She A History of Adventure edition by H Rider Haggard Literature Fiction eBooks
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Sir Henry Rider Haggard (1856-1925) was an English author of adventure novels. Haggards novels were often set in exotic locations and he is considered one of the founders of the Lost World literary genre. Haggard was also involved in agricultural reform in the British Empire. Some of Haggards best known novels are King Solomons Mines, She A History of Adventure, and the Allan Quatermain series. This version of Haggards She A History of Adventure includes a table of contents.
She A History of Adventure edition by H Rider Haggard Literature Fiction eBooks
I had never heard of 'She' before Alan Moore used her as the primary villain in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Nemo spin-off. It turns out, however, that 'She' was one of the best selling novels of all time and when published sold even better than Rider Haggard's other well known novel, 'King Solomon's Mines'. Published in 1887 'She' uses the trope of the beautiful 'White Queen' ruling a tribe in Africa. Although this concept is pretty much unused today it was employed quite often at the turn of the twentieth century and on into the 40's and 50's. One could compare the concept to Tarzan who, after becoming become popular, practically became a brand new genre spawning countless imitators. The white queen isn't a savage like Tarzan but is a powerful Caucasian female who somehow rules BECAUSE of her whiteness. These white queens are more often than not villainous in nature. I won't try to psychoanalyze the popularity of the white African queen although it's also interesting that in Ayesha's tribe woman were revered up until they became old at which time they were put to death. One character relates how his beloved wife was put to death and his life improved afterwards. Hmmm.I've long been fascinated by the immortal character but it's rare that a writer is able to create a character that truly feels immortal. DC comics has Vandal Savage and Alan Moore used not only Ayesha but also also Orlando. Each of these characters was born a normal human but by some mechanism attained immortality. Ayesha became immortal more than 2000 years prior. As brilliant a writer as Alan Moore is I never felt like he did any more than scratch the surface of immortality. Haggard, by contrast, really delves into the logistics of being immortal in a very thought provoking way. In a telling confession Ayesha admits that occasionally she is annoyed by her own presence and it never occurred to me that this is probably exactly what would happen after thousands of years trapped in your own thoughts.
'She' is a highly intelligent, well thought out story with a lot of unexpected twists. Ayesha, herself, is an incredibly powerful character and I mean that with the respect to the effect she'll have on the reader. One could believe that someone who has lived for more than two millennium would have acquired some powerful tricks and such is the case with Ayesha. Haggard doesn't dwell on her abilities but near the end of the book when she makes plans to leave her seclusion and rule the world the reader will believe it's no idle boast. Victorian age characters tend to be very flat and archetypal but Ayesha feels real. Having lived such a long life she has risen above normal ethics and even religion. The main character (Holly) attempts to have a religious discussion with Ayesha and although I suspect Haggard was sympathetic to the religious argument Ayesha ancient wisdom was such that Holly broke off the discussion on the premise that someone was going to lose the argument and it wasn't going to be Ayesha.
I can absolutely understand why 'She' was so popular when it was published. It is one of the best Victorian era books I have ever read. Haggard doesn't have the poetic writing skills of someone like Rudyard Kipling but he can write an incredibly compelling story and Ayesha is a character that is hard to forget. Upon seeing her inhuman beauty the two main characters are forever captivated and essentially trapped in a prison of desire. It's not even some base lust, it is love and 'She' is not such a terrible person. Her behavior could be viewed is unethical but one could certainly imagine that a person who has seen generation after generation pass before her would have less concern over individual lives since to her they simply pass like flames. If you've read Alan Moore's version of Ayesha who takes sadistic pleasure in breaking the necks of pigeons know that Haggard's she is nothing like that. Even if she has not the same concern for death she in no way desires to kill for the sake of killing. Even I found myself captivated by 'She' and sympathized with Leo and Holly's irresistible infatuation.
This is the first of four books featuring Ayesha which is surprising given the stories ending. I've already started the second book and intend to read them all. This is a much better book than I expected and I can imagine myself reading it again someday.
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She A History of Adventure edition by H Rider Haggard Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
I read this book when I was in grade school and I saw this book again while scrolling 's book section. So I thought I'd read it again. It has and always will be a good story. If one can get past the flowery language and the ye's and thou's, The gist is that when this little boy's father died, he was left a chest that could only be opened when he became 21. In the meantime his guardian followed the dead fathers instructions that this child would be educated and well versed in Arabic, Greek and Latin. After his schooling, they then leave on this quest that is revealed to them when they open the chest. Their jungle adventures are so amazing that if it weren't in a book, they would have never lived. As for the rest of the story, you'll just have to read it yourself.
Loved the movie, so I finally read the book... As usual, the book is quite a bit different and much better. Also read book 2... was so glad there was more to the story and it is fantastic. Very thought provoking story and so tragic... explores reincarnation and the wages of our sins. Warning... the writing is dated as this is a "manuscript" written at the turn of the century, but it is not distracting. If you haven't seen the movie (it's sometimes on TCM), this story is about eternal love and devotion, faith, and contains fantastical adventures. Be sure and read the sequel, AYESHA, THE RETURN OF SHE. This is a story of love that cannot be destroyed or forgotten.
