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Tarzan and the Castaways

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"Tarzan and the Castaways" is really a collection of three novellas regarding the Lord of the Apes written in 1940-1941 by Edgar Race Burroughs. This was essentially the 24th and final Tarzan book and takes it title from the first and longest of the three stories. Tarzan is stranded on one of those uncharted Pacific islands with a colorful collection of English aristocrats, a Dutch officer, and Janette Laon, the beautiful French companion of big game hunter Fritz Krause. Going back to the beginning of the series in one respect, the castaways end up on the island when the crew of the "Saigon" mutinies (which is how Tarzan's parents ended up stranded in Africa way back when). Meanwhile, the castaways also have to deal with a lost colony of Mayans who are always looking for new human sacrifices. If Tarzan was not there, all of these people would be dead meat, but although he might have second thoughts about some of them, Tarzan does save the day.

"Tarzan and the Champion" has Lord Greystoke encountering "One-Punch" Mullargan, the heavyweight champion of the world, and his manager Joey Marks. Tarzan has Nkima the little monkey on his side, so the champ does not stand a chance in this little one-joke trifle from ERB. Finally, "Tarzan and the Jungle Murders" continues the basic formula, albeit with a nod towards world events as the references to the "Great Man" in the story turn out to be about Benito Mussolini. The story is simple: there is a downed English plane and a RAF colonel, the American inventor of an ignition disruptor device, a Russian exile, cannibals, and a safari of yet more English aristocrats. Think of this one as "Clue" set in the jungle with Tarzan trying to figure out who did in who and whey (how, when and where are always obvious).

"Tarzan and the Castaways" is a collection of minor efforts by Edgar Rice Burroughs, to be read by the Tarzan fan out of a sense of completeness once everything else has been devoured (including the juvenile effort, "Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins"). The formula here was certainly tried and true once upon a time, but after two dozens novels is now tried and tired.

As Richard Lupoff notes in his Bibliographic Note: "This book might be called Last Adventures of Tarzan. It is, perhaps, the last Tarzan book that will ever be published consisting of complete tales of the Ape Man written entirely by Edgar Rice Burroughs."
He was right. There now exists a "Lost Adventure of Tarzan" completed by Lansdale, but this is all ERB, full of his richly humorous late writing about Tarzan.

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