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The People of the Mist
Driven by the need to reclaim his family estate, an English adventurer braves the deadly swamps of the Mist-land to rescue a woman from a tribe that offers human sacrifices to a giant reptile.
355 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1894
About the author
H. Rider Haggard
1,973 books1,132 followersSir Henry Rider Haggard, KBE was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and the creator of the Lost World literary genre. His stories, situated at the lighter end of the scale of Victorian literature, continue to be popular and influential. He was also involved in agricultural reform and improvement in the British Empire.
His breakout novel was King Solomon's Mines (1885), which was to be the first in a series telling of the multitudinous adventures of its protagonist, Allan Quatermain.
Haggard was made a Knight Bachelor in 1912 and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1919. He stood unsuccessfully for Parliament as a Conservative candidate for the Eastern division of Norfolk in 1895. The locality of Rider, British Columbia, was named in his memory.
His breakout novel was King Solomon's Mines (1885), which was to be the first in a series telling of the multitudinous adventures of its protagonist, Allan Quatermain.
Haggard was made a Knight Bachelor in 1912 and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1919. He stood unsuccessfully for Parliament as a Conservative candidate for the Eastern division of Norfolk in 1895. The locality of Rider, British Columbia, was named in his memory.
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June 8, 2013
When two brothers lose their home because of the father's unethical behavior, then he commits suicide, Leonard Outram and his older sibling, Tom are left penniless. Both flee to Africa and vowing to each other never to return until they regain Outram Hall, in England. But how to restore their family's centuries old, estate and honor? Leonard leaves the woman he loves Jane Beach, her father forbids his daughter from marrying Outram who has no income or prospects. Besides, a rich man wants Jane to be his bride, emotions run high as Leonard and Jane say good-bye probably for the last time. Many tears flow and not just from Jane's eyes, hugs and kisses and then she disappears into the cold night...Seven years later, the brothers are digging for gold on a lonely hill in southern Africa finding a small amount yet Leonard still remembers Jane, and Tom is dying in a tent. Leonard reaffirms his pledge to Tom to keep on until their goal is reached as his brother's life slowly comes to an end at dawn. The despondent Leonard helplessly watches, all his entourage are now dead. Four graves dug, the African servants have gone too. Only his friend the black dwarf named Otter (by him) because he swims like one, remains. However a hungry old woman arrives and tells a fantastic tale, slave traders have kidnapped her mistress Juanna (the correct name should be Joana). While her father was away from his small settlement and taken with others to a slave camp in Portuguese Mozambique. If he rescues her the woman Soa will take him to her tribe The People of the Mist, where precious stones, rubies and sapphires are found. Miraculously he succeeds by disguising himself as a French slaver but not before marrying Juanna, by force. Francisco a captured Catholic priest performed the ceremony the couple had known each other for a few minutes; nevertheless Outram was the top bidder! The slaver boss Antonio Pereira, almost a gentleman he insisted Leonard do the right thing ...well maybe that's not really quite true, he did kill a few people. After much bloody fighting, burning up the camp, destroying it forever with the help of his new, freed and grateful African friends. The unlikely and uneasy party of five strangers, Leonard, Juanna, Otter, Francisco and Soa, the unfriendly guide. Along with some former captives recently liberated by the now, well nicknamed the "Deliverer", Leonard. They head up north to the mountains in the center of the unexplored continent, months pass the tired group are starving worst yet, Juanna acts like she hates Leonard, he loves the Portuguese lady and she keeps away from her "husband". At long last they come to their destination... a tall cliff. How can the five get over it and come to the hostile land of Soa's, the tribe practice human sacrifice to the Gods ( a monster in a pool). The old woman hasn't been here in forty years, changes would have occurred since then? Still Mr. Outram would rather die than turn back...the group starts climbing...Death awaits there in the mysterious land of the thick mists. Set at the end of the Victorian age... Just pure fun, a touch of red liquid though... for suitable entertainment...
August 21, 2019
Leonard is a young man who leaves England to seek fortune together with his brother, to hopefully one day repurchase their lost family home. Unfortunately, his brother dies and Leonard is forced to continue the adventure on his own.
Leonard and his native servant Otter rescue a girl from slave traders. As a reward, the girl’s servant tells them about her tribe. The people who live in the mystery of the mist, worship a crocodile god and have a lot of treasure.
Henry Rider Haggard was a revolutionary writer who started a whole new popular genre of fiction: the lost world genre. He wrote the original stories that served as the inspiration and the blueprint for the many classic lost world stories that followed. King Solomon's Mines and She are prime examples of this. But The People of the Mist feels important too and it should not be forgotten.
