A review by annettewolf
The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs

4.0

Old villains pop up again in this book, which takes place a couple years after The Return of Tarzan. Tarzan and Jane are married, they have a young son, and Rokoff and Paulvitch are back for revenge. Everyone gets kidnapped and separated, and has to fight for survival and escape.

Tarzan ends up on an island with no immediate way off. He takes to his jungle ways and befriends a panther named Sheeta, and an intelligent ape, ruler of his tribe, called Akut.

Man, this was my favorite so far, of the three Tarzan books I’ve read. The animals are clever and beautiful and the way they communicate with Tarzan and he with them is just—wild and awesome. Gives you respect for the animal kingdom, and for Nature. That’s what’s so fascinating about Tarzan anyway, right? How close he is to Nature, to wildness.

This is an excellent read for any fan of Tarzan and of adventure novels. I have to admit, I’ve tried a couple times since to read the next book, The Son of Tarzan. I can’t seem to get through it. I’ll probably give it another go later on, since I love Tarzan so much. But the book is, understandably, given the title, mostly about Tarzan’s son Jack, and therefore not as interesting. Oh well. The Beasts of Tarzan will remain my favorite Tarzan novel for a good long time.