King Solomon's Mines

Written by Henry Rider Haggard

Narrated by Bill Homewood

King Solomon’s Mines is set in nineteenth-century Africa. Allan Quartermain, hunter, is commissioned by the valiant Sir Henry Curtis and his jovial friend Captain Good to lead them to the fabled lost mines of King Solomon. In the company of these dauntless men we undertake the most exciting safari ever described. We hunt big game, we go to war with the terrifying King Twala of Kukuanaland and his diabolical henchwoman Gagaoola – and are amazed by the twist at the end.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks
• Release date: Oct 1, 2005
• ISBN: 9789629544041

Reviews for King Solomon's Mines

[edgeworth_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

King Solomon's Mines was reputedly written on a wager, with H. Rider Haggard betting a friend that he could write a better adventure novel than Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. It's a classic adventure novel, with three stiff upper lip Englishmen venturing into the South African veldt in search of a lost brother and the fabled treasures of King Solomon's mines.I haven't read Treasure Island, but if it's anything like Stevenson's Kidnapped, which I read and enjoyed a few weeks ago, I would personally say that Haggard failed his bet. King Solomon's Mines contains all the elements of a proper adventure novel - kitting up for an expedition, nearly dying in the wilderness, uncovering a Lost World kingdom, huge battles, restoring a rightful king, beiing trapped in a treasure chamber etc. - it's almost as though he's following a recipe. I found myself quite bored throughout, particularly during the wooden and lifeless battle scenes. This is fairly typical of 19th century novels, as far as I'm concerned, and it was more that Kidnapped pleasantly surprised me than that King Solomon's Mines let me down. But Stevenson is certainly the better writer; he has a wit and a charm about him that is wholly lacking in Haggard, which is unsurprising, given that the latter wrote a formulaic novel just to win five pounds.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Before reading A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen I’d never heard of Allan Quatermain. So I went into this with low expectations and was more than pleasantly surprised at what I found. This adventure story is more about friendship than treasure. Sir Henry Curtis (Incubu) is searching for his last brother who was last scene on his way to find the illusive King Solomon’s Mines, which are allegedly filled with diamonds. Curtis hires Quatermain (Macumazahn) to travel with him with the stipulation that if Quatermain dies, which he fully expects to, Curtis will provide for his son. Curtis’ friend Captain John Good (Bougwan) will also embark on the quest. As the three men begin their journey they have no idea what’s in store for them; harsh desserts, elephant hunting, a war between tribes and so much more. Though parts of the story were predictable, they were still entertaining and the plot never lags. The adventure story had real heart, which made it stand apart from more generic versions. I loved Quatermain’s honesty. There are moments when he says he doesn’t want to fight because it’s senseless, courage be damned. He’s honorable and sincere, a true friend to the end. I absolutely thing he deserves a spot in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

[morryb_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sometimes a classic is a classic just because it provides so much entertainment to readers over the years. This is just a good fun read. Don't look for any deep social comment. Just take it as a fun entertaining story in which every guy can think " I am Allan Quartermain." This has obviously been the inspiration for so many of the adventure stories that have been written since King Solomon's Mines publications in the late 19th century. Just read it and have fun.

[pgimmo_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A rip-roaring boys own adventure!

[bjh3038 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

For such a short story, this tiny book took an awfully long time to read.

[mrtall_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first Rider Haggard novel I've read, and it was a hoot. Ripping adventure in the fictional wilds of Africa, leavened by some surprisingly lyrical descriptive and even contemplative passages. Recommended.

[fhudnell-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book started out OK for me but was then sunk by racist references and appalling animal slaughter. Even if I were willing to give those drawbacks a pass as merely a time capsule of the views at the time the book was written, I couldn't forgive the lengthy and incredibly boring time spent on battles in the middle of the book. I kept listening to the audio book in the hope that the protagonists would eventually reach the mines. When they finally got to the mines, the story picked up for me, but I still wish that I had skipped this book.

[reading_fox · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Classic adventure story, a secret map and hidden treasure, only involving a trek across the desert to become fabulously rich. Told with a, at the time reasonable, white man's view of black africans. It comes across very perculiar to modern tastes. However later chapters when the tribesmen are found do rectify the balance somewhat.