While the plot itself feels similar to those lost world stories that came before it, it’s the way the story handles the portrayal of the natives that makes it stand out. Normally, in these kinds of stories it’s the outsiders who save the day. Here, the story flips it around and lets a native person be the hero. In this case: Otter is the hero of the story and then some, even though he’s not the protagonist. In the character of Otter in particular, you can really see how much the author has grown as a person. It’s a change that from everything I’ve read about it apparently started with the book Nada the Lily. You can see here that he’s still trying to let go of certain outdated and harmful stereotypes to usher in a new era, where people of color are respected and treated more like equals. It’s by no means perfect, but this change in attitude and perspective is still welcome and it is appreciated. Especially considering the time this was written in.
Another thing worth mentioning is that this book is credited with inspiring the motto of the Royal Air Force.
It’s quite a big book that features colonialism and the things that come with it like certain stereotypes and greed. With some added themes of religion and power. And of course the romance and the redemption story at the core of the protagonist’s character arc. You could say that it is just another adventurous lost world story, just like some of the other popular books Henry Rider Haggard wrote. Though there’s more to it than that. The author’s changed world views have an interesting impact on the way the story plays out. And that’s why this book should be remembered, even though it’s definitely not perfect. Another thing I do have to say is that this book has the coolest and most memorable climax of all the Henry Rider Haggard books I’ve read.
Leonard and his native servant Otter rescue a girl from slave traders. As a reward, the girl’s servant tells them about her tribe. The people who live in the mystery of the mist, worship a crocodile god and have a lot of treasure.
Henry Rider Haggard was a revolutionary writer who started a whole new popular genre of fiction: the lost world genre. He wrote the original stories that served as the inspiration and the blueprint for the many classic lost world stories that followed. King Solomon's Mines and She are prime examples of this. But The People of the Mist feels important too and it should not be forgotten.
While the plot itself feels similar to those lost world stories that came before it, it’s the way the story handles the portrayal of the natives that makes it stand out. Normally, in these kinds of stories it’s the outsiders who save the day. Here, the story flips it around and lets a native person be the hero. In this case: Otter is the hero of the story and then some, even though he’s not the protagonist. In the character of Otter in particular, you can really see how much the author has grown as a person. It’s a change that from everything I’ve read about it apparently started with the book Nada the Lily. You can see here that he’s still trying to let go of certain outdated and harmful stereotypes to usher in a new era, where people of color are respected and treated more like equals. It’s by no means perfect, but this change in attitude and perspective is still welcome and it is appreciated. Especially considering the time this was written in.
Another thing worth mentioning is that this book is credited with inspiring the motto of the Royal Air Force.
It’s quite a big book that features colonialism and the things that come with it like certain stereotypes and greed. With some added themes of religion and power. And of course the romance and the redemption story at the core of the protagonist’s character arc. You could say that it is just another adventurous lost world story, just like some of the other popular books Henry Rider Haggard wrote. Though there’s more to it than that. The author’s changed world views have an interesting impact on the way the story plays out. And that’s why this book should be remembered, even though it’s definitely not perfect. Another thing I do have to say is that this book has the coolest and most memorable climax of all the Henry Rider Haggard books I’ve read.
August 18, 2011
Sir Henry Rider Haggard, the so-called "Father of the Lost Race Novel," didn't write such stories featuring only Allan Quatermain and Ayesha, She Who Must Be Obeyed. For example, his 17th novel, "The People of the Mist" (1894), is a smashing, wonderfully exciting, stand-alone lost-race tale featuring all-new characters. But the first third of the novel is hardly a lost-race story at all, but rather one of hard-bitten African adventure.
In it, we meet Leonard Outram, a penniless British adventurer who is seeking wealth in the wilds of the "Dark Continent" after losing his family lands and estates (through no fault of his own, it should be added). He becomes involved in the rescue of a young Portuguese woman from the largest slaving camp in Africa, and this thrilling and quite suspenseful section of the book offers more entertainment value than most entire novels. But it is only after Leonard and Otter (his four-foot-tall Zulu sidekick) rescue Juanna Rodd that the book really takes off, and the hunt for the People of the Mist, and their legendary jewel horde, begins. Once the lost race has been discovered, Leonard & Co. become embroiled in a plot involving the impersonation of gods and priest vs. king politics, and Haggard throws in some violent sacrifices, a giant crocodile god, a "toboggan" escape along a precipitous glacier, some romances and a good deal of humor (thanks to that wonderful Otter character) to keep the reader consistently amused. The theology of this lost race is nicely detailed and, as is fortunately common in a Haggard tale, the author offers many commentaries on the side regarding his philosophies of life.
