3.44 AVERAGE

fanny44's review

3.0
adventurous fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

randomjunk's review


classic Burroughs

vpisukeeper's review

2.0

This book was more a collection of loosely connected short stories than a complete novel. The further I read in this series, the less interested I become. It just seems to be more of the same.
adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This is a collection of loosely-connected short stories in the life of Tarzan while he was still growing into young adulthood. Events in some stories are mentioned in later stories so it is best to read them all in order. The entirety of the twelve stories actually fit chronologically within chapter 11 of [b:Tarzan of the Apes|40425|Tarzan of the Apes (Tarzan, #1)|Edgar Rice Burroughs|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349074111s/40425.jpg|1774048], after Tarzan avenges the death of his foster-ape mother, Kala.

Several themes run throughout this collection of stories. Chief among them is Tarzan’s growing knowledge that he is different than the members of his ape tribe as well as an understanding that he is alone and without a companion. Because of this he becomes more independent and allows his superior (human) intellect to lead him to greater and greater discoveries about himself and how the world around him works. Other themes include his insatiable thirst for knowledge as well as displaying a certain penchant for practical jokes.

These stories were originally published monthly in Blue Book magazine, September 1916 through August 1917 before being published in book form in 1919. This year, 2018 marks the centennial of the first Tarzan on film, a silent film made in 1918, starring Elmo Lincoln (and Gordon Griffith as the young Tarzan). I’m planning on seeing many Tarzan films over the course of this year as well as reading quite a few of the novels that have so far escaped my net. Let it be my “Year of Tarzan”.
adventurous funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

jamesbullinger's review

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.

kb_208's review

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.

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.