Customer Reviews

Prester John

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This novel, set more than a century ago in backwater South Africa, is the great grandfather of today's thrillers. Buchan, who perfected the form in "The 39 Steps" some years later, gives his young hero plenty to do in sussing out and confronting a massive uprising by tribesmen who wish to slaughter all the white settlers for a hundred miles around. The writing is smooth and the situations are generally believable, though modern readers will have to forgive Buchan for some racist sentiments completely common at the time. Both black and white characters are compellingly and sympathetically drawn, though, so there's no reason to apologize for the book. Read it and be taken back to another time and another place, and imagine how Hollywood would produce this today-- it feels totally contemporary in terms of its "Indiana Jones" adventure plot. Enjoy! (Note: This book is available in its entirety online.)

This is a gripping adventure story set during the British Empire mostly in South Africa. As a consequence of this, and when it was written (1910), the language is both racist and patriarchal. Written totally in the first person, from the perspective of the hero, the narrative is taut and each paragraph brings new revelations. There is a strong feeling of movement and energy throughout, which is probably why it is so easy to read and why it was so hard to put down. All in all a good adventure story in his typical style. The edition I got was a nice one. Prester John

I'm not sure what edition the other reviewer got, but the one I purchased (see link here) was professionally laid out and a beautiful edition of this truly classic book. Prester John

Nothing wrong with the text itself: it's a classic. The printing and format, however, can only be described as third world. When I order a book, I expect to hold a book in my hands, not something that looks as it it had been typed on a 1950's typewriter.