King Solomon's Mines

By: Henry Rider Haggard

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the best-selling novels of the 19th century, King Solomon's Mines has inspired dozens of adventure stories, including Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan books and the Indiana Jones movies. Vivid and enormously action-packed, Henry Rider Haggard's tale of danger and discovery continues to shock and thrill, as it has since it was first presented to the public and heralded as "the most amazing book ever written."

The story begins when renowned safari hunter Allan Quatermain agrees to help Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good search for King Solomon's legendary cache of diamonds. Eager to find out what is true, what is myth, and what is really buried in the darkness of the mines, the tireless adventurers delve into the Sahara's treacherous Veil of Sand, where they stumble upon a mysterious lost tribe of African warriors. Finding themselves in deadly peril from that country's cruel king and the evil sorceress who conspires behind his throne, the explorers escape, but what they seek could be the most savage trap of all---the forbidden, impenetrable, and spectacular King Solomon's Mines.

Public Domain (P)2010 Tantor

Purchase the Kindle book for free

Would you consider the audio edition of King Solomon's Mines to be better than the print version?

Heads up! This book is $.99 with the purchase of the Kindle book which is free.

Not PC

Not politically correct, but just good story telling. My biggest question was why Quatermain was included in the league of extraordinary Gentlemen. Maybe there's something in a later story.

Excellent

The classic that inspired so many. Wonderfully read by mr. Prebble.
A fine addition to any collection.

Classic story with offensive racial vocabulary

What made the experience of listening to King Solomon's Mines the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the narrator and wanted to listen to the story because it's a classic I had yet to read. But was wholly disappointed and heart-torn with the racial slurs and degradation. I'm really at a loss as to rating the book. It is a classic, and probably true to the period, but in my opinion, that's no excuse to write in such a blatantly prejudiced style. Maybe I'm just too old and soft for this, you must be the judge of what's right for you

King Solomon ' Mines

Simon Prebble is a superb reader, but mispronounces Dutch and Zulu words badly. It might be advisable to check pronunciation beforehand.
The book is very typical of the Victorian adventure tale and as a result is inclined to paternalistic patronising racism. Taken in context, however this is on old -fashioned rip -roaring yarn well read.

Good Action

Any additional comments?

This is was a pretty good story. The action is better than any book I've read written in the 1800's. When you read it you have to keep in mind the writer was very liberal for his time even though it comes off as a bit racist today.

Good for its time... Excellent Narrator!

READ THIS. NO SPOILER. You cannot compare novels like this one to novels in the same genre today. That's like saying the athletes of several generations past could compete on par with athletes today. It's not a fair comparison. For the time period this story was engaging and probably suspenseful. Compared to today's standard however, it is not. The characters are likable, but shallow. The focus of the story is the adventure, whereas today there is a lot of focus on the inner struggles and personal conflicts of the main characters. There are actually some twists that were unexpected to me which helped boost the repetitive struggle to survive in the wild. Overall, I would add this to your collection of listens. The narration was excellent and helped keep me in the story. I listened comfortably at 1.5X speed. If any of this was helpful, please click YES below. Later.

Classic Heroic Adventure

A great story from a time long past. The brutality of the desert and the treachery of men combine to generate a story that draws you in and does not let go. The clash of heroes and massive armies set under the African sun are echoed by Troy and Sparta.

A must listen!

For anyone who enjoys good adventure stories, they'll want to listen to this novel. The narration is excellent as well.

Outstanding!

Outstanding story and performance! The characters were engaging and the story was well paced and interesting. Published in 1885, the book has no nauseating political correctness of course. Refreshing! King Solomon's Mines has stood the test of time.