Product Description
This collection of H. Rider Haggard's works contains the complete 'She' series.

Contents:

She
Ayesha: The Return of She
She and Allan
Wisdom's Daughter

Includes an active table of contents. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Jungle Adventure - Powerful Women
All three novels follow exploits of explorer Allan Quartermain.All three novels, although most centrally She, include the powerful idea of the Woman a primal force seen through the eyes of a man not a feminist.Also all three are currently analyzed for racism, since they are written by a British person and set in Africa.But regardless of analysis all are action packed well written stories that are easy to read.

Plot summaries:
She - The title refers to She Who Must be Obeyed.In this novel Allan Quartermain is charged with looking after a deceased friend's nephew, Leo.They travel to Africa in search of a discovery that was also left to Leo - an advanced and hidden civilization in the heart of Africa.

King Solomon's Mines - The sequel to She also stars Leo and Allan on another quest for a hidden and advanced civilization.This time the civilization is not ruled over by a powerful queen, but features warrior women.

Allan Quartermain - Three explorers journey into the heart of Africa in search of the usual.This time they find a civilization ruled over by twin queens.Things get complicated when one of the explorers falls for a queen.

Basically these are good fun adventure stories.I recommend reading She first, since it has been analyzed by Sigmund Freud, and generally is treated as serious.Like all of the stories She was written as entertainment.If you like that one it is worth it to read the other two novels.Even though the plots all deal with tough women rulers/warriors in the heart of Afica, they are different in the details and not at all repetitive. ... Read more

Product Description
About four o'clock, however, Gobo woke me up, and told me that the head man of one of Wambe's kraals had arrived to see me. I ordered him to be brought up, and presently he came, a little, wizened, talkative old man, with a waistcloth round his middle, and a greasy, frayed kaross made of the skins of rock rabbits over his shoulders. ... Read more

Product Description
The original and unabridged classic by H. Rider Haggard, Kindle formatted with linked table of content for easy navigation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

One of my favorite books of all time
This is a brilliantly conceived book.It is amazing that it is still such a fun read after 120 years.The most remarkable thing about the book is that there are several very interesting plot twists that are wonderfully constructed, and completely outside the realm of what I would have guessed would happen.

Enjoy!!

Great Book
For me, most classic writers aren't really that interesting. But with this book, I've found a "new" author that I really like. I'll definitely be buying his collected works on the Kindle.

Why don't people write like this anymore?
What a great story! Haggard wrote adventure fiction like no one else. His pace is slow but it feels right. He isn't in any hurry. He sometimes spends a paragraph or two with stunning descriptions, painting a picture in the mind. But the unfolding plot is totally gripping, and I don't mind the time it takes to make it through.

Haggard's characters are lovable. It is what makes his stories so effective. If you don't genuinely care about the characters, then you won't care about all the dangers they encounter. Watching Leonard, Juanna, and Otter face death over and over is gripping because you like them.

Haggard's settings are fantastic! He really knew how to create a vivid fantasy world. His descriptions are carefully integrated into the plot too. At one point in the novel, Leonard (a "guest" of the People of the Mist) is led by natives through a dark tunnel to a wide-open space in pitch blackness. Leonard can hear the sound of water rushing as if far below. He can hear the murmuring of crowds of natives as though from afar. Leonard waits the coming dawn when the natives will perform a ritual. How Haggard slowly doles out information as the dawn slowly breaks is amazing. While it is still dark, Leonard probes around with his foot. He discovers that about 2 feet in front of him is a drop-off. Then as the light begins to dawn, he can see that he is suspended far above the ground with snow capped mountains all around. Then as the light increases, he realizes he is standing on the outstretched palm of a huge monstrous idol he had seen from far off. The palm isn't nearly large enough for comfort, and a hundred feet below him is a river and a crowd of natives. He looks up to discover that his love, Juanna, whom the natives think is a goddess, has been placed a hundred feet above him, on the head of the idol. Once this weird stage is set, the action is ready to begin, and its action you'll never forget.

Haggard was also a thoughtful man. He often has poignant insights into the human condition: desire for love, the nobility of sacrificing yourself for a friend, loyalty, and the impossibility of complete happiness in this life, to name a few.