[theokester · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The 19th century had a boom of English adventure novels. By the end of the century it had really hit a great stride which also brought high expectations. As with any genre there were plenty of books that have faded from common reading while others still invoke imagery and seem familiar even to people who have never read them. To me, King Solomon's Mines is one of those novels that always felt like a stalwart example of English Adventure fiction so I was a little surprised when people saw me reading it and had little or no knowledge of this novel or the adventures of Allan Quartermain. Those who recognized Quartermain largely only did so thanks to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie that came out a few years ago. Now that I've finished reading King Solomon's Mines I must say that I'm a little sad that it's slipped under the radar. Maybe I'm just in the wrong reading circles. *grin*The basic story (minor spoilers of the first chapters' setup) introduces us to adventurer and big game hunter Allan Quartermain. Allan isn't old by our modern sense but in terms of his career he is beyond his standard life expectancy and is expected to either die on safari or to retire somewhere. While thinking about this, he is approached by an English aristocrat (Sir Henry Curtis) and his friend (Captain Good) who want to hire him as a guide and protector to lead them north across the wilds of Africa in search of the lost brother of Sir Henry. Quartermain is wary especially when they tell him that Sir Henry's brother was lost searching for King Solomon's Mines...the mythical mines used by the Biblical king to fund his nation and build his famous Temple. It takes some discussion and a promise of significant wealth (not only for Allan but also for his son) to finally convince Quartermain to help. They gather supplies and natives to help them and they're on their way. As they get ready to depart, another native approaches them having overheard their general destination and he asks to accompany them as a servant. They agree and the small party sets off.The novel is written in first person as a sort of journal or letter from Allan to anyone who may be interested in the story. The narrator Quartermain often apologizes for his lack of style and sophistication as well as for possible errors either in terms of form or in terms of scientific/geographic accuracy. The edition I read included annotations by the editor but I also found it interesting that there were included annotations that were supposed to have been written by Quartermain to further explain or clarify some point of interest. This added narrative element was a fun addition not just to add details to the story but also to provide more insight into the character of Quartermain. I especially enjoyed the side commentary that Quartermain-as-narrator added to the story with his thoughts about the situations he encounters.The story arc of the novel starts out fairly straightforward and almost feels like a travelogue at points. We get numerous details about the nature of the country, the preparations and supplies used and a lot of information about the wildlife and the indigenous people of southern/central Africa. As with other novels of the time, the pacing begins slow and gradually builds to a moderate pace but never really gets to a breakneck speed. As such it may receive lackluster response from the short-attention-span readers of the 21st century. And yet, the details and the imagery are so immersive that the sensation of being on an African adventure might help draw a reader into the story until the greater intrigue starts.In addition to the great details about the country and the trek during the first portion of the book, Haggard does a great job fleshing out his main characters. To some degree they are certainly archetypes and can sometimes blend together as generic adventurers. Still, they have their own unique quirks that make them memorable and also help dictate some interesting plot points throughout the book. As part of the character development, there's also a little bit of intrigue and mystery that helps foreshadow future events.After traveling through the desert for many days and many chapters, our adventurers struggle across the mountains and discover an unknown tribe of natives. At this point, the nature of the novel changes a bit as it moves from man-vs-nature to man-vs-man and to some extent it feels like a different novel. The pacing also seems to pick up a little bit partly due to the intrigue that comes of the addition of new characters to interact with. At first I wondered if this feeling was due to the novel being written as a serial but I was surprised to find that not only was it not serialized but it was written very quickly (in less than 6 months) and then struggled to find a publisher.Without giving away the plot and the intrigue I can say that there are 2-3 main story paths in the book that intertwine and work their way to a conclusion. Even though I fully expected a happy, successful ending I must admit that there were moments of suspense when I anticipated some potential twists and turns that might spoil the happy ending. Some aspects felt a little predictable (probably due more to copycat ideas in the past century+ rather than due to lack of innovation by Haggard) but many of the twists and revelations did feel fresh and unique.The large amount of geographical descriptions of Africa can feel a little dense at times but when coupled with Quartermain's natural and conversational narrative style the story seemed to flow along lightly. This makes it very accessible to most readers. The Imperialistic ideas and the racial attitudes of the era factor into the events but the book still maintains a bit of progressive mentality. Quartermain feels disillusioned by some of the Imperial ideals of England and while he still has his own prejudices he does view the native Africans as more human and worthy of respect than many of his contemporaries may have done.Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. It took a few chapters to get started and then maintained a slow burn as the plot pace increased before reaching its apex of adventure and suspense. The adventure and intrigue was a lot of fun and really drew me in. I enjoyed the characters a lot and had fun with the quirks and nuances they brought to the adventure. I really enjoyed the writing style and the level of detail included. I'm interested to read Haggard's other Quartermain novels to learn more about his character and the adventures that lead up to this novel. While novels like Tarzan, The Jungle Books and Treasure Island are more well-known adventures of the time, I definitely feel like more people should seek out Haggard and get familiar with the adventure of King Solomon's Mines.****4.5 out of 5 stars

[chrishall57_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An excellent story in the ripping yarns / lost world genre! Very easy to read with a great storyline but you can tell it's from a different era, wouldn't get past the self censorship today.

