boffin</i> and clothes horse despite being in the bush. Alphonse is their braggart, cowardly (like all of his race), French cook. Umslopogaas is the noble (black), Zulu savage. The author differentiates amongst the blacks by tribe. For example, the Zulu’s are noble, warriors and the Maasai (modern spelling) are cruel, bloodthirsty, rampaging brigands. I suspect this has a colonial historical reason. South Africa (the Zulu homeland) had recently been militarily <i>pacified</i>. The pacification of Kenya (the Maasai homeland) was looming. There are numerous other black NPCs, many of which are end up dead. <br /><br />Women don’t fare well in this story character-wise. Women characters of consequence are all white. They’re either maidens, wives or the mothers of maidens. Flossie the young daughter of a Scottish missionary, is the perfect example of British rectitude in a savage land. <br /><blockquote><br />Although she was at an age when in England girls are in the schoolroom and come down to dessert, this ‘child of the wilderness’ had more courage, discretion, and power of mind than many woman of mature age nurtured in idleness and luxury, with minds drilled and educated out of any originality or self-resource the nature many have endowed them with.</blockquote><br />Flossie’s mother, Mrs. Mackenzie spends a lot of time wringing her hands over her daughter's welfare. Umslopogaas has a treacherous native wife, who caused his lamentable life of exile. That story was rather interesting. Later in the book appear the twin, (white) queens of Zu-Vendis: Sorais the treacherous, Cleopatra-looking, ‘Lady of the Night' and her ‘good’ sister the Anglo-Saxon looking, blonde haired, blue-eyed Nyleptha. Victorian gentlemen prefer blondes. <br /> <br />There are several antagonists, although a large part of the story is <i>man-against-nature</i>. Central Africa is a trackless, unmapped wilderness. Shortly, the story pits the adventurers against a faceless, marauding, Maasai raiding party who threaten Scottish missionaries. <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="00cb7af2-db47-49e6-aaa1-fc13c2b4a968" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="00cb7af2-db47-49e6-aaa1-fc13c2b4a968"> They massacre them.</label> In the later part of the story, a jilted Sorais is joined by a corrupt, treacherous and xenophobic high-priest of the Zu-Vendis (Agon) and the manipulative, greatest lord in the country (Nasta). <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="1c0a1c33-6d80-4e62-9b1e-dfb6004e856a" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="1c0a1c33-6d80-4e62-9b1e-dfb6004e856a">They don't end well either.</label> Both of these characters are rather thin.<br /><br />Plot? The story starts out as a classic man-against-nature and then becomes man-against-man conflict. After the events of <i>King Solomon’s Mines</i> Quatermain, Curtis and Good grow bored with their life of wealthy leisure in Britain. They decide to become adventurers again and search for a land populated by a ‘white race’ in the heart of Africa. Along the way they brave the wilderness, and savage natives who kidnap a young, white maiden. They then discover a Lost World (Zu-Vendis) about the size of Metropolitan France in Central Africa. There is a lot of <i>sword and sandal</i> type fighting once their bullets run out. The story also contains a romantic component. <br /> <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="8cab40b1-0b6a-4b8e-abce-3343afcfd311" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="8cab40b1-0b6a-4b8e-abce-3343afcfd311">Sir Henry, the most eligible bachelor of the group marries the fair queen of Zu-Vendis. The adventurers fight a Civil War to help him retain his throne. Heros are made and perish. Sir Henry reigns an English Gentleman in the heart of Africa.</label><br /><br />As an adventure story, we have all seen this before, although it was a <i>fun</i>, quick, read. The <i>Indiana Jones</i> franchise is a riff on the Quatermain character. In addition, both the previous story and this one are a large early part of the Lost World genre which became popular in the States with the novels of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Rice_Burroughs" rel="nofollow noopener"> Edgar Rice Burroughs</a>.<br /><br />The <i>real</i> Victorian POV remains one of the more interesting parts of this story. Some readers may find the <i>anthropological whiteness</i> of the story appalling. That the author was a believer in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-suffragism" rel="nofollow noopener"> <i>anti-suffragism</i> </a> was made plain. The author’s thoughts on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miscegenation" rel="nofollow noopener"> <i>miscegenation</i></a> are more clearly found in <i>King Solomon’s Mines</i>. However, its helpful to know this when you consider that Zu-Vendis was populated by a <i>white race</i>, albeit likely Semitic. That made it sought-after. Otherwise, why look for it? Finally, even after reading several books written between the 1870’s to before the first World War, I found the author’s attitude toward women to be peculiar. <br /><br />The story was also geographically interesting. Unlike in <i>King Solomon’s Mines</i>, the author goes into some detail in describing the east African geography of the time. For example, the squalor of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamu" rel="nofollow noopener">Lamu</a> in Kenya where the expedition starts from and the European influence on the east African coast are detailed. <br /><br />I enjoyed reading this book. It was short, had a lot of <i>stiff upper lips</i> and contained: exotic environs, a bit of history, gun-play and swordplay. The prose, particularly the descriptions were interesting to read. The world building was <i>authentic</i>. <br /><blockquote><br />‘Well, where are you gentlemen steering for?’ asked our friend the hospitable Consul, as we smoked our pipes after dinner.<br /><br />‘We propose to go to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kenya " rel="nofollow noopener">Mt Kenia</a> and then on to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Elgon " rel="nofollow noopener"> Mt Lekakisera </a>,’ answered Sir Henry. ‘Quatermain has got hold of some yarn about there being a white race up in the unknown territories beyond. </blockquote><br />However, in places I found the social commentary disturbing to my modern sensibilities. For example, Big Game hunting is no longer a prestige sport. You'll also likely miss many of the references without having a serious knowledge of Victorian life and British African history. (Its not modern <i>historical fiction</i>.)<br /><br />If you have a serious interest in early Imperial British Africa, you might want to read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/416108.The_Scramble_for_Africa?ac=1&amp;from_search=true" rel="nofollow noopener"> <i>The Scramble for Africa: The White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876 to 1912</i> </a>. This will be very helpful for historical background with this story. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40395.A_Princess_of_Mars?ac=1&amp;from_search=true" rel="nofollow noopener"><i></i>A Princess of Mars</a> is a good story to read, for an American Lost World one.