I have read 5 or 6 Haggard novels now, and People of the Mist may be the best yet. If you like adventure, fantasy, romance, with a touch of philosophy and humor thrown in, you'll love Haggard. My question is, why don't people write like this anymore? And another question, Why hasn't anyone done a film of this story? It would beat out "Indiana Jones" any day of the week.

dreamy
beautiful book. as usual love the way Haggard describes nature, takes you away in dreamworld. if you like his style, highly rec.

people of the mist
I found the book entertaining and fast paced; it was pure adventure...but it was also about honor, friendship, love and treachery a good read and one that I would recommend. ... Read more

Product Description
Life is never altogether clouded over, and that morning Angela's horizon had been brightened by two big rays of sunshine that came to shed their cheering light on the grey monotony of her surroundings. For of late, notwithstanding its occasional spasms of fierce excitement, her life had been as monotonous as it was miserable. Always the same anxious grief, the same fears, the same longing pressing hourly round her like phantoms in the mist--no, not like phantoms, like real living things peeping at her from the dark. ... Read more

Product Description
This collection contains H. Rider Haggard's entire Quatermain series, including 'King Solomon's Mines' and 'Allan Quatermain.'

Contents:

King Solomon's Mines
Allan Quatermain
Allan's Wife
Maiwa's Revenge
Marie
Child of Storm
Allan the Holy Flower
Finished
The Ivory Child
She and Allan
Heu-Heu
The Treasure of the Lake
Allan and the Ice-Gods
Magepa the Buck
A Tale of Three Lions
Hunter Quatermain's Story
Long Odds

Includes an active table of Contents ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A splendid collection, but marred by sloppy Kindle formating
Despite what the Amazon product description says, when it downloaded to my Kindle it did not have a table of contents.For 18 books, this is very annoying.I was also disconcerted that the books are not in chronological order.It was discouraging to read 1 book where Allan died, and then one of the very next books describes him as a young man.I would have hoped whoever formated this book would have taken the time to find out the chronological order, and then put these books in that order.It only took me less than 2 minutes to go to wikipedia.org, search for Allan Quatermain and that article listed the chronological order.Whoever formatted this must not have been a fan of either the character or the author.But as far as the actual books, Mr. Haggard was a splendid writer, and I did enjoy the read.If not for the bad formating, I would have rated this collection 5 stars.

Complete Series
While only 17 titles are listed in the index of this Kindle edition, all 18 books are present.The story, The Ancient Allan, while not listed, immediately follows the story of The Ivory Child.
For any fan of H. R. Haggard's Allan Quatermain series, this is probably the best 99 cents you will ever spend! ... Read more

