King Solomon's Mines

By: H. Rider Haggard

Narrated by: Toby Stephens

Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Exclusively from Audible

On board a ship bound for Natal, adventurer Allan Quatermain meets Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good. His new friends have set out to find Sir Henry's younger brother, who vanished while seeking King Solomon's legendary diamond mines in the African interior. By strange chance, Quatermain has a map to the mines, drawn in blood, and agrees to join the others on their perilous journey.

The travellers face many dangers on their quest - the baking desert heat, the hostile lost tribe they discover and the evil 'wise woman' who holds the secret of the diamond mines. King Solomon's Mines is an exciting adventure that has gripped generations.

It is the first English story set in Africa and is considered to be the origin of the Lost World literary genre that inspired others such as Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, Rudyard Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King and HP Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness.

Haggard wrote the novel as a result of a five-shilling wager with his brother to see whether he could write a novel half as good as Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island (1883). The novel ended up becoming the best seller of 1885.

Narrator Biography

Toby Stephens is an award winning actor who has an extensive array of credits over stage, film, television and audiobooks. He narrated Ian Fleming's Bond, From Russia with Love, along with Jeffery Deaver's Carte Blanche: A James Bond Novel. Throughout his stage appearances he has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company appearing in a number of their productions; Theatre Royal Haymarket, The Almeida, The Donmar Warehouse and The Old Vic.

Toby Stephens film credits include the James Bond film, Die Another Day where he plays the villain Gustav Graves, All Things To All Men, Believe, The Journey and the Oscar-nominated film 13 Hours. He is well known for his role of Captain Flint in the Starz series Black Sails, other notable television credits include, And Then There Were None, the role of Edward Fairfax Rochester in a BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre, Walking The Dead, Robin Hood and Wired. In 2018 he will appear as John Robinson in the Netflix remake of the 1965 TV Series, Lost In Space.

©1951 H. Rider Haggard (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Narrator couldn't be better

I tried to read this book about ten years ago, and I literally fell asleep every single time I grabbed the book. I could not go beyond the first eight or ten pages. However, I wanted to give it a try, because so many people had recommended it. It is a classic. In my personal case, Toby Stephens' performance made all the difference. It was like watching a movie in my head, or even better. It is an amazing performance; because of his own wonderful voice, as well as, the different accents and voices he is able to produce. I just loved the pace, rhythm, volume, and intensity of his reading. He made it an interesting and exciting story. I felt kind of sad when "The End" arrived. It is a fun adventure story, but it's old style definitely requires a good narrator.

Definitely dated but interesting for the social structure of the time

Both living and working in east Africa over the last 12 years this is an amazingly stereotyped depiction of both the British and their perception of African peoples and in many ways, themselves. It’s a fantasy adventure story that would have influenced many in the UK to explore their imperial holdings. Not sure I’d listen again but it was interesting.

Good adventure. Narrator excellent

This is a story written in different times, and therefore some things are said or happen which are today considered wrong. Other than that, it is a true adventure and the narration is excellent.

FANTABULOUS!

what a terrific narrator who had me waiting without realizing I wasn't breathing often through this story. I loved every moment of it and now need to sleep!

An Adventure Classic (With admittedly dated language)

Quatermain is a classic adventurer that inspired many others in modern popular culture and here, in this work is his best known adventure. The tale does smack of British imperialism, but given when it was written, that is predictable. Still, beyond those elements, the primordial ooze (so to speak) that would inspire folks to create adventurers who seek treasure in remote places is all here. Fans of films like Romancing the Stone, the Indiana Jones franchise, and such films will find much to like here.

Treasure hunters enter unknown territory

Wonderful story of family reconciliation, political intrigue and sociological growth wrapped around a search for legendary treasure.

Return to my childhood

Where does King Solomon's Mines rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Near the top but mainly because of the nostalgia of hearing a book I first read in about 1964.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Alan because his character was expanded on more than others.

What about Toby Stephens’s performance did you like?

His voice caught the essence of the era.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No.

Any additional comments?

I ranked this book highly because of the time in which it was written. This is a great story variations of which have been written, made into movies and made into video games decades after this original. The language is charming and even made me chuckle a few times when humor was not intended. The reader has to take the era in which it was written into account and recognise that the term

Great Classic Tale

wonderful story and excellent characters. fantastical tale about mysterious Africa. narrated well by the performer.

outstanding classic

Where does King Solomon's Mines rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

in my top ten classics

What did you like best about this story?

all of it

What about Toby Stephens’s performance did you like?

yes

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

great book

Any additional comments?

outstanding listen for any age. well written well read

Way better even than Treasure Island! Which is also great.

The narrator is superb! And yes, you definitely have to wade through a bunch of Victorian racism, but what an adventure story!