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King Solomon's Mines: The Graphic Novel (Campfire Graphic Novels) Paperback – March 22, 2011
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Sir Henry and his friend, Captain Good, decide that sitting around waiting is doing no good, and set out to find him. As luck would have it they meet Allan Quatermain, an experienced elephant hunter, who encountered the missing brother many years earlier. He had told Quatermain that he was searching for the mines of King Solomon - diamond mines, which most people believe to be a myth.
With a glimmer of hope, and an idea which way he had headed, our heroic trio venture out into the unexplored regions of Africa. Their quest takes them into the very heart of danger.
Unbelievable adventures follow involving ancient tribes, terrifying Kings and evil witches. Will our adventurers find George and the treasures rumored to be hidden in King Solomon's Mines? Or will the obstacles they experience prove too much for them?
- Reading age8 - 12 years
- Print length72 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level3 - 7
- Dimensions6.54 x 0.17 x 10.29 inches
- PublisherCampfire
- Publication dateMarch 22, 2011
- ISBN-109380028539
- ISBN-13978-9380028538
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Review
— Chris Wilson, The Graphic Classroom (a resource for teachers and librarians)
"Campfire has another thrilling classic, this time into the heart of Africa. . . . Action, adventure, mystery, and the dream of finding a lost treasure, all ingredients to feed a kid’s imagination." -- School Library Journal
About the Author
Having worked in, and travelled around, South Africa for several years, Henry finally settled down with his wife in England, in 1881. His first book, Cetywayo and his White Neighbours was published in 1882. Although it was not as successful as he would have hoped, this did not deter him. Three years later King Solomon's Mines, an adventure story set in Africa, brought him instant and amazing success. In 1887, She also proved to be a hit and won critical acclaim.
Product details
- Publisher : Campfire (March 22, 2011)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 72 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9380028539
- ISBN-13 : 978-9380028538
- Reading age : 8 - 12 years
- Grade level : 3 - 7
- Item Weight : 6.5 ounces
- Dimensions : 6.54 x 0.17 x 10.29 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #3,953,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,341 in Graphic Novel Adaptations
- #3,988 in Teen & Young Adult Classic Literature
- #4,893 in Literary Graphic Novels (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
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Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
Rex Reilly is a Master Naturalist, a Red-Carded Wildland Firefighter with an FAA Part 107 sUAS license, an 80's era ex-Navy Corpsman and ex-Army Radio Operator (31M) who holds an Amateur Extra radio license and has been repeatedly certified as an EMT, First Aid/CPR Instructor, Rescue Diver, martial arts instructor, firearms instructor, Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Interpretive Guide.
He's also been a meditation teacher, video/audio producer and is a Boy Scout Merit Badge Counselor for Backpacking; Camping; Environmental Science; Exploration; Fish & Wildlife Management; Forestry; Geocaching; Hiking; Nature; Orienteering; Plant Science; Reptile & Amphibian Study; Scouting Heritage; Search & Rescue; Soil & Water Conservation; Sustainability; Radio; First Aid; Emergency Preparedness; Fire Safety; Camping; Wilderness Survival.
Currently Reilly is the Executive Director for the Sierra Research Homestead. The Sierra Research Homestead is semi-self-funding with a variety of products available online and at local farmer’s markets in Valencia County, NM. 100% of the proceeds from the fundraising goes into homestead projects, operating expenses and marketing
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The story is told in first person by Allan Quatermain, written as a manuscript for his son, though occasionally (a first novel mistake, it would seem), Quatermainaddresses "Reader", instead of his son as he does throughout most of the novel. In the manuscript, Quatermain tells of meeting with Sir Henry Curtis and Sir Henry's friend Good, who had come to Africa in search of Sir Henry's missing brother. The last heard of him had been that he was going to Durbin in search of treasure. Quatermain was able to tell Sir Henry of a man that fit the description, a man Quatermain had given directions that might have helped him find King Solomon's mines. Sir Henry persuades Quatermain to join them as guide, and what follows is an adventure tale of fast friendship, narrow escapes, devoted love, true evil and, of course, treasure.
While it is dated in some ways, King Solomon's Mines remains an magnificent yarn, drawing in the reader with an exciting plot and lovely descriptions and interesting characters. It remains a fun read, even some 125 years later.
Haggard shows a surprising sympathy for the African native, in relation to his era, and explains some tribal practices with a very tolerant touch. While it is still obvious to a modern reader that Haggard considers the white European to be superior, the African characters are not stereotyped or portrayed as ignorant or evil, though superstition is a characteristic. Haggard makes no denial of the beauty of the African women, but does make his point "can the sun mate with the darkness or the white with the black?" on a few occasions.