Product Description
An emotional account of the love affair between Beatrice Granger, an unmarried schoolteacher, and Geoffrey Bingham, an unhappily married barrister who lives in London. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A DIFFERENT TYPE OF HAGGARD NOVEL
"Beatrice" was first published in 1890, and was H. Rider Haggard's 10th novel, out of 58 titles. Unlike so many of his other books, "Beatrice" is one that features almost no action scenes whatsoever; no lost races, no adventure, no battles, no supernatural elements. What it IS, is a beautifully written romance novel; indeed, is is one of Haggard's most emotional works. It tells the story of the ill-fated love affair between Beatrice Granger, an unmarried Welsh school teacher, and Geoffrey Bingham, an unhappily married barrister who lives in London. This all starts after Beatrice saves Geoffrey's life in a canoeing accident during a tremendous storm (in the book's only true action set piece), and the two become interested in one another. Trouble awaits, in the form of Bingham's wife Honoria (who's only interested in money and social climbing), Owen Davies (one of the richest men in Wales, who is morbidly obsessed with marrying Beatrice), and Elizabeth (Beatrice's older sister, who will do just about anything to marry Davies herself). So where in other books we might encounter a three-way love triangle, here we have what might be called a love...pentagon?
I said before that this book contains no supernatural elements, but this is not quite true. Beatrice and Geoffrey do seem to have some kind of psychic link with one another, so that at times they can sense each other's thoughts and feelings, even when separated. Haggard's recurring theme of eternal love--of a love that survives beyond the grave--is very much in evidence in "Beatrice." This is a theme that was given play in his very first novel, "Dawn"; was much stressed in the four "She" novels; and appears in so many of his other works. Another theme that "Beatrice" seems to stress is the undesirability of the Victorian marriage state. Apparently, back in the late 19th century, divorce was seen to be a scandalous option, even for the most unhappily married couples. Haggard here shows us one such couple, and the problems that arise when this unfortunate union continues. Strangely, the author seems to have no sympathy for the problems that afflict Beatrice and Geoffrey as their romance continues. He even says so, in so many words. One must read between the lines to realize that Haggard does indeed feel for these poor unfortunates.
Of all the Haggard novels that I have read (two dozen or so), this one seemed to me the most dated. It is hard to believe that so much scandal could attach to a couple because of a love affair. But hold on a moment! Didn't our 42nd president get himself into major "mishegas" as a result of his dalliance with an unmarried woman? Indeed, wouldn't a single school teacher in a small town TODAY find herself embarrassed if her affair with a married man of prominence were to come to light? Perhaps things haven't changed so much after all! (Although it is doubtful that a scandalized woman of today would go to the extremes that Beatrice goes to to put matters right!)
"Beatrice," then, is NOT a novel for those looking for an action and adventure spectacle. But for those wishing a deliciously written novel with characters you can really care for, this might be just the ticket. At one point in this tale, Geoffrey thinks about sitting down one night with a good novel, and Haggard tells us that Bingham was "not above this frivolous occupation." Reading Haggard's "Beatrice," however, does not strike me as a "frivolous occupation." It is a serious-minded novel that the author obviously felt deeply about, and one that I do recommend highly. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Child of the Storm
The story takes place in Zululand, Africa. It happens so that Allan Quatermain stops by his Zulu friend's kraal (to those of you who never read Haggard, Kraal=household) to find that yet another friend is madly in love with the well known beauty: Mameena, or, in other words, Child of the Storm. Allan is curious to see this well known Mameena, but his friend who is in love with Mameena (his name is Saduko) goes on a crazy battle to win 100 cattle for Mameena's dowry. After going with Saduko on his quest and helping him win 600 cattle, Allan meets Mameena, and determines she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, and, though at that time Africans were thought of as savages (most unjustly, I have to add), Allan, after observing some treachery done by Mameena while pretending to be unconscious, after knowing she was false, cannot find any reason to resist her love to him, for indeed Mameena tries to engage him in a marriage, but Allan remembers her treachery and tells her no. Many adventures follow after that, until the Zulu King declares Mameena a witch, and Mameena pleads guilty. It is not the kind of Salem witchcraft that is talked about here. It is more like herb-knowledge and doctoring that the Zulus call witchcraft. After recieving her death sentence for many more offenses, including causing a civil war and it's outcome, Mameena makes a last wish. The last wish is... You'll have to figure out this as you read along with the mystery of Mameena's character. Suggested background books: Any Allan Quatermain book. Here are some Allan Quatermain titles: Allan and the Holy Flower, Marie, Allan's Wife, King Solomon's Mines, She and Allan, The Ancient Allan, Et cetera. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A LESSER-KNOWN HAGGARD MASTERPIECE
"Jess" was first published in the UK in March 1887, and was H. Rider Haggard's 5th novel out of 58. Haggard wrote this book toward the end of 1885...and, remarkably, in just nine weeks! But then again, this is the same man who, earlier in 1885, was able to write the astounding sequel to "King Solomon's Mines," "Allan Quatermain," in just 10 weeks, and who, in 1886, wrote the seminal fantasy "She" in just six! Haggard has been accused of being a careless writer, but that is certainly not the case with "Jess." It is an elegantly written novel, sometimes even poetically written.
The story takes place during the time of the first Boer War, in 1880-81. Captain John Niel comes to work on the Transvaal farm of a fellow Englishman, Silas Croft, and becomes involved in a love triangle of sorts with Croft's two nieces. One of them, Bessie, is a pretty, hardworking blond; the other, Jess, is plainer looking, intellectual, and deep thinking. Niel becomes engaged to Bessie, but after being trapped with Jess in the siege at Pretoria, realizes that he is in love with her. This makes for quite a mess for these people of high honor. To add to the problems, Haggard throws in one of his best villains, Frank Muller, an Anglo-Boer who has designs on Bessie himself and who wants to kill off the rest of her family, steal their farm, become a great Boer leader and ultimately rule all of South Africa as some kind of monarch. Muller is a truly memorable and hissable villain; extremely handsome, and with a flowing blond beard, full of contradictions and yet quite intelligent, he really does impress. "Jess" contains none of the supernatural or lost-race elements that many Haggard fans have come to expect from his novels. It is rather an extremely believable adventure and love story. This is not to say that the book is short in the action department, however. It does take place, after all, in the middle of a war, and features many scenes of fighting, attempted murder by that hissable Muller, a deadly fight with an ostrich (sounds funny, I know, but it's not), wild-game hunting, and so on. Haggard himself lived in South Africa during the time of that first Boer War, and was also an ostrich farmer for a short while, and those six years that he spent in the country (from 1875-1881) really gave him the tools with which to authentically depict his stories. It might be a good idea for a reader going into this book to do some minor research on that first Boer War--nothing too serious; just a little background work--for a fuller appreciation of the authenticity of this novel, but it isn't absolutely necessary.
Besides showing Haggard's great gift for adventure, action, romance and historical retelling, "Jess" also amply displays the author's gift for what I guess might be called poetic metaphor. Consider this paragraph, in the book's first chapter, in which Captain Niel watches a small whirlwind on the African veldt and compares it to his own life: "It's just like a man's life...coming from nobody knows where, nobody knows why, and making a little column of dust on the world's highway, and then passing away and leaving the dust to fall to the ground again, and be trodden under foot and forgotten." "Jess" is full of beautifully written passages like this one, as well as many of the author's side comments on life and death. The book really does have something in it for everyone, and it is no mystery why the book was a huge best-seller in its day. Now, the book is all but forgotten, and even many fans of H. Rider Haggard have not had a chance to discover its many fine qualities. But it is a book that will amply reward anyone who takes the trouble to seek it out. I more than highly recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
Touted by its 1885 publisher as “the most amazing story ever written,” King Solomon’s Mines was one of the bestselling novels of the nineteenth century. H. Rider Haggard’s thrilling saga of elephant hunter Allan Quatermain and his search for fabled treasure is more than just an adventure story, though: As Alexandra Fuller explains in her Introduction, in its vivid portrayal of the alliances and battles of white colonials and African tribesmen, King Solomon’s Mines “brings us the world of extremes, of the absurdly tall tales and of the illogical loyalty between disparate people that still informs this part of the world.” ... Read more

