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callmecat's review against another edition
2.0
Skip it. Lame. And I decided it wasnt racist, it's more like class-ist. But it's stronger in this book than the others and it's really annoying. Shut up, Burroughs with your really arrogant opinions. And he also goes on a lot about evolution and god and yet both go hand and hand according to him.
It's irritating. Tell the story and don't go off on tangents and don't repeat yourself so much, man.
It's irritating. Tell the story and don't go off on tangents and don't repeat yourself so much, man.
jamesbullinger's review against another edition
3.0
I should have loved Jungle Tales, but I didn't. Mostly because it was like a collection of short stories, but it also wasn't. It wanted to be a collection of short stories, but also tried to have a story line throughout. I wish it would have picked one and stuck to it. All the tales take place between when Tarzan's mama ape is killed and when he becomes king of the jungle. It should have been a great period of Tarzan's life to write stories about, but he didn't learn cool things about survival in the jungle and he didn't come across new foes.
Jungle tales did deal with Tarzan's struggle with Bestiality and interracial breeding and had an in depth essay on the nature of God that I would like to discuss with my Lit. of Religion Professor. It was still an enjoyable read, but nothing special.
Jungle tales did deal with Tarzan's struggle with Bestiality and interracial breeding and had an in depth essay on the nature of God that I would like to discuss with my Lit. of Religion Professor. It was still an enjoyable read, but nothing special.
kb_208's review against another edition
2.0
This book is essentially a collection of shorter interconnected stories during the time Tarzan lived in the jungle, before he was found. He was not yet the king of the apes, but still a growing adolescent. The stories build off of each other, usually dealing with Tarzan tricking, stealing from, or killing members of the African tribe. ERB's writing has never really been positive in that regard. Like the other books it is filled with far dated ideas and language. I still like a good adventure story, though this is not one of his best.
jordandeanbaker's review against another edition
3.0
This “book” is actually a loosely connected collection of 12 short stories. The first couple aren’t great, but it definitely gets better towards the middle and end.
Tarzan is a bad guy. ERB tries to redeem him in the last short story, but no. Teenage Tarzan (and sometimes even older “civilized” Tarzan) is a straight up murderer, casual racist, and borderline sociopath.
mild spoilers below
Every teenage boy enjoys a good practical joke, Tarzan is like the Jeffery Dahmer of practical jokesters. He plays a “joke” on the villagers by killing their medicine man and putting him in the Lion trap as bait. He plays another “joke” by killing a villager and putting his dead body into the stew pot. Tarzan almost gets himself killed by his own tribe when he skins a lion and wears its corpse (Buffalo bob-style) to scare his friends… Edgar Rice Burroughs (ERB) mentions on multiple occasions that Tarzan’s ape friends don’t understand his humor because they aren’t humans, when in reality, they don’t understand his humor because they aren’t psychopaths.
He does have a few redeeming moments and these stories did a good job of expanding on Tarzan’s early years, his thoughts on God, and his understanding of the natural world.
Tarzan is a bad guy. ERB tries to redeem him in the last short story, but no. Teenage Tarzan (and sometimes even older “civilized” Tarzan) is a straight up murderer, casual racist, and borderline sociopath.
mild spoilers below
Every teenage boy enjoys a good practical joke, Tarzan is like the Jeffery Dahmer of practical jokesters. He plays a “joke” on the villagers by killing their medicine man and putting him in the Lion trap as bait. He plays another “joke” by killing a villager and putting his dead body into the stew pot. Tarzan almost gets himself killed by his own tribe when he skins a lion and wears its corpse (Buffalo bob-style) to scare his friends… Edgar Rice Burroughs (ERB) mentions on multiple occasions that Tarzan’s ape friends don’t understand his humor because they aren’t humans, when in reality, they don’t understand his humor because they aren’t psychopaths.
He does have a few redeeming moments and these stories did a good job of expanding on Tarzan’s early years, his thoughts on God, and his understanding of the natural world.
kathyscottage's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
kryptonianfletch's review against another edition
2.0
Just not up to the quality of the previous Tarzans... I just skipped the last two stories near the end 'cause if was becoming such a chore to finnish the book
linddykal's review against another edition
4.0
This is a prequel to Tarzan #1. The author's blatant racism regarding "uncivilized" Africans aside, this is one of my favorite Tarzan books. He's unsocialized and completely alone in the jungle before he makes contact with the greater world.
brucefarrar's review against another edition
1.0
Frasier does an excellent job of voicing this story cycle of the adolescence of Burroughs’s most famous character. Originally published between 1916 and 1917 these dozen stories are chock-full of adventure, daring-do, male supremacy, and a whopping dose of the racism so characteristic of white America in the early part of the twentieth century. As the author puts it, “The baiting of the blacks was Tarzan's chief divertissement.” The recording is extremely well done, the content is despicable.
lnatal's review against another edition
4.0
Tarzan is taken captive by the warriors of a village of cannibals which has established a village near the territory of the ape tribe. He is saved from them by Tantor, the elephant.
jersy's review against another edition
3.0
"Jungle Tales of Tarzan" is a short story collection of adventures Tarzan had growing up. This includes fights with mighty foes, falling in love and overall just discovering one's self in many ways. While I liked the concept of these stories, some of them didn't do it for me. Most resulted in the same kind of battles and for some I didn't really see the point. I also think, since a lot of the stories were connected, it would have worked better as a novel, focusing on the arks with Teeka and Bukawai, with maybe the other adventures happening as it goes.
However, I really liked the writing style, reading like a classic but with more of a sense of excitement and danger. The themes of Tarzan looking for a family and establishing himself as a valuable member of his ape tribe were done well and interesting.
However, I really liked the writing style, reading like a classic but with more of a sense of excitement and danger. The themes of Tarzan looking for a family and establishing himself as a valuable member of his ape tribe were done well and interesting.
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