[katie_h_11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love classic adventure stories, and this one did not disappoint! It wasn't an epic, like Count of Monte Cristo, but it offered the reader plenty of continuous excitement and action on par with an Indiana Jones movie. The novel tells of Allan Quartermain, a 19th century elephant hunter in Southern Africa, who is convinced by two English men (Curtis & Good) to help search for Curtis's brother and hopefully find overflowing riches at the elusive mines of King Solomon on the way. The group is joined by Umbopa, an African porter who, as it turns out, has a surprising secret. Many challenges hinder their road to fortune ... witches, tribal warfare, desert dehydration, angry elephants... the thrills just don't stop. Can they find the elusive diamonds and still have their lives to show for it?

[dreamlikecheese · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This a classic rip-roaring adventure yarn about a group of men heading into deepest darkest Africa on the hunt for a lost brother and treasure. This book is most definitely a product of its times, with all the racism and chauvinism which that entails, but despite that it actually manages in some ways to be a more sympathetic treatment of "the natives" than many other books of a similar era. Just don't go in expecting enlightened attitudes!The story is engaging, and the voice of the "narrator" of the piece shows a writer at the full peak of his talent. He manages to maintain the line between Quatermain's natural voice and the voice of someone attempting to write a proper narrative for others to read, which maintains the fiction of Quatermain writing about his experiences very well. The humour is often unexpected, the story is well-paced, and the action is well-written. It's not a deep read, but it's a thoroughly engaging one.

[soylentgreen23 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I came across this for the first time when I was only in the second year of secondary school, and is one of the few books I've actually read twice - I think.There are still echoes of Britain's imperial past on every page of this adventure story; it is a document of the time in which it was written, and as such is very enlightening, if a little disturbing.The adventure itself is quite the exotic one - Africa, in the time of real exploration and the English gentleman abroad; treasure; tribes; guns and so forth.

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An enjoyable 'lost world' adventure story that was a touch more progressive about the 'natives' than I expected.

[oldflame_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

THE Victorian boy's adventure novel. Interesting plot that will remind readers of Indiana Jones. Actually, pretty much any male hero adventurer with a slightly supernatural bent. Unlike so many of these, though, Alan Quartermain is short, unattractive, a coward, and ultimately pragmatic above all else. Maybe one of my new favourite characters. Though the entire story takes place in Africa, this actually isn't as completely racist as it could be. That seems like faint praise, but Haggard definitely treats the various African tribes much better than, say, John Smith does Native Americans. They are still definitely considered less civilized than the Europeans, but never mocked or called devils. Their skills in various areas are often praised. At the end of the day Quartermain becomes BFFs with a few men of a fictional tribe as equals, even if there are quite a few not so nice mentions of the fact that relationships between blacks and whites were not a good idea. There is a definite slight tang of Orientalism (yes I know Africa isn't the Orient you know what I mean).All in all a very enjoyable read and very few cringe-worthy moments. An interesting side-note, it is mentioned that the tsetse fly kills cattle and livestock, but not humans. I wonder if that was because the sleeping sickness hadn't arrived in humans yet or if the association just hadn't been made.

[jenniferrobb · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I found it interesting at first, but the storyline started to drag a bit and became more predictable for me when they got near the place they sought.

[debs4jc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Three Englishman, a hunter, a soldier, and a gentleman, go off through the wilds of Africa in search of a lost brother, who was in search of the lost diamond mines of King Solomon. The adventurers encounter many obstacles, from the formidible terrain, to malicious animals, to native warriors. The version I listened too had Patrick Tull as the narrator, he had the perfect voice, he sounded just like you'd expect a crusty English hunter from the late 1800's to sound. Haggard's storytelling is superb, and I loved the way he had his narrator put in his little observation and asides. I highly recommend this adventure tale to anyone who loves suspense.