Customer Reviews (52)

One of the best
King Solomon's Mines must be one of the best adventure and action books of the 19th century. Parts of the story may seem a bit cliched at times but that is because so many writers and film producers in later years unashamedly copied from Haggard. If you want a few hours where you can escape from the modern world and vanish into an exotic land of gripping adventure then this is the book for you.
I also like Nada the Lily, Queen Sheba's Ring and The Virgin of the Sun.

Unbelievable death defying adventure served up as light entertainment
A tall tale with a comic book quality. Thousands are slaughtered. The evil ones are dramatically destroyed. The good guys cheat death many times, of course, in order to come home and talk and write about it. A happy-ending adventure that the reader will gladly vicariously join. This incredible yarn is similar to "Treasure Island" but in very different interesting African setting.

Birth of a Genre
Much of the story seems trite to a 21st century reader because its major plot points have been copied so many times in modern movies and books. For example, I was groaning when the main characters realized they could impress their captors by predicting the sky would grow dark -- i.e., solar eclipse would occur, and they had an almanac to tell them when. How many times has this trick been used? Regardless, the book is a great read, and one has to give credit to Haggard for creating so many enduring concepts. It's fast-paced and very hard to put down.

An interesting side note is how harsh Haggard (via the characters) was in his treatment of black Africans as well as animals, but I suppose that was commonplace for the era when the book was written. For example, the characters don't have any qualms about slaughtering any elephant for its ivory, and they treat the locals as clearly inferior, using terms for them that today would be extremely offensive in southern Africa.

A good romp!
My review here isn't about the book, rather this edition.Like most reviewers here, the book is fantastic--a thrilling yarn of a story.This edition--The Modern Library, have done a wonderful job updating this classic.The footnotes are very edifying and the introduction helps to contextualize the novel.Well done editors!This is the edition one should use in your book club or in class for students.

