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SHE by H. Rider Haggard.
I’d read King Solomon’s Mines when I was 12 and first moved back to England and I didn’t like it at all. But decided I would give Haggard another go as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sahra_patroness had recommended this one VERY highly and she and I have very similar taste in books so I thought I’d give it a try. It starts with a very interesting beginning; a young man is given an ancient text telling of a unique family history. The text itself is reprinted in two types of Greek and Latin and English. This was very impressively done. I have to say that after that I was rather disappointed. The author’s style is not really one I appreciate. He doesn’t have the charm of Scott or the emotional depth of Wells. The first half seemed a rather dull typical adventure story. When She finally did arrive it took me awhile to warm up to her. But about half way through the book I did get thoroughly hooked and found myself enjoying it greatly and longing to read the sequel. The old dead civilisation, the people buried beneath the mountain, the quest for immortality, the shades of grey morality, all added together to form a fascinating world and tragedy. It is slow going but worth reading for the last half. (Note to those who’ve already read it the torches were what finally convinced me what I was reading was pretty fantastic and not your every day fare!)
I’d read King Solomon’s Mines when I was 12 and first moved back to England and I didn’t like it at all. But decided I would give Haggard another go as
sahra_patroness had recommended this one VERY highly and she and I have very similar taste in books so I thought I’d give it a try. It starts with a very interesting beginning; a young man is given an ancient text telling of a unique family history. The text itself is reprinted in two types of Greek and Latin and English. This was very impressively done. I have to say that after that I was rather disappointed. The author’s style is not really one I appreciate. He doesn’t have the charm of Scott or the emotional depth of Wells. The first half seemed a rather dull typical adventure story. When She finally did arrive it took me awhile to warm up to her. But about half way through the book I did get thoroughly hooked and found myself enjoying it greatly and longing to read the sequel. The old dead civilisation, the people buried beneath the mountain, the quest for immortality, the shades of grey morality, all added together to form a fascinating world and tragedy. It is slow going but worth reading for the last half. (Note to those who’ve already read it the torches were what finally convinced me what I was reading was pretty fantastic and not your every day fare!)