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52 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE Mark of Zorro, January 17, 2000
This review is from: The Mark of Zorro (Mass Market Paperback)
Many people have seen "The Mask of Zorro" starring Antonio Banderas. Even more are familiar with Guy Williams' 1957-59 portrayal of the legendary hero, or even Duncan Regehr's series in the early 1990s. But very few have, unfortunately, ever read the book that started it all, "The Mark of Zorro", originally entitled "The Curse of Capistrano" in its initial 1919 release. This is such a shame. Few Zorro stories of today -- excepting some fan fiction -- can rival the genius in Johnston McCulley's work(s). His Zorro is the ultimate adventurer. Zorro's best-kept secret is the fact that there wasn't *one* Zorro story written by Johnston McCulley -- there were sixty! A wonderful new company is currently in production of republishing every one of these classic stories. I've read some of them; they're every bit as good as "Mark". Truly "must-reads". Miss them at your own expense.
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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
But beware this printed edition!, June 20, 2005
Yes, "The Mark of Zorro" is a light-hearted, spirited adventure romp, but this hardcover, at 25 bucks, is not a place to start.
The story by McCulley, is a terrific read, from stem to stern, even when you know the ending.
The physical book itself is AWFUL.
There are numerous typos throughout the entire book.
The letter "o" gets replaced by the number "6" a half dozen times in the last few pages alone.
There's a half a page duplicated, making for some confusing reading two-thirds of the way through.
The word "the" is often replaced by the the word "Die", making me wonder if there was some German transcriptionist involved somewhere along the line.
Letters are capitalized in the midst of words for no meaning.
It actually made reading this simple tale a chore.
I loved this story, but I hated the actual book it was printed in.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Depend on the Original, June 20, 2005
This review is from: The Mark of Zorro (Mass Market Paperback)
After being disappointed by the new Allende book on Zorro, I went in search of the original. What a lark! It's everything the Allende book is not: suspenseful, humorous (the response of Don Diego's prospective in-laws to hearing him sing and play guitar the first time is priceless), and exciting. You love the daring of the fox, and his passion to enlist others in a just cause (Allende leaves you wondering if Zorro possesses any motivation other than puerile lust). Eighty-five years after Zorro first appeared, he still has the power to make us wish that noblemen possessed nobility. The prose is simple and direct, unpretentious and effective. There will always be those who want to profit from a legend, but trust to the original. It's no Count of Monte Cristo, but it's ripping good adventure.
Allende made me ask "When will it end"; McCulley makes me ask "Does it have to end?"
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