A Diamond with many facets
King Solomon's Mines is one of the best adventures ever penned.Even the Victorian-English-speak dialogue adds to the realism.A lost brother, a great treasure, an exiled black king, a pitched battle, heroes, death, a vast and dangerous wilderness, a doomed love, strong friendships, one of the strangest and most evil villainesses in all of literature, and echoes of antiquity -- what more could you want?You could want literary excellence, wonderful pace, and a slight element of the occult.Well, Haggard provides those as well.The films VERY loosely based upon this great tale are horrible. This is a dream.Go read it.Unfold Da Silvestre's fragile treasure map and take the unforgettable journey that is King Solomon's Mines. ... Read more

Product Description
All 10 Allan Quatermain novels.
1 - King Solomon's Mines
2 - Allan Quatermain
3 - Allan's Wife
4 - Maiwa's Revenge - The War of the Little Hand
5 - Marie - An Episode in the Life of the Late Allan Quatermain
6 - Child of Storm
7 - Allan and the Holy Flower
8 - Finished
9 - The Ivory Child
10 - The Ancient Allan ... Read more

Product Description
An excerpt:

Of my childhood in this Olaf life I can regain but little. There come to me, however, recollections of a house, surrounded by a moat, situated in a great plain near to seas or inland lakes, on which plain stood mounds that I connected with the dead. What the dead were I did not quite understand, but I gathered that they were people who, having once walked about and been awake, now laid themselves down in a bed of earth and slept. I remember looking at a big mound which was said to cover a chief known as "The Wanderer," whom Freydisa, the wise woman, my nurse, told me had lived hundreds or thousands of years before, and thinking that so much earth over him must make him very hot at nights.

I remember also that the hall called Aar was a long house roofed with sods, on which grew grass and sometimes little white flowers, and that inside of it cows were tied up. We lived in a place beyond, that was separated off from the cows by balks of rough timber. I used to watch them being milked through a crack between two of the balks where a knot had fallen out, leaving a convenient eyehole about the height of a walking-stick from the floor.

One day my elder and only brother, Ragnar, who had very red hair, came and pulled me away from this eyehole because he wanted to look through it himself at a cow that always kicked the girl who milked it. I howled, and Steinar, my foster-brother, who had light-coloured hair and blue eyes, and was much bigger and stronger than I, came to my help, because we always loved each other. He fought Ragnar and made his nose bleed, after which my mother, the Lady Thora, who was very beautiful, boxed his ears. Then we all cried, and my father, Thorvald, a tall man, rather loosely made, who had come in from hunting, for he carried the skin of some animal of which the blood had run down on to his leggings, scolded us and told my mother to keep us quiet as he was tired and wanted to eat. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Epic Type Adventure
This book was not a disappointment.It was actually three book series set up under one complete book for kindle.It was written well & kept me interested from the begining to the end.I was however, a little disappointed with the ending.I wish we would have had a little more closure of Olaf's later years.The book took us on a journey of heart ache and happiness.It was a good interesting read about power, greed, a soldier's honour, and above all, Love.I would say that over all this was a good book!

Wanderer's Necklace Review

I thought this free book was going to be a dud. Boy was I wrong. Olaf the main character really has some extraordinary adventures. It was rather amusing to read the insults levied at the Greeks, Muslims, black women with greasy hair, and a few others. However the best one occurredtoward the end when the Muslim Arab pointed out if he would follow their faith he could marry both girls. Is that howMuslim men think???? (Must be fiction) Anyway I could not put the book down until I finished it. I highly reccomend this book for a Kindle download.

A sense of duty you won't find anymore...
A very, very old-fashioned adventure tale. It reads somewhat like a Shakespearean story -- not a play -- with clearly drawn good and evil, some improbable plot twists, and epic battles. It is the sweeping integrity of the hero that is so compelling. He never wavers, and truly good people are drawn to him, while "bad" people hate and fear him.

You really won't see a protagonist like this anymore. He values duty above all else, without sacrificing himself.

