Customer Reviews

King Solomon's Mines

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Reading "King Solomon's Mines" reminded me of the joke about the guy who sees his first Shakespere play, and when asked what he thought of it, said, "real good, but so many cliches". So it is with this classic adventure story: so much of the action and plot devices were similar to what I remembered from other adventure stories (and comic books and movies), yet Rider Haggard came decades earlier. Here is one of the prototypes (along with Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island", written just a few years earlier) of the modern adventure-action story. There is lots to admire in this well crafted story: great action, excitement, characters, and exotic locations. If there's a kid you know that only wants to watch television or play video games, read this book with him or her. It shows what words on a page can do in the imagination of the reader.

It is also interesting to see the book in its historical perspective. "King Solomon's Mines", 1885, records European ignorance of and fascination with Africa, which was still partly (as Joseph Conrad later called it in "Heart of Darkness") a blank area on the map: The source of the Nile had been discovered only two decades earlier; Henry Stanley and Richard Burton were still living, the memories of David Livingstone and John Speke were still fresh; and the Berlin Africa Conference was taking place just as the novel was going into print. If that's not of interest to you, skip it. Want to curl up with a good book? Here's one for you and your kids.

I grew up on the movie so it was quit a shocker to read the book. As stated in the beginning there are no petticoated women in this book. It is a men's adventure written by a man for men. You can not miss the hand of H. Rider Haggard as he has a unique sense of humor that pops up at the strangest times. And as with written stories this one is much more intricate than the movie adaptations. You will find many assumptions of the time such as any complex construction must have been built by white people and natives on their own may turn savage.

The story is told first person by Allan Quatemain. Nevil is off to make his fortune by finding King Solomon's lost diamond mines. Allan sends him a map to help. This is the last anyone heard from Nevil. Turns out that Nevil is really the estranged brother of Henry Curtis. Sir Henry Curtis now wants to make amends and he with his friend Captain John Good, bribe Allan Quartermain to take them across an endless desert and trough impassible mountains to an adventure that will hold you to the very end. Along with them is their self imposed helper Umbopa who carries a secret of his own.

King Solomon's Mines Starring: Deborah Kerr, Stewart Granger

I formerly rated this one at only four stars since it lacks "gravitas" and is basically a pure, escapist tale. I thought that made it too light for the heady draught of five star-ism. But on reflection I think I was too harsh. The book does have staying power in my memory. So here goes.

Surely a classic, this was Haggard's first foray into the literary field -- to prove he could do it better than some of his contemporaries. Having spent time in South Africa as a minor civil servant, he drew on his experiences of that land to impart a feel for the country in this short, but by no means small, tale of treasure hunting and adventure among unknown and exotic peoples. This is the story of an over the hill "white hunter" taken into the service of two English gentlemen seeking the brother of one of them, who had disappeared years before on the edge of a great desert in vain (or perhaps not so vain) pursuit of the fabled mines of King Solomon. Along the way they are joined by an enigmatic native guide who is much more than what he seems as they stumble across previously unexplored (at least by Europeans) tracts of Africa and into a lost nation related, apparently, to the Zulus of southern Africa whom the English of that day so feared and respected. Drawn at once into the internal politics of these people and overawing them w/their European technology, they are soon in deadly peril from the cruel king of that country and the evil sorceress who conspires behind his throne.

But there's no use telling too much of a tale like this in a review -- the interested reader is urged to read it for him or herself. It's adventure in strange parts, for those with a taste to see how the great ones, like Haggard, did it.

SWM
The King of Vinland's Saga

I had heard of King Solomon's Mines my entire life but never read it. Now I know what I'd been missing. H. Rider Haggard's breakout novel is a grand, enjoyable adventure, a sort of Indiana Jones prototype from the great age of Victorian imperialism.

The narrator, Allan Quatermain, is a middle-aged big game hunter who has somehow managed to survive decades in the African wilderness. His name is known far and wide, and as a result he is approached by a pair of men with an unusual proposition. One of the men, Sir Henry Curtis, has lost an estranged brother whom he believes was searching for the legendary diamond mines of King Solomon. Quatermain just happens to possess a map and some personal knowledge of the legends, and with a deal in place to grant him half of the diamonds--should they find some as well as Curtis's brother--he agrees to join them on the journey.

Naturally, a great deal more happens to the party than they originally expected. Elephant hunts, witchcraft, and tribal warfare complicate their quest, but in the end all works out well--if unexpectedly--for most involved. Quatermain recounts the tale in a rapid, exciting manner that gripped me from the first chapter. This is one of a very few books I've read in a single day.

This Penguin Classics edition of King Solomon's Mines reproduces the first edition text of Haggard's novel. As an appendix, a heavily-revised chapter from later editions is offered as a point of comparison with the original. The editor's notes are good, though they failed to explain one or two minor things and missed some rather obvious historical allusions. A preface and introduction place Haggard's work in its historical context and offer some interesting critical insights, but are by no means required reading and, honestly, are a little dull next to Allan Quatermain's epic quest.

Overall, King Solomon's Mines is a great adventure story for readers of all ages, with well-drawn characters and exciting episodes on every page. Don't make my mistake and wait so long to read it.

Highly recommended.

