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A review by shanaqui
The Mark of Zorro by Johnston McCulley
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I'd never read Johnston McCulley's The Mark of Zorro, so when I was looking for a bit of a break from classic detective fiction on Serial Reader, I picked it more or less at random. It mostly struck me how very much of a Robin Hood story it is, really -- transformed to a totally different setting, I'll grant you, but a lot of the characteristics are there.
The "twist" was very obvious and I assume it was supposed to be, but I always find that sort of thing frustrating.
As a whole, it's not unenjoyable, with all the usual caveats about when it was written and by whom, lending it a certain perspective and a certain way of regarding people and things. I can't say I was reading particularly critically, though, more with an eye to understanding something iconic (particularly given there's a character in the game Persona 5 who uses 'Zorro' as his persona) and getting context I didn't have.
The "twist" was very obvious and I assume it was supposed to be, but I always find that sort of thing frustrating.
As a whole, it's not unenjoyable, with all the usual caveats about when it was written and by whom, lending it a certain perspective and a certain way of regarding people and things. I can't say I was reading particularly critically, though, more with an eye to understanding something iconic (particularly given there's a character in the game Persona 5 who uses 'Zorro' as his persona) and getting context I didn't have.