[jmoncton_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Reading this book was like spending an afternoon at the movies watching one of those old fashioned adventure movies. The plot is straightforward. Sir Henry Curtis hires elephant hunter and adventurer Allan Quartermain to lead an expedition in search of his brother. His brother has been lost for 2 years after searching for the fabled King Solomon's Mines for an incredible treasure. Quartermain and his group have to battle the African dessert, jungle, a tribe of cannibals a group of witch doctors all to finish their quest. Written in the 1800s, this book is good fun adventure although not at all politically correct by today's standards.

[nwdavies-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great adventure story. Am already collecting all the other Allan Quatermain books to read - and other books by H Rider Haggard too. Love finding a 'new' author to collect... :)

[hemlokgang · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Basically, this was a wonderful adventure story and morality tale all in one. It has all the pitfalls of gender bias, stereotyping, blah, blah, blah.....they are a given in literature of a certain era. Taking all that into account, it was just plain a wonderful adventure. Questions it raised: What is wealth? What is wisdom? What is courage?

[elviomedeiros_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Childish at times, but a fun reading.

[olivermagnus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

King Solomon’s Mines is a one of the first books considered a young man’s novel, one of the late Victorian classics of that genre and introduces us to Allan Quartermain. The novel starts with a party of three in search of adventure as well as locating one of the adventurer’s brothers, who had been estranged across long distances due to some brotherly rivalry. Part of the novel is a travelogue of their trek into ever more remote African territory. Then the novel takes an interesting political turn and shows a civil war among an ancient people related to the Zulu before going into the mines themselves.

This is a satisfying novel on many levels. It has intriguing historical speculations, great plots and characters, and a worldview that manages to defend the importance of family, loyalty, honesty and decency while also showing respect and providing dignity to men and women of a wide variety of ethnic origins. It's a novel, that for its time, was quite enlightened. The action scenes are intense and the reader feels like a spectator desperate for our three heroes to be come out victorious.

This is an action packed novel with excellent characters, a good prose style that avoids too many extraneous details. The views expressed in King Solomon's Mines may seem politically incorrect to our modern eyes but were typical of the era. If you are looking for a reasonably brisk and worthwhile work of classic adventure novel, this is a very satisfying read for readers of all ages.

[hamburgerclan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the first of the Alan Quartermain novels, that adventure series from the late 1800s. As a ground breaking adventure novel, I suppose I should have liked it better. The problem is, I've read so many "lost world" tales in my day that King Solomon's Mines seemed a bit cliched. I do have to admit, though, that despite the racism and other 19th Century attitudes, the story has weathered pretty well. The novel is nowhere near as thick as some of its contemporaries that I've read.--J.

[kristelh_15 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

From my TBR, King Solomon’s Mines, written in 1886, is a masterpiece of adventure as described by the New York Times in 1972 (the year of printing for my edition). H. Rider Haggard is described as the ne’er-do-well son of a properous English Family in the inner page of my Laurel-Leaf-Library book. He wa sent off to South Africa at the age of 19. This book is an adventure story most likely appealing to young men back in the day but mostly unheard of now. It is dated by it’s language, racism but it is free of bad language and bad sex and that is something to be said. I also felt that like most English literature set in colonialism but the author also had many respectful things to say about various people of Africa. This adventures story has 3 Englishmen and some locals traveling over desert and mountains to find a missing brother of one of the Englishmen. On the was, they become embroiled in a war to unseat the false king of the peoples, they walk on a Roman road, they find the treasures of Solomon. There are themes of good and evil. It earned its place on the 1001 books as the first of the adventure stories set in the lost worlds of Africa. I did not like the shooting of the elephants for their tusks. That was the part of book I liked the least.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I like a good adventure, but Good Lord they killed off a helluva lot of people in this one and the disposable nature of the African warriors just got on my last nerve. I know this was from a different time, but YIKES!! I'm not sure that I would have finished it had it not been for the character of Good.

