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A review by luftschlosseule
Allan and the Holy Flower by H. Rider Haggard
2.0
I was not prepared for this.
I've read King Salomo's Mines years ago and am a huge fan of Mary Henrietta Kingsley and travelogues from that time period, so I thought I'd know what I am getting into.
The plot: Quartermain meets an old friend who tells him of a very valuable orchid which is worshipped as a god by a tribe, the Pongo. They want to take it, take, not steal, because that would mean they had some inkling of what they were planning, some kind of moral conscience.
Quartermain has a trip to England sheduled, and ventures to find a sponsor willing to set them out for the expedition. He recruits a young guy, who clearly never achieved any kind of training he'd need for the adventure and who just was disinherited by his father. I wonder where he had the money from, since his father gave him none.
Back in Africa, I am left quite speechless at the level of racism portrayed here. Guy takes the wrong cup by accident and is nearly retching because on of the "stupid savages" has drunk from it before.
The white men see themselves in their right, save the day, are noble when it suits them.
I'm not sure I want to read Hagard's other books.
I've read King Salomo's Mines years ago and am a huge fan of Mary Henrietta Kingsley and travelogues from that time period, so I thought I'd know what I am getting into.
The plot: Quartermain meets an old friend who tells him of a very valuable orchid which is worshipped as a god by a tribe, the Pongo. They want to take it, take, not steal, because that would mean they had some inkling of what they were planning, some kind of moral conscience.
Quartermain has a trip to England sheduled, and ventures to find a sponsor willing to set them out for the expedition. He recruits a young guy, who clearly never achieved any kind of training he'd need for the adventure and who just was disinherited by his father. I wonder where he had the money from, since his father gave him none.
Back in Africa, I am left quite speechless at the level of racism portrayed here. Guy takes the wrong cup by accident and is nearly retching because on of the "stupid savages" has drunk from it before.
The white men see themselves in their right, save the day, are noble when it suits them.
I'm not sure I want to read Hagard's other books.