Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold (Gateway Movie Classics) - Softcover

HENRY RIDER HAGGARD (1856-1925) was born in Norfolk, England. After failing the Army entrance exam, he went to Natal in 1875, as secretary to Sir Henry Bulwer, and the next year went to the Transvaal. He returned to England in 1881, married, and settled down to a literary life. His first novel, King Solomon's Mines, was published in 1885. He published thirty-four adventure novels during his lifetime. He was knighted in 1912.

This sequel to Haggard's more popular KING SOLOMON'S MINES is, like its predecessor, a story of high adventure in the wilds of interior Africa a century ago. Unlike its predecessor, it's plodding in spots. And so, unfortunately, is the narration. Fred Williams, earnest, blessed with a lovely baritone voice, at times as richly dramatic as the events he describes, too often reads individual words, not the customary word clusters. Moreover, his frequent failure to distinguish among a fairly small cast of characters will puzzle listeners eager to know who is saying what. Devotees of robust expeditions will stay the course; less enthusiastic fellow travelers may drop out. T.H. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine