Allan Quatermain

by H. Rider Haggard

Overview

Allan Quatermain is an 1887 novel by H. Rider Haggard. It is the sequel to Haggard's 1885 novel King Solomon's Mines.

Haggard wrote the book over his summer holiday in 1885 immediately after King Solomon's Mines. It was first serialised in Longman's Magazine before being published.

At the beginning of the book, Allan Quatermain's only son has died and he longs to get back into the wilderness. He persuades Sir Henry Curtis, Captain John Good, and the Zulu chief Umslopogaas to accompany him, and they set out from the coast of east Africa into the territory of the Maasai. While staying with a Scottish missionary, Mr. Mackenzie, they run into a group of Maasai who kidnap Mr. Mackenzie's daughter. The Maasai demand the life of one of the party as ransom, but instead they lead an attack on the Maasai, catching them by surprise and slaughtering them. The group then travel by canoe along an underground river to a lake (which turns out to be the sacred lake of Zu-Vendis) in the kingdom of Zu-Vendis beyond a range of mountains. The Zu-Vendi are a warlike race of white-skinned people isolated from other African races; their capital is called Milosis. At the time of the British party's arrival, they are ruled jointly by two sisters, Nyleptha and Sorais. The priests of the Zu-Vendi religion are hostile to the explorers as they had killed hippopotamuses - animals sacred to the Zu-Vendis - on their arrival, but the queens protect them.

Both sisters fall passionately in love with Curtis, but Curtis loves only Nyleptha. Together with Nyleptha's rejection of the nobleman Nasta, the lord of a highland domain, a civil war breaks out. Sorais' and Nasta's forces fight against those of Nyleptha, Curtis and Quatermain. After a battle in which Queen Nyleptha's forces emerge victorious despite being outnumbered, it turns out that Queen Nyleptha is threatened by the treachery of the priests, who plan to murder her in her palace before her army's return. Umslopogaas and one loyal warrior manage to save her by defending the main doorway of the palace, while killing the attackers including Nasta and the chief priest Agon, although both are mortally wounded. Defeated and jealous, Sorais takes her own life. Nyleptha and Curtis become queen and king, while Quatermain dies from a wound suffered in the battle.

The book Science-Fiction: The Early Years said about Allan Quatermain that the book was "one of Haggard's most successful works" and "the lost-race novel par excellence, setting up many of the motifs and fictional patterns that became an integral part of the subgenre".

King Solomon's Mines and Allan Quatermain were adapted into the film King Solomon's Treasure. Allan Quatermain was also adapted into the film Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold. (wikipedia.org)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798888304907
Publisher:	Bibliotech Press
Publication date:	03/03/2023
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

Sir Henry Rider Haggard, (1856-1925) commonly known as H. Rider Haggard was an English author active during the Victorian era. Considered a pioneer of the lost world genre, Haggard was known for his adventure fiction. His work often depicted African settings inspired by the seven years he lived in South Africa with his family. In 1880, Haggard married Marianna Louisa Margitson and together they had four children, one of which followed her father’s footsteps and became an author. Haggard is still widely read today, and is celebrated for his imaginative wit and impact on 19th century adventure literature.

Read an Excerpt

posed to have its home somewhere up in this direction, and I have a mind to see if there is any truth in them. If you fellows like to come, well and good; if not, I'll go alone." " I'm your man, though I don't believe in your white race," said Sir Henry Curtis, rising and placing his arm upon my shoulder. " Ditto," remarked Good ; " I'll go into training at once. By all means let's go to Mt. Kenia and the other place with an unpronounceable name, and look for a white race that does not exist. It's all one to me." " When do you propose to start?" asked Sir Henry. " This day month," I answered, " by the British India steamboat ; and don't you be so certain that things don't exist because you do not happen to have heard of them. Remember King Solomon's Mines." Some fourteen weeks or so had passed since the date of this conversation, and this history goes on its way in very different surroundings. After much deliberation and inquiry we came to the conclusion that our best starting-point for Mt. Kenia would be from the neighborhood of the mouth of the Tana River, and not from Mombasa, a place over one hundred miles nearer Zanzibar. This conclusion we arrived at from information given to us by a German trader whom we met upon the steamer at Aden. I think that he was the dirtiest German I ever knew ; but he was a good fellow, and gave us a great deal of valuable information. " Lamu," said he, "you goes to Lamuoh ze beautiful place !" and he turned up his fat face and beamed with mild rapture. " One year and a half I live there and never change my shirt never at all." And so it came to pass that on arriving at the island we disembarked with all our goods and chattels, and not knowing whereto go, marched boldly up to the house of her Majesty's consul, where we were ...

Editorial Reviews

This sequel…is, like its predecessor, a story of high adventure in the wilds of interior Africa a century ago…Williams [is] earnest, blessed with a lovely baritone voice, at times as richly dramatic as the events he describes.”

AudioFile

Williams’ fully voiced reading of this magnificent first-person narrative emphasizes the dangers and hardships that the adventurers undergo in their journey. Williams reads with excellent narrative timing and his wide range of voices and accents adds a great deal.”

Kliatt