Customer Reviews

Tarzan 2-in-1 (The Beasts of Tarzan/The Son of Tarzan) (Tarzan the Classics) (v. 1)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Both of these books follow on the story begun by the 1st 2 in the series. In Beasts, the villainous Rokoff and Petrovich return to destroy Tarzan's family. His son is taken to Africa to be raised by cannibals, Jane is to receive a "fate worse than death and Tarzan is marooned on a jungle island. How Tarzan escapes and foils the schem is a well-told adventure. In Son, young Jack ends up in Africa and runs afoul of apes and slavers. Following in the footsteps of his father, he reverts to a savage stage while battling for the lives of himself and his love.

I first read these books a few years ago, when I was twelve. I loved all of the Tarzan series (although Jane and Jack seem to disappear later in the series) but these two novels were my favorites. Although I already owned both books, I bought this version simply because having two of my favorite novels in one volume seemed too good to be true. I re-read these books twice a year. The action keeps coming and never lets up (this from a girl who was quickly bored with The Lord of the Rings).

There is also a sort of poetic irony that Burroughs employs. Tarzan comes from the jungle into civilization, while his son goes from civilization to the jungle. While Tarzan grew up without any sort of guidance or moral direction, he is one of the most chivalrous, honorable, and genuinely good people that I've ever encountered in any book (save the bible.) The implication is that the jungle beasts are sometimes more noble and less cruel (albeit no more gentle) than humans who should know better. Indeed, when Jack and Meriem encounter other apes, baboons, or even people, they insist that they are Great Apes and not human (and are proud of the distinction). This is furthered by the fact that the most unlikely of people (as in the ugly, filthy cook on the ship which holds Jane hostage) sometimes are the most brave and good.

Overall, these two stories are great adventures that hold something deeper for anyone who cares to look.

In book 3 (The Beasts of Tarzan), the villian, Rokov, kidnaps Tarzan's family and strands him on an island. Of course our hero wins out but the plot is clever, the action terriffic, and the ending satifying. Overall a super ride to follow the first two (excellent) books. In book 4 (The Son of Tarzan), little Jack goes to Africa to return his newfound friend (an ape) to the wild. Jack has a series of great adventures and meets and falls in love with his future wife.

These two books cap the first four in the Tarzan series and all four taken together should make anyone's 'must read' list. 5 stars to all 4.

I have read most of these books and have found them very enjoyable.I am tring to get the whole series again to reread andfor my son's to read as well

I don't know why reading about a boy who goes from civilization to savage jungle should be less believable than an infant who was raised by apes in the first place, but somehow it is. Boroughs has to employ a number of contrivances that he didn't need in the first Tazan, simply because Tarzan's son went to the African jungle voluntarilly, albeit to escape imagined prosecution for an act of self-defense. The thing is, the boy is somehow old enough to kill a full grown man and smuggle Tarzan's ape ally into Africa, but he is not too old to learn to be an ape-man from scratch. It seemed more pure and plausible when Tarzan did it from infancy. Still, this Tarzan twin set is full of adventure and heroic good fun, and the Beasts of Tarzan is classic Boroughs. The author seems to be aging Tarzan so fast, however, that it is hard to see how he would have much left for the next dozen or so books in the series. By my estimation, Tarzan is in his late 30s at the end of Son of Tarzan. Jane is so far in the background it's hard to remember what all the fuss was about in the first two books. But Boroughs has a new romance for us in Son and that works out surprisingly well. A good rousing story that suffers from sequelitus. I still think the talking apes were some sort of long-lost australopithicines; I'd love to know the author's source materials.

My 14 year old son has tried to read the entire Tarzan classics, but they can be hard to find! We were able to get the book through Amazon very easily. He loved the book and can't wait to get more.

This books contains the complete third and forth Tarzan books. Both books start out with Tarzan living civilized in England, but then manage to place him in the African jungle.
"Beasts of Tarzan" is one of the weakest of the first 4 Tarzan books. Luckily it is also one of the shortest. The best image I remember from this is the thought of a boat with apes and a panther cruising through the water.
"Son of Tarzan" hardly has Tarzan in it at all. Instead it focuses on his boy as he grows from a tween to a married man - spending most of that time in the African jungle. This is a great book, and the "love story" between Korak and Meriem is touching, and is better developed the that between Tarzan and Jane in the initial books. The book does, however, seem to have some of the more violent moments. Perhaps my only complaint was that the book seemed to drag on a bit at the end. Two-thirds of the way through it becomes fairly clear what is going to happen, however, a number of plot twists are thrown in there, dragging out the novel.
What I also find interesting is that the novels seem to be filled with many elements that I've seen in movies that have come out well after the Tarzan books. It seems that the influence of the books has been well felt in hollywood (even if not in the Tarzan movies themselves.)
In the copy I have, page 208 end in the middle of a word, while 209 starts a new paragraph. The story seems to still flow properly, but I'm wondering what is missing from the "printers error"

I read both of these books as a boy, and always remembered how exciting The Son of Tarzan was. I was surprised, rereading The Beasts of Tarzan, at how well it continues the story started by the first two books (Tarzan of the Apes and The Return of Tarzan). If you want adventure, these first four books are, for me, the core of Tarzan. I can't say how they hold up for kids today, but its hard to imagine not liking them. And, saving the best for last, The Son of Tarzan is STILL one of my favorites! It is less well known than the Tarzan legend, and perhaps more exciting as a result.