Adventurous & Entertaining!
This is one of the greatest books that I've read in a long time.I was in search of finding something to read that would entertain and inspire me.The Wanderer's Necklace has definitely done that!Every chapter brought forth a new array of events that captivated my mind weaving heartfelt imaginations.The writer takes readers on the journey with the Wanderer and captures their attention until the finish of the book.I returned to the contents of the book eagerly until I was finished reading it every day since I got it.This is something that I have not done in a long time.I recommend this book to anyone who likes fiction that takes you on an adventure and dares to explore the depths of things that you've never known before. ... Read more

Product Description
The story of Miriam (the "Pearl Maiden"), an orphan who grows up in a colony of the Essenes. They educate her and teach her a trade, but because of the rules of their order, they must send her out into the world. She goes to live with her grandfather, a powerful Jewish merchant who hates Roman rule and helps defend Jerusalem from Titus's forces. Miriam, who has kept her Christian faith, finds herself falling in love with a Roman officer. But things get even more complicated when she learns of the love of a young Jewish boy with whom she has been raised. A tale of romance and adventure from master storyteller H. Rider Haggard. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A wonderful novel of devotion and love!!!!
I love this book!!!!!!! Probably my favorite Haggard novel and thats saying a lot as in my opinon he is one of the greatest writers of that century.
I have read a lot of historical fiction but this is by a million light years my favorite. You have to read it. It's a wonderful story I don't think I could ever get tired of it and I've already read it 13 times in two years.

This version is botched.
How can some one edit, revise, change dialogue, names and scenes and claim it is still the original?Kou readily admits to this atrocities in regards to Haggard's work.Haggard wrote brilliantly and Kou has completely mutilated Haggard's story.

What Kou has done is equivalent to rewriting Shakespeare's Othello as a Dick & Jane Bible Primer and claiming it is as Shakespeare's original work.

Find an unedited original and avoid this edition.

Amazing Book!!!
This is a book that perfectly depicts the mixed emotions an struggles of those forced to live through all of the fall of Jerusalem. Over all it's great!

One Star for Criminal Editing
An author's work has a certain integrity in terms of content and style. An editor can sustain that integrity with respect or presumptuously overrule and violate it. Judge which course editor Christopher D. Kou took on behalf of Christian Liberty Press, publisher of this centennial edition of H. Rider Haggard's "Pearl Maiden." In fact his Editor's Note testimony is self-incriminating: "I have thoroughly revised and edited the original text to make the story clearer and more enjoyable for modern readers. Grammar and word usage have been changed and updated, and much of the dialog has been rephrased. Some Latin terms have been restored in lieu of the contemporary Victorian English equivalents found in the original text....readers familiar with the 1903 edition will also note two new scenes near the final pages of this version." Kou's approach--which he regarded as benign--actually constitutes first-degree editorial text-slaughter and ought to be condemned. Avoid this ravaged edition of "Pearl Maiden" and seek another preserving Haggard's original story.

Adventure and Romance Galore - Make a Movie of This, Someone
I have set myself to reading all of the H. Rider Haggard novels, and my library had a 1903 (!) edition of this book. Geez, it is AWESOME! I love early Christianity books like _Ben Hur_ and _Quo Vadis_; this book is up in their league.

That having been said, _Pearl Maiden_ spends very little time trying to assure the reader that Christianity is the best way, the only way, and that every other culture and faith that has come before it is misguided at best and infernal at worst. That's one of the things I really admire about Haggard, the more so as I read more of his books: for a man of his time, he is remarkably open-minded.

So, what's the book about? The twisting, turning plot follows the adventures of Miriam (the "Pearl Maiden" of the book's title), an orphan whose Christian mother puts the baby into the care of a loyal servant woman. Miriam grows up in an adoring colony of Essenes, who educate her and teach her a trade (sculpting) but who, because of the dictates of their order, must send her forth into the world. She goes to live with her grandfather, a powerful Jewish merchant who hates the Roman rule and takes part in the defense of Jerusalem from Titus' forces.

Miriam, whose grandfather has allowed her to retain her Christian faith, finds herself in a conflict, for she has fallen in love with Marcus, a Roman officer. To further complicate the plot, she has been raised with Caleb, a young Jewish boy, who loves her and no other.

