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

A classic adventure

King Solomon's Mines should not be taken overly seriously in the modern day; many of its plot points have become cliche or out of touch with a 21st or 20th century reader. Nevertheless, its sense of adventure remains, and it is still fascinating to imagine oneself in the shoes of Quartermain as he undergoes his quest. There are few works I would take over this one for light listening. Prebble puts in a great performance, convincingly portraying the entire cast and adding significantly to the feel of the story.

Undermines stereotypes in an age of prejudice

Engaging adventure of good, evil, and shades between. Nuanced narration. Enoblng and ironic depictions of savagery and civilization in war and peace.

Great tale, the original Indiana Jones

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing this story read. A great adventure tale, like reading the stories of Indiana Jones.

Good but fairly predictable.

This is a very straightforward adventure tale. It was entertaining, and it is fun to see how it inspired future stories, but I won't be raving about it.

A Daring Tale of Adventure

I recently finished the classic book King Solomon's Mines. This is an extremely well written tale of adventure, full of noble deeds, a beautiful woman, and tension at almost every turn.

Before I get much further I need to explain something to those who might read this review. This is something many of you will already know, however, I include it for those of you who don't. Classic literature often includes disturbing things, in the modern context racism, sexism, etc. While these terms would not be inaccurate in a modern context, they are not accurate as descriptions of the literature that is ancient. As a simple example I shall cite the cultural differences between us and the Romans. They believed that war was the preferable state of things and actually thought they lost access to one of their gods and his protection when not at war. They would have been appalled by many Western cultures search for peace. The point is that judging another culture in a distant time by our current morals isn't something that is either realistic or logical.

Within that context this book does feature themes that in their own time would likely have been seen as highly progressive, praising Africans for their nobility and courage. This book also holds concepts that could easily be viewed by a modern reader as racist. Their lack of concern for conservation, either of animal or ancient ruin could also be cited here. They were, among other things, treasure hunters. They seen no reason to be ashamed of that.

Conclusion: I think this book will not be received well by most modern readers. Only those who can stretch their viewpoint to see the world from a wholly different time will enjoy this daring tale of adventure.

Kind of cliched, too much "white superiority"

I don't remember exactly what prompted me to put King Solomon's Mines on my list of books to listen to, whether it was "If you liked Journey to the Center of the Earth" then you'll like this (as Audible might do), or whether it was a review in the NY Times Book Review that mentioned it, or perhaps the interview with an author in the same. I mention this because, no, it is not at all on a par with "Journey to the Center of the Earth", even though I felt that there were some elements that, let's say, Haggard was "inspired by" Verne. The "scenes" of going through tunnels in the dark to find a way out, with limited food and water - so like certain scenes in in Journey to the Center of the Earth. Using the lunar eclipse to food the natives was right from Christopher Columbus' use of the lunar eclipse in 1504 for such a purpose. The story, therefore, seemed like an imitation of better (or even real, in the case of Columbus) stories. Journey to the Center of the Earth is so far better, more intellectual (even if the science has turned out to be wrong), the characters more entertaining and better developed, that I thought King Solomon's Mines was just mediocre. It is, of course, not the same story and not the same location, but it is the same genre. Heart of Darkness is another story in Africa that I was reminded of, is considered great literature with some deeper meaning, and I was not impressed. (On the other hand, we encounter a secret stone door in The Name of the Rose, so it is clear that certain elements show up in various books, either because they make historical sense or because they are good literary devices.)
Other matters that troubled me: All 19th century literature (or just about all) has some elements of bigotry or racism, but I felt that the sense of "white superiority" over the natives, or "kafirs" as they were too frequently called, was more than could be excused by the quality of the story. I've seen people write (including in Wikipedia) trying to paint the racism in a better light, but a statement like "for a native a very clever man" is troubling. One could just take a historical perspective, as I often do - I love 19th century literature, but I think the quality of the literature has to justify being exposed to this. When - spoiler alert! - Foulata dies, Quartermain, the narrator, says "I consider her removal was a fortunate occurrence, since, otherwise, complications would have been sure to ensue. ... no amount of beauty or refinement could have made an entanglement between Good and herself a desirable occurrence." I realize that in the 19th century inter-racial relationships were not acceptable, but the "removal" of a woman should not be considered fortunate.
The narrator was excellent, and I can't fault him for the mediocrity of the book itself!

great story

an old story that was very adventurous, holding my attention to the very end with a great ending

A great adventure

Wonderful narration on a classically wonderful story. A must listen for any Anglophile.

If a small bit of animal violence bother you, you might not want to listen. That's how life was, back in those days.

Struggled Through

I lost count of how many audible titles I listened to between starting this one and reaching it's end. I wanted to experience the legend that is Allan Quartermain, but this did not engage me on any level. The story was more about war than adventure. I did enjoy the last part of the story,; from the point at which they go to the mine onward... but the rest was a slog.

Heads Up #6!

Why pay $3.95 for this Audiobook when the Kindle edition is $0.00 and after you "purchase" that book the Audible Audiobook is $0.99. Obviously this is not a review but I didn't know where else to post.