King Solomon's Mines, writtten by H. Rider Haggard, is a story told from the point of view of a man named Allen Quartermain. Quartermain is an experianced hunter, fighter, trader, and miner. This book is written sometime in the late 19th century and takes place in the remote African interior. While Quartermain was on a junting expedition, he met two men, Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good. They asked him to accompany them on a trek to find Sir Henry's lost brother. Quartermain accepts this offer after much thought. Their journey well take them to remote and dangerous parts of Africa. Along the way, they face many great dangers. They nearly die of thirst in the desert and are close to being trampled by a wounded elephant. All these things they but finally, when they are so close to their destination, they get themselves into a situation that they believe is impossible to get out of. And all this happens when they were so close to obtaining the precious diomonds of solomon's mines. All their hope is is lost, and they can but pray.

I enjoyed this book very much and I would recommend it to anyone of any age. This book is crammed full of action, suspense, and mystery. if you're looking for a book to keep awake then this is it. This book is close to impossible to put down and often kept me up late to finish a good part. there are surprises around every corner and you never know what's coming. Overall I movie, "The League of Extraordinary Gentleman". This book has a sequel called Allen Quartermain. I think anyone could read this book over and over and never get tired of it.

I hate to give this a low review since it's such a good story. First of all, the story is a solid 4.5. This free kindle version is a BIG FAT ZERO! The text is butchered on my Kindle 3. Question marks replace spanish e's, and british pound symbols, etc. It was so distracting that I bought the HR Haggard Volume 1 for 99 cents. Go buy it. You'll be better off spending the 99 cents to have something readable, and you also get 4 of his books. In this instance, free is not better.

This is a great story! It's like Indiana Jones in 1895. I suspect that George Lucas based Indy on Allan Quatermain to an extent. Quatermain is a hunter in Africa, and has obtained an old map - drawn in blood no less - that gives directions to the fabled diamond mines of the biblical King Solomon. Accompanied by two other English men in search of treasure and a long lost brother, and a Zulu warrior who is not what he seems, they begin their arduous trek. Blazing deserts with no water, freezing mountains, an insane leader of a lost tribe and an evil witch all present challenges to the companions.
Both humour and adventure are commonplace in this tale, and anyone who dreams of treasure should pick up this gem.

Relic113

This classical story about the search for wealth (diamonds), for a lost brother and a lost kingdom is heavily tainted by the colonial mentality of the British Empire, 'the wisdom of the white people'.

It has a racial undertone: 'Can the sun mate with the moon, or the white with the black?'
It extolls war: 'It was a splendid sight to see brave battalions come on time after time over the barriers of their death'.
It asks full obedience to the powerful: 'Behold your king! fight and fall for him, as is the duty of the brave man.'
It shows the 'pleasures' of merciless shooting of elephants for their tusks.

But on the other hand, it contains general human insights: 'the eyes of mankind are blind to the discredited and he who is defenseless and undone finds few friends and little mercy.'
And what is life? 'It is a feather, it is the seed of the grass, blown hither and tither, sometimes multiplying itself and dying in the act, sometimes carried hence into heavens.'
'Out of the dark we came, into the dark we go. Like a storm-driven bird at night we fly out of the Nowhere, for a moment our wings are seen in the light of the fire, and, lo, we are gone again into the Nowhere. Life is nothing. Life is all. It is the hand with which we hold off death.'

Apart from its biased mentality, this book about the 'journey that a man sets his heart to', remains a classic adventure story of the battle of the brave against evil, hostile environments and adverse fortune.

Not to be missed.

King Solomon's Mines is a very solid and entertaining adventure story. The sotry is set in the late 19th century, and age of colonialism in Africa. It is told by Alan Quartermain, an expert game hunter in South Africa. He is contacted by Sir Henry Curtis, who wished to hire Quartermain as a guide to look for his lost brother. Two years earlier, Curtis' brother left to find the legendary mines of King Solomon. Fortunately, Quartermain had come into possession of a map showing the way to King Solomon's mines. The pair are accompanied by Captain John Good, a naval officer whose habits of cleanliness become comic, and Umbopa, an African porter with a mysterious secret. Needless to say, they encounter quite a few adventures along the way.

Something that might be found objectionable is the racial attitudes in this book. There are several comments that modern readers may find uncomfortable. However, if you keep in mind the time period this was written in, it's racial attitudes were more advanced than the general attitude of the time. The African characters appear as human, but some of the characters make remarks which would not pass today. If you can keep in mind the time period this was written in, I think you can enjoy this adventure, but if you are sensitive about racial remarks, then I recommend you give this a pass.

Surely a classic, this was Haggard's first foray into the literary field -- to prove he could do it better than some of his contemporaries. Having spent time in South Africa as a minor civil servant, he drew on his experiences of that land to impart a feel for the country in this short, but by no means small, tale of treasure hunting & adventure among unknown & exotic peoples. This is the story of an over the hill "white hunter" impressed into the service of two English gentlemen seeking the brother of one who had disappeared years before on the edge of a great desert in vain (or perhaps not so vain) pursuit of the fabled mines of King Solomon. Along the way they are joined by an enigmatic native guide who is much more than what he seems as they stumble across previously unexplored (@ least by Europeans) tracts of Africa & into a lost nation related, apparently, to the Zulus of southern Africa whom the English of that day so feared & respected. Drawn at once into the internal politics of these people & overawing them w/their European tricks, they are soon in deadly peril from the the cruel king of that country and the evil sorceress who conspires behind his throne. But there's no use telling too much of a tale like this in a review -- the interested reader is urged to read it for him or herself. It's quick & exciting & no more than what it seems: a fast paced adventure in strange parts, for those w/a taste to see how the great ones, like Haggard, did it. -- Stuart W. Mirsky (mirsky@ix.netcom.com