Customer Reviews

When the World Shook (Pulp fictions)

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WHEN THE WORLD SHOOK is late Haggard, written during the Great War, not very long before his death in 1925. Sad to say, it's a retread of the themes and ideas that made such an impact in early works like SHE, KING SOLOMON'S MINES and ALLAN QUATERMAIN. Three English chaps are marooned on a mysterious South Seas island. The natives tell of their powerful god Oro; whom the chaps find has been sleeping for 250,000 years. They wake him, and his beautiful daughter, who is the spitting image of our hero's dead wife, while he is a dead ringer for her lost love...

The story continues along familiar HRH lines, building to a climax which is not too different from that of SHE. However, there are a couple of things which make this yarn worth investigation for HRH fans. Firstly, the 20th century intervenes, with its aeroplanes, Kodaks and telephones. This is a novelty in the otherwise strictly Victorian goings-on. Secondly, the Great War parts of the story, while revealing unpleasantly jingoistic aspects of HRH's writing, are also illuminating in so far as they give a view of that conflict that differs from that put forward by the War Poets, but is nevertheless penned by a writer with a powerful romantic imagination.

I found a First Edition copy Circa 1917, some years back and it was the second time I had read the story. The first time was a very beat up Bantam Paperback, probably from the 50s. It is what it is, Fantasy, it has humor, vivid descriptions to peek the imagination and is just a Fun read.

The First Edition, I kept for about 10 years right next to a First Edition Tarzan. One day I did what was probably a foolish thing, I packed it up and sent it to, Peter Jackson in New Zealand. I got a nice letter of thanks with his signature, probably signed by one of several Secretaries but at least someone in his organization acknowledged getting it. Perhaps one day he may do it as a movie, strange things happen.

I was only searching for this book; I was reading a book by the old master,R.A. HEINLEIN,(rocket ship galileo), when i caught a reference to Haggard's "when the earth TREMBLED". HOW COME THE NAME DISCREPENCY?