Just Finished Reading: King Solomon’s Mines by H Rider Haggard (FP: 1885) [256pp] 

As a hunter, Allan Quatermain had no intention of going off on a fool's chase looking for hidden treasure. Even the old map he had held for years didn’t convince him otherwise. But returning home by steamer he chanced upon Sir Henry Curtis and his companion Captain John Good who were searching for Sir Henry’s younger, wilder, brother. Said brother had decided to do what Allan had not – to look for treasure in the vast expanse of southern Africa and make a name for himself by finding the fabled diamond mine of King Solomon himself. Persuaded to take the role of guide by Sir Henry, Allan still dismissed the existence of the mine but was willing to seek the fool who was chancing his life on the belief. It was going to be quite the adventure. Allan was certain on that point. Whether anyone would know of their fate, if they died in the desert, died on the mountain or died to wild animals he was less certain. If they came back at all they would not come back rich, unless the legend was true, unless the mines did in fact exist... 

I’ve had this book on my shelves for decades probably after seeing one of the numerous movie adaptations. Rather strangely, I thought, my copy describes it as a ‘Children’s Classic’. That’s not something I would’ve pegged it as! The text surprised me in another way – in the fact that such a well-known Imperial adventure novel could be more than a little dull. Despite the fact of evident hardship, threat and drama I didn’t feel a great deal of tension at any point. Part of that, I think, is that the adventure was essentially told in ‘flashback’ as a book written by Allan to his son in England. So, whatever was happening, we knew for certain that Allan himself would survive. Although it was somewhat less certain that either Sir Henry or Captain Good would likewise make it out, I thought the odds pretty good that they’d do so. 

The overall story was pretty well told and I can see why it must have thrilled at the time of publication and for decades afterwards. Being the type of story it was and the time period it was written in there is a significant degree of unthinking casual racism that some readers might find offensive – but to be honest such things come with the territory and should simply be noted. There was one incident in particular when the Zulu companion spoke to Sir Henry ‘as an equal’ which made Allan VERY annoyed (despite the Zulu in question essentially being a prince among his own people). But there are other significant passages were the Zulu(ish) warriors in particular are greatly praised for their bravery and fighting ability. The author had obviously done some research and I was impressed by his obvious knowledge of Zulu fighting techniques and tactics. The disastrous battle of Isandlwana had taken place 6 years prior to publication with the last stand at Rorke's Drift shortly afterwards. So, the author at the very least read about Zulu fighting styles in the papers of the day. 

Despite the problems I had with the book – both expected and not – I haven’t been put off reading more from the author. I am a fan of British Imperial fiction, both modern and classic, and have already acquired the trilogy surrounding the enigmatic character known as ‘She’. I think that should be a fun Fantasy read. This was definitely worthy of the title ‘Classic’ so I thought it was worth the read. Reasonable with the usual caveats for this sort of thing. The oldest book of the year so far.