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adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Still an enjoyable romp. Don't expect the behavior of any African animal to be accurate. Burroughs did not have the benefit of all the full colour and sound documentaries that have been made since he first wrote this in 1916.
The adventure and human interaction, and prose descriptions are still excellent quality and contain quite a few good vocabulary words for any younger readers.
The adventure and human interaction, and prose descriptions are still excellent quality and contain quite a few good vocabulary words for any younger readers.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Murder, Alcohol
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not as good as the earlier novels. A series of ridiculous coincidences occur which deposit Tarzan’s son in the African jungle. I don’t think Burroughs has really thought it through. He just wants him there are quickly as possible so he can tell the story he wants to tell.
So the son takes to the jungle really well and soon enough we have a second Tarzan. It baffles me as to why Burroughs would think we need one, or why we would accept one. You have to be really good at suspending your disbelief when reading these novels. That this could happen twice is really pushing it. Anyway, there’s some suggestion that Korak or whatever his name is is well fitted to the jungle because of his exposure to the English public school system. But then we get this passage:
‘Much of this had Akut taught him, but far more was instinctive knowledge – a species of strange intuition inherited from his father.’
Perhaps this is something related to Burroughs’ white supremacist ideology, that worth can be passed down through blood, I don’t know, but it’s ridiculous. Has he also inherited a knowledge of how to put in a tampon from his mother? And if knowledge is passed down, how did Tarzan acquire his when his parents knew nothing of jungle life? It completely undermines Tarzan’s story where you have a naturally strong, intelligent person whose particular skills are imparted by upbringing.
Still, the book is readable and entertaining, though not always for the reasons Burroughs intends. It does pick up in the second half.
So the son takes to the jungle really well and soon enough we have a second Tarzan. It baffles me as to why Burroughs would think we need one, or why we would accept one. You have to be really good at suspending your disbelief when reading these novels. That this could happen twice is really pushing it. Anyway, there’s some suggestion that Korak or whatever his name is is well fitted to the jungle because of his exposure to the English public school system. But then we get this passage:
‘Much of this had Akut taught him, but far more was instinctive knowledge – a species of strange intuition inherited from his father.’
Perhaps this is something related to Burroughs’ white supremacist ideology, that worth can be passed down through blood, I don’t know, but it’s ridiculous. Has he also inherited a knowledge of how to put in a tampon from his mother? And if knowledge is passed down, how did Tarzan acquire his when his parents knew nothing of jungle life? It completely undermines Tarzan’s story where you have a naturally strong, intelligent person whose particular skills are imparted by upbringing.
Still, the book is readable and entertaining, though not always for the reasons Burroughs intends. It does pick up in the second half.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation