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j_ammon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
kristykay22's review against another edition
3.0
The third Tarzan novel, originally published as a serial in 1914, sees our hero brought back to the African jungle from his London home when his wife, Jane, and their son, Jack are kidnapped by his familiar Russian enemies. A truly impressive number of twists, double twists, mistaken identities, racial stereotypes, and use of the word "thews" (I had to look it up!) ensues. Jane refreshingly gets chapters all to herself and manages to do a great job taking care of herself. Tarzan builds himself a pack of giant apes and a ruthlessly adorable panther to assist in his quest of rescuing Jane and Jack and getting them all back to civilization. If you can set aside the racism endemic to the early twentieth century adventure novel (especially ones set in Africa) this is a page turner with just the kind of florid style and cliffhangers you'd expect from Burroughs.
aaronrendahl's review against another edition
3.0
Boy, these are kind of addictive. Especially downloaded for from Project Gutenberg.
bugferbrains's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely ridiculous. I had a great time.
Plenty of action, which Burroughs is much better at writing than dialogue, which greatly bogged down the first two. I imagine that’s why it was about 100 pages shorter than them. Jane was a badass in this one, actually, and I laughed a few times, albeit for better or for worse. Tarzan is a Superman of the jungle, and it’s a fun time seeing what sort of nonsense this guy gets into.
This series is insane, and I assume it’s about to get insaner still, but I think that’s why I’m enjoying it more as it goes on. You turn your brain off, and it’s like reading an off-the-walls, 80s adventure pulp film. I will be honest though, the age still shows with the ignorant, racist perception of Burroughs, which does consistently feel like a punch in the gut every time it comes up. Though I’d say the focus lies more heavily on the action in comparison to the ones that came before, it doesn’t make it more palatable. I have to tell myself to take it for what it is: an old book written by an ignorant man from a different era. At the end of the day, I remind myself that I can’t really take the book seriously because…… well, the stories are silly.
I can almost never predict what’s going to happen next, because right when I think I’ve got it, Burroughs writes something completely crazy. It’s like trying to play chess with someone who is playing by their own rules. And y’know what? I love it. I hope the series keeps up this way.
Plenty of action, which Burroughs is much better at writing than dialogue, which greatly bogged down the first two. I imagine that’s why it was about 100 pages shorter than them. Jane was a badass in this one, actually, and I laughed a few times, albeit for better or for worse. Tarzan is a Superman of the jungle, and it’s a fun time seeing what sort of nonsense this guy gets into.
This series is insane, and I assume it’s about to get insaner still, but I think that’s why I’m enjoying it more as it goes on. You turn your brain off, and it’s like reading an off-the-walls, 80s adventure pulp film. I will be honest though, the age still shows with the ignorant, racist perception of Burroughs, which does consistently feel like a punch in the gut every time it comes up. Though I’d say the focus lies more heavily on the action in comparison to the ones that came before, it doesn’t make it more palatable. I have to tell myself to take it for what it is: an old book written by an ignorant man from a different era. At the end of the day, I remind myself that I can’t really take the book seriously because…… well, the stories are silly.
I can almost never predict what’s going to happen next, because right when I think I’ve got it, Burroughs writes something completely crazy. It’s like trying to play chess with someone who is playing by their own rules. And y’know what? I love it. I hope the series keeps up this way.
danidep's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
little_redhead5's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
maggotqueen666's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
callmecat's review against another edition
3.0
This is getting so tiresome. Stop separating the lovers and always returning to the jungle! Ugh. But I cant say that haven't still made a lot of progress. They're together, they have a son, some long time enemies are gone. They've come a long way in spite of all their setbacks. And Jane is a damsel in distress but she's never been a weakling and continues not to be. I like that! But seriously, these adventures are redundant (even within each book) and insane. But it reminds me of the formulaic way tv shows used to be written and I'm just glad for the progress they did make.
papidoc's review against another edition
3.0
A young teen classic...bet it (or others by Burroughs) aren't read much any more. Too bad.