This is the sequel to King Solomon's Mines written in 1885. <br /><br />This book is written by a Victorian male writer who has certain preoccupations and stereotypes, which were I suppose typical in most male writers of the time. Readers should be aware of this.<br /><br />Having said that, this is a cracking yarn for the first half but does get a little bogged down with a love triangle theme in the second half which leads to a civil war. The story is wonderfully imaginative and I loved the descriptions of the journey the people make in the first half of the book. <br /><br />Don't get too attached to the lead characters, as only one of them manages to leave their final destination - for various reasons - and makes it back to their home country.

<i> <b>Rating: 3.5 stars<b><i></i></b></b> </i>

Hmmmm. And again...Hmmmm.<br /><br />I'm not sure what I really thought of this, hence the very neutral star rating. The first half of the book I loved - it's everything I expected. Quatermain and his friends set off across Africa to discover a lost 'white' tribe. Despite not giving any real justification for the Masai attack, the author does a good job of describing the journey and the area. The discovery at the lake and the 'Rose of Fire' was also all good, very reminiscent of 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth', but still a good read. But then I kind of lost interest.<br /><br />The Zu Vendi, cut off from the rest of civilisation in their mountain valley, should have been an interesting twist to the story - yet the arrival of five strangers seems to have little effect, other than both Queen's falling in love with the same man! I didn't really understand why this was a good plot line - I like a bit of romance, but it even fell short of that. Maybe just a justification to have our heroes fight and die in a civil war?<br /><br />So overall an OK read, but not one I would return to or really think about at all now that its over.