[johnthefireman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A classic adventure yarn, set in 19th-century southern Africa, and written in 1885. Although it takes liberties, and reflects the limited knowledge of the interior of Africa at that time, it is at least written by someone who lived in Africa and had some idea what he was talking about. His view of the "natives" reflects contemporary views, but he comes over as relatively progressive for his times. Very British, very manly and patriarchal, but well worth reading

[amerynth · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The famous story is that H. Rider Haggard wrote "King Solomon's Mines" as a result of a wager with his brother, who bet H. Rider couldn't write a book half as good as "Treasure Island." He succeeded in that is a decent book, though not quite up to the standard set by "Treasure Island."The book follows a group of adventurers who head to Africa to search of one of the party's lost brother and, for added challenge, King Solomon's diamond mines. The story is a typical Victorian adventure novel and moves along at a good and interesting pace. I found the colonialist attitudes toward Africans a little hard to take in this particular book, so it sucked a little of the enjoyment out for me.I also think my rating suffered a bit from my previous read of H Rider Haggard's "She", which I thought was similar but superior. Overall, "King Solomon's Mines" was a solid three-star read, but not one that I would pick up again.

[crazymamie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is not politically correct - nor should one expect it to be because it was written in 1885 by a British man, back when colonialism was all the rage. Set in Africa, the main character Allan Quatermain finds himself leading a search and rescue mission being financed by Sir Henry Curtis. Sir Henry is looking for his brother, who was last seen headed for King's Soloman's Mines. Sir Henry's good friend-literally, his name is Captain Good, is along for the adventure. Quatermain is a hunter by trade, and so along the way there is, you guessed it, hunting. For ivory, for sport, for food - Quatermain has been promised that he and Good can split whatever financial gain and treasure they acquire during their travels. In addition, Sir Henry has made provisions for Quatermain's son in the event that they do not return from their mission. This is a great adventure story told in first person narrative that set the stage for a new genre in literature - the "Lost World" genre that was a precursor to our modern day equivalents such as the Indiana Jones stories. There is also a lot of humor in this book. For example, when the Kukuanas discover Quatermain's party on their land, the penalty would have been death if not for the fact that Captain Good is so fastidious. Caught in the middle of his "elaborate toilet" Good rises to stand before the natives half dressed, half shaved, wearing a monocle, and in his nervousness, he pulls his false teeth out of place and then returns them to their proper position."How is it, O strangers," asked the old man solemnly, "that this fat man (pointing to Good, who was clad in nothing but boots and a flannel shirt, and has only half finished his shaving), whose body is clothed, and whose legs are bare, who grows hair on one side of his sickly face and not on the other, and who wears one shining and transparent eye- how is it, I ask, that he has teeth which move of themselves, coming away from the jaws and returning of their own will?"Quatermain convinces the Kukuanas that they are "white men from the stars" and thus, their lives are spared. Captain Good, however, must now keep up his charade and is not allowed to have his pants back. The rest of the story is one rolling adventure - tribal war, treasure beyond the imagination, betrayal....I debated between 3.5 and 4 stars for this book because the story is a 4, but the book does drag a bit in places. In the end, I decided on 4 stars because the slow bits are more than made up for by all of the fun.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Whelp, yet another adventure classic I thought I had either read, or seen the movie of, but was confusing with a different story of the same type and era. In this case, the other story was The Man Who Would be King, by Rudyard Kipling. So, this isn't that.An English gentleman, in the late 1800s, is trying to find his estranged brother who has left on a fool's dream of finding the lost mines of Solomon. He encounters Alan Quartermain who is telling this tale. They also have an ex-naval officer along for the trip. These three determine to brave the desert and sure death to find the lost brother. They have some natives for help, including one who does not have the subservient demeanor of most natives. Guess where this is going?As an adventure story of that era, in that place, it was better than I thought it would be. There is some charming humor in it, one of my favorite bits being: When the adventurers were trying to gain esteem by darkening the moon (lunar eclipse), the two who were quoting poetry and the Bible run out of words, but the naval officer is able to go on for a good ten minutes shouting foul language without repeating himself! Non of the words are listed though.As for how it reads to modern sensibilities, well, if your sensibilities allow you to take into consideration as a scientist the attitudes of the day in which this was written, I believe you will find that it is rather more broad than most similar literature of its day. An inter-racial relationship is present, although doomed. The natives are treated more as individuals, some respect-worthy and proud, some deceitful and wicked, some kind, some not, etc. As a present day story, it would not pass muster, as a looking-glass to the past, it was okay.I confess, I became bored with some of the traveling. That was perhaps me and not the story. The author excelled himself when describing the mountains called "Sheba's Breasts." He could have given Solomon a run for his money in descriptive language.

[jen6e6moore · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well. This has plenty of value as a historical artifact - ancestor of Indiana Jones and all the other pulp adventure fiction like it - but it's so tremendously racist and misogynist that I really can't see the value in reading it for entertainment, not when there are so many things now that are so much better.