While the three main characters are white Europeans, there are three less major heroes who are African: Ignosi, Infadoos and the lovely Foulata, and these characters have equally important parts to play as Quatermain, Sir Henry and Good. Overall, Haggard kept his African characters in the area between the prejudiced portrayal and the equally insulting "noble savage", seemingly ahead of his time.
While King Solomon's Mines is not a quick fluff read, it is still a somewhat light swashbuckling tale, full of humor and excitement and solid writing.
(Completely aside, I had to wonder just how titillating Haggard's many references to the mountains, Sheba's Breast, were to Victorians, especially given how often he described the "nipples" of these mountains, and their "firm roundness".)
Note on the Kindle edition: foreign symbols, such as the British pound sign and accent marks, were unable to copy over from the font originally used and showed up as a "?" on the Kindle. This occurrence was not frequent enough to be a problem, and as the edition is free, I don't find it a deterrent to recommending this version.
The story is an action-adventure arch-plot. The protagonist, Allan Quatermain, is a “great white hunter” in late nineteenth century Africa. He barely makes a living by leading hunting expeditions, but it’s a life that suits him. His “call to adventure” comes when he meets Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good on board a ship taking him home after a hunting trip. Sir Henry engages Quatermain to lead an expedition to find his brother, who disappeared while searching for King Solomon’s lost diamond mines.
The expedition is worthy of an Indiana Jones movie (Indy is dramatically descended from Quatermain). There’s a desert crossing, mountain scaling, being lost in an underground maze, a treasure room, and even a tribal civil war. There’s plenty of action here, and it’s generally well done.
Yes, there are racist and sexist aspects to this novel. I was struck, however, by some mitigation of those aspects by the author, Mr. Haggard. The whole book is constructed as a memoir written by Quatermain for his son (a common nineteenth century literary device). Near the beginning, Quatermain makes use of the N-word and then states that he hates that word, and does not use it again. That’s more than Mark Twain or E. R. Burroughs ever did (not that the latter were racists, but they were white men of their time). Quatermain does use the term, “kafir,” a lot, which I believe is an African equivalent of N. I don’t know how derogatory it was in the 1800’s, but there is, at least, a definite condescension in it’s use here.
The largest section of the book deals with Quatermain’s time among the Kukuana tribe—even fighting in their tribal civil war. There are “evil, crazy, native” scenes like you see in the early Tarzan films, but there is some balance to that with an overall presentation of the Kukuana as good people with noble leaders (other than their evil king and witch doctor). This noble aspect has a “Black Panther” (the movie) feel to it, considering the time when the book was first published (1885).
I also have to ding the novel for scenes of native ignorance: fear of guns, believing the white men are from the stars, seeing a lunar eclipse as magic from the white men. Of course, for the time, these were probably conventions expected in jungle adventure stories. But then, there is also an interracial love relationship featured. That had to be explosive for the time, though Mr. Haggard mitigated it by implying that this was a singular relationship and that unlike races should not mate.
The book is also infused with the belief that white men are superior to all other races and all women. Since the book is written as a work of Quatermain, though, that belief can be ascribed to being his bias. Maybe that was a way for Mr. Haggard to appease his general readership while sneaking some progressive ideas into an adventure story.
Another big cringe aspect is the slaughter of African animals being taken for granted and without conscience, especially the killing of elephants for ivory. But again, that attitude was common for the time.
For this book being a heavy action tale, with the greatest part of it involving the fighting in a civil war, Mr. Haggard presents some interesting observations about the futility of war. He has Quatermain noting the misery impacted by any warrior’s death on that warrior’s family and friends. He does this several times. Even so, there is still often depicted the manliness and bravado of fighting to the death so that one person, rather than another, can rule over everybody.
While I could not ignore all the biases and archaic attitudes as I read, still, this is a classic “pulp jungle adventure” that is better done than the Tarzan stories (in my opinion). While containing the racism and sexism of the day, Mr. Haggard offers some surprisingly progressive ideas. Overall, it’s an adventure tale that expresses the joy of just being alive and facing challenges. Showing a fledgling respect for women and native Africans, it is a classic of its genre and King Solomon’s Mines remains, to this day, a good read.
The legendary lost mines of King Solomon become the objective of three Englishmen, one of whom is the renowned elephant hunter Allan Quartermain. Their path, based on an old map and an old story known to Quartermain, takes them deep into an unexplored region of Africa. Along the way, they will encounter hostile tribes, wild animals, and hunger and thirst. Their objective will be guarded by an evil witch. Their way to safety will have its own obstacles, and more than a few deadly traps. At the end, the men will have to decide to live, or die...
The content of the novel is now a bit dated, but it still reads like the classic adventure story that it is, with the main characters encountering one life-threatening situation after another, to be overcome by skill, courage, and honor. The possibility of finding the mythic mines and their fabled wealth is a sure draw. The story has provided fodder for more than one movie, and reading it, the reader will understand why; recommended.