Tuesday, July 30, 2013

"King Solomon's Mines" by H. Rider Haggard

For years, I've wanted to either read this book or see the movie based on it.  And now that I've read it, I hope to find and watch the movie soon.  Because I think this will be one of those cases where I like the movie better.

Not that I didn't enjoy the book, because I did.  But I didn't really love it.  None of the characters were particularly intriguing to me, other than Umbopa, who wasn't in it much until about two-thirds of the way through the book.  I realized, while reading this, that for me to love a character, that character has to have some kind of secret.  Either something that I don't know, as a reader, or something that they're keeping from the other characters in the book.  And Allan Quatermain, the main character of King Solomon's Mines, has zero secrets.  We know how his wife died, we know his whole life story, we know he loves his son, we know how he makes his living -- we even know how he came by the map that they follow to find the treasure.  And so I wasn't particularly interested in him.  This was a really cool insight for me, and one I'll put to good use when writing my own characters.  Make sure not to reveal everything all at once, lest readers be a bit bored.

So anyway, this is about three Englishmen in Africa who go searching for a lost diamond mine that supposedly belonged to King Solomon back in Biblical times.  It's got lots of adventure, lots of excitement, a big war, some really tense moments, everything you want in an adventure book.  (Well, everything except a character with secrets that I want to be friends with, but that's a me thing, not necessarily a you thing.)  It's one of the stories that inspired  Raiders of the Lost Ark -- in fact, there's one part of this book that is totally used in Raiders, and I loved that to bits :-)  I really want to see the movie version now (it stars Stewart Granger -- yummy!).

Particularly Good Bits:  

"We are in for a curious trip, and a mysterious Zulu won't make much difference one way or another."  (p. 38)

There they came, "not as single spies, but in battalions," as I think the Old Testament says somewhere. (p. 43)  (My note -- that's not from the Old Testament, that's from Hamlet!)

As those who read this history will probably long ago have gathered, I am, to be honest, a bit of a coward, and certainly in no way given to fighting, though, somehow, it has often been my lot to get into unpleasant positions, and to be obliged to shed man's blood.  But I have always hated it, and kept my own blood as undiminished in quantity as possible, sometimes by a judicious use of my heels.  (p. 124)

If this was a movie, I would rate it:  PG-13 for violence.

6 comments:

  1. I have not read the book, but I have seen the movie. (As you know, since I recently had a Stewart Granger month). My first exposure to the film was a couple years ago, and I didn't care for it; in fact, I was so bored that I didn't even finish it. However, because I was focusing on Stewart Granger back in May and because "King Solomon's Mines" is one of his most popular films, I decided I needed to give it another go. I'm glad I did, because I appreciated it more on a follow-up viewing. It's a 3-star film for me, but it's on the high end of 3, close to 4.

    I think you will like it. Mr. Granger is his usual charismatic self.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I have a copy that was taped off cable years ago, that I just haven't managed to watch. maybe I should start it tonight, since I don't think we'll watch the next ep of Sherlock until Friday.

      Delete
  2. Oooh! Another insight! Dig this one. I'm very curious to know how you'll like the movie. I may not have liked it, but Stewart Granger was lovely. :-D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know! It took me like three weeks to read this, and I kept trying to figure out why I just wasn't into it. One day, it just clicked, and I went, "Because I know everything about Allan Q. already. Duh."

      I thought this was on the Jerry discs, but I can't find it. If you know that it is, please drop me a line telling me which one, because I spent twenty minutes tonight scrutinizing the handwriting, to no avail.

      Delete
  3. I am not particularly interested in the book, but I might watch the movie sometime.

    -James

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a fairly fast read, so if you're ever in the mood for a ripping adventure, give it a go. Turns out I don't have the movie after all, so I'll have to see if I can scare it up on YouTube or something.

      Delete

What do you think?

Comments on old posts are always welcome! Posts older than 7 days are on moderation to dissuade spambots, so if your comment doesn't show up right away, don't worry -- it will once I approve it.

(Rudeness and vulgar language will not be tolerated.)