This is a classic adventure tale by the author better known for “King Solomon’s Mines”. The tale is well told, complete with some ancient artifacts pointing to a forgotten land, a 2000-year old queen of compelling beauty, myths of rebirth, and a lost civilization. Along the way, there is also some interesting dialogue concerning morality, good and evil, and the considerations accompanying a life that could last thousands of years.
The main character, the “immortal” Queen Ayesha, is more complex than one might expect, as is the narrator, Holly. Some of the other characters, including Leo, Holly’s adopted son and the reborn, lost love interest of Ayesha, are drawn more thinly. Nevertheless, although this was written over 100 years ago, and hence contains more old-fashioned Victorian-style dialogue, it is a good, readable adventure story.
This would make a great movie in the right hands, not only because of the story and themes themselves, but because the scenery and sets could be absolutely astounding with today’s cinematic tools. The only real challenge would not be technological, but would be the casting of Ayesha, who possesses an irresistible beauty that was imparted to her by the same force that made her virtually immortal. No actress could possibly measure up to the narrative. (A movie that was made back in the 60s is a bit cheesy in places, and even famed beauty Ursula Andress couldn’t quite pull it off.) Unfortunately, even in a cinematic age where no movie is seemingly immune to remake, we will likely not see this one attempted again. This 100 year old classic tale has a narrator from university England, and a white all-powerful queen with captivating beauty as one of her chief assets, reigning over a primitive lost African cannibal civilization. So dated! -p (-sigh-). Retooling this for what seem to be 21st century sensibilities would ruin it. But it’s a great book!
I had never heard of 'She' before Alan Moore used her as the primary villain in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Nemo spin-off. It turns out, however, that 'She' was one of the best selling novels of all time and when published sold even better than Rider Haggard's other well known novel, 'King Solomon's Mines'. Published in 1887 'She' uses the trope of the beautiful 'White Queen' ruling a tribe in Africa. Although this concept is pretty much unused today it was employed quite often at the turn of the twentieth century and on into the 40's and 50's. One could compare the concept to Tarzan who, after becoming become popular, practically became a brand new genre spawning countless imitators. The white queen isn't a savage like Tarzan but is a powerful Caucasian female who somehow rules BECAUSE of her whiteness. These white queens are more often than not villainous in nature. I won't try to psychoanalyze the popularity of the white African queen although it's also interesting that in Ayesha's tribe woman were revered up until they became old at which time they were put to death. One character relates how his beloved wife was put to death and his life improved afterwards. Hmmm.
I've long been fascinated by the immortal character but it's rare that a writer is able to create a character that truly feels immortal. DC comics has Vandal Savage and Alan Moore used not only Ayesha but also also Orlando. Each of these characters was born a normal human but by some mechanism attained immortality. Ayesha became immortal more than 2000 years prior. As brilliant a writer as Alan Moore is I never felt like he did any more than scratch the surface of immortality. Haggard, by contrast, really delves into the logistics of being immortal in a very thought provoking way. In a telling confession Ayesha admits that occasionally she is annoyed by her own presence and it never occurred to me that this is probably exactly what would happen after thousands of years trapped in your own thoughts.
'She' is a highly intelligent, well thought out story with a lot of unexpected twists. Ayesha, herself, is an incredibly powerful character and I mean that with the respect to the effect she'll have on the reader. One could believe that someone who has lived for more than two millennium would have acquired some powerful tricks and such is the case with Ayesha. Haggard doesn't dwell on her abilities but near the end of the book when she makes plans to leave her seclusion and rule the world the reader will believe it's no idle boast. Victorian age characters tend to be very flat and archetypal but Ayesha feels real. Having lived such a long life she has risen above normal ethics and even religion. The main character (Holly) attempts to have a religious discussion with Ayesha and although I suspect Haggard was sympathetic to the religious argument Ayesha ancient wisdom was such that Holly broke off the discussion on the premise that someone was going to lose the argument and it wasn't going to be Ayesha.
I can absolutely understand why 'She' was so popular when it was published. It is one of the best Victorian era books I have ever read. Haggard doesn't have the poetic writing skills of someone like Rudyard Kipling but he can write an incredibly compelling story and Ayesha is a character that is hard to forget. Upon seeing her inhuman beauty the two main characters are forever captivated and essentially trapped in a prison of desire. It's not even some base lust, it is love and 'She' is not such a terrible person. Her behavior could be viewed is unethical but one could certainly imagine that a person who has seen generation after generation pass before her would have less concern over individual lives since to her they simply pass like flames. If you've read Alan Moore's version of Ayesha who takes sadistic pleasure in breaking the necks of pigeons know that Haggard's she is nothing like that. Even if she has not the same concern for death she in no way desires to kill for the sake of killing. Even I found myself captivated by 'She' and sympathized with Leo and Holly's irresistible infatuation.
This is the first of four books featuring Ayesha which is surprising given the stories ending. I've already started the second book and intend to read them all. This is a much better book than I expected and I can imagine myself reading it again someday.
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