Well, I won't divulge any more of the the plot; you will want to savour it for yourself. It's a nice, fat book (my edition is over 500 pages), that will satisfy anyone who enjoys an action-packed historical yarn. I was up until one this morning finishing it off. ... Read more

Product Description
Now he appeared to be much disturbed, and said finally that they would bring him into trouble with the Marquis of Morella--how or why, he would not explain, though Peter guessed that it might be lest the marquis should learn from them that this priest, his chaplain, had been plundering the ship which he thought sunk, and possessing himself of his jewels. At length, seeing that the man meant mischief and would stop them in some fashion if they delayed, they bade him farewell hastily, and, pushing past him, mounted the mules that stood outside and rode away with their guide. ... Read more

Product Description
Short excerpt: I do not suppose that anyone who knows the name of Allan Quatermain would be likely to associate it with flowersand especially with orchids. Yet as it happens it was once my lot to take part in an orchid hunt of so remarkable a character that I think its details should not be lost. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A timeless adventure story
I thoroughly enjoyed this rousing adventure tale, and rate it 5 stars.The author is quite a talented writer, and this book did not seem a bit dated to me even though it is an older book.I would highly recommend it for all readers who enjoy great African adventure stories.

Good later yarn by Haggard
Probably many people who have read widely in Haggard's works would agree with C. S. Lewis, who said that Haggard's later books are better written than the earlier ones, but have less mythopoeic power.My reading of 16 of the novels (so far) bears out the truth of Lewis's comment.Haggard himself claimed that his best work was done early one (say, King Solomon's Mines, She, Nada the Lily, Allan Quatermain, Eric Brighteyes, etc.) - - although it's been reported that he thought the relatively late Child of Storm was his best single book.(I don't know of any Haggard readers who would agree with that.)

Anyway, Allan and the Holy Flower proved to be a fine entertainment.I rate it 3 stars because it isn't on the level of other books by Haggard; but as a "good yarn" it's well worth reading.

A wonderful story full of excitement and suspense!
Haggard proved to me again that he is one of the greatest adventure novelists ever.His use of character development and scenery and culture is absolutely captivating.There is nothing predictable in the book, which is very refreshing.There is nothing I dislike more than a novel that is easy to predict what happens next.
By the time you've read an hour's worth, you're hooked, and loving and feeling for nearly every character in the book.Because of this and King Solomon's Mines, I intend to find and read every Haggard book I can get my hands on.

A TREMENDOUSLY ENTERTAINING YARN
This is one of the 14 books that H. Rider Haggard wrote (starting with "King Solomon's Mines") depicting the adventures of Allan Quatermain, great English hunter in the wilds of mysterious Africa. I was a little worried when I started this book, as it took around 1 1/2 whole pages to get going, but then the next 394 pages proved just as action-packed, fast-moving and entertaining as can be. The story concerns an expedition for a very rare orchid, and the search for the kidnapped wife of one of Quatermain's friends. There are any number of tremendous battle scenes, and before all is said and done, we have run up against a giant gorilla god, cannibals, slave traders, a very suspenseful lake chase, evil wizards, a hidden volcanic sanctuary...and on and on. And for fans of Quatermain's Hottentot sidekick, Hans, let me add that this great character has rarely been shown in a more humorous or heroic light. Haggard's imagination seemed to be working overtime on this book, and despite an occasional inconsistency here and there (e.g., in one spot he writes that the Mother of the Flower is always eaten by her followers, and later on he writes that they are buried), the result is one tremendously entertaining yarn. What an incredible movie this would make, if done faithfully! It is a real shame that this book has been out of print for so long and is so hard to find now. It is well worth searching out. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

beautifully written
Moon of Israel is an amazing retelling of the Biblical story of the Exodus from the view point of Ana, the Egyptian scribe. Ana provides a down to earth naration of the ancient egyptian times during the reign of Pharoah's Meneptah, Amenmeses, and Seti. It is the story told from a different viewpoint that includes historical information, action, adventure romance, and internal struggles that are still seen in today's times. The main story follows the direction with Prince Seti who is heir to the thrown and who is forced to marry his half sister Userti. The comical events leading to that can be admired by everyone. However, Prince Seti is disinherited because he doesn't follow his fathers', Pharoah Meneptah, idea of slaughtering the Jews. Thus, Amenmeses takes his place as heir. But when the plagues of Egypt occur and the eventual release of the Jews, Amenmeses decides on revenge and finds his life at stake. Throughout it all Prince Seti discovers more of who he is and what it means to rule a nation that is in the turmultuous state it is left to him in. The love story of two cultures colliding together and the struggles the couple faces in the quest to be together is very moving.

I really like reading this story. The fluidity of the plot and how it was written and described was amazing. ... Read more