For those readers who have enjoyed other tales by Sir Henry (I've read 30 or so at this point; the man CAN prove addictive!), "The People of the Mist" will resonate all over the place, bringing to mind both earlier and later Haggard works. For example, the character of Soa (Juanna's insanely jealous nursemaid) is similar to Hendrika the Baboon Woman in "Allan's Wife" (1889). Otter himself is a precursor of Quatermain's Hottentot sidekick Hans, especially when he attempts to fight the giant crocodile god, much as Hans would later fight the monstrous snake god in "The Ivory Child" (1916). (These giant animal gods, it should be noted, are likely inspirations for all those similar monstrosities in the tales of Robert E. Howard, just as Hendrika was a likely inspiration for Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan.) But there is no way in the world that a reader--even one familiar with the author--will guess how things turn out for our intrepid explorers, in this continuously engrossing tale. That said, it should be noted that Haggard is guilty of a few slips in the course of the book. A huge gem of the crocodile god is carved from a sapphire; several hundred pages later, it has become a ruby. The motto of Leonard's family is said to be "For Heart, Home and Honour"; later on, that motto is said to be "For Home, Honour and Heart." But these are minor matters that only the sharpest-eyed readers will notice (my personal curse, I suppose). The overwhelming majority of readers, I feel, will be so busy being thrilled and entertained that they will never notice these little goofs. The bottom line is that "The People of the Mist" is still another wonderful page-turner from H. Rider Haggard. Now, when is some respectful filmmaker going to spend $200 million to bring THIS ONE to the big screen?
In it, we meet Leonard Outram, a penniless British adventurer who is seeking wealth in the wilds of the "Dark Continent" after losing his family lands and estates (through no fault of his own, it should be added). He becomes involved in the rescue of a young Portuguese woman from the largest slaving camp in Africa, and this thrilling and quite suspenseful section of the book offers more entertainment value than most entire novels. But it is only after Leonard and Otter (his four-foot-tall Zulu sidekick) rescue Juanna Rodd that the book really takes off, and the hunt for the People of the Mist, and their legendary jewel horde, begins. Once the lost race has been discovered, Leonard & Co. become embroiled in a plot involving the impersonation of gods and priest vs. king politics, and Haggard throws in some violent sacrifices, a giant crocodile god, a "toboggan" escape along a precipitous glacier, some romances and a good deal of humor (thanks to that wonderful Otter character) to keep the reader consistently amused. The theology of this lost race is nicely detailed and, as is fortunately common in a Haggard tale, the author offers many commentaries on the side regarding his philosophies of life.
For those readers who have enjoyed other tales by Sir Henry (I've read 30 or so at this point; the man CAN prove addictive!), "The People of the Mist" will resonate all over the place, bringing to mind both earlier and later Haggard works. For example, the character of Soa (Juanna's insanely jealous nursemaid) is similar to Hendrika the Baboon Woman in "Allan's Wife" (1889). Otter himself is a precursor of Quatermain's Hottentot sidekick Hans, especially when he attempts to fight the giant crocodile god, much as Hans would later fight the monstrous snake god in "The Ivory Child" (1916). (These giant animal gods, it should be noted, are likely inspirations for all those similar monstrosities in the tales of Robert E. Howard, just as Hendrika was a likely inspiration for Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan.) But there is no way in the world that a reader--even one familiar with the author--will guess how things turn out for our intrepid explorers, in this continuously engrossing tale. That said, it should be noted that Haggard is guilty of a few slips in the course of the book. A huge gem of the crocodile god is carved from a sapphire; several hundred pages later, it has become a ruby. The motto of Leonard's family is said to be "For Heart, Home and Honour"; later on, that motto is said to be "For Home, Honour and Heart." But these are minor matters that only the sharpest-eyed readers will notice (my personal curse, I suppose). The overwhelming majority of readers, I feel, will be so busy being thrilled and entertained that they will never notice these little goofs. The bottom line is that "The People of the Mist" is still another wonderful page-turner from H. Rider Haggard. Now, when is some respectful filmmaker going to spend $200 million to bring THIS ONE to the big screen?
July 20, 2022
It's been four or five years since I've read any of H. Rider Haggard's novels. So this was a good chance to go and pick up one of his relatively early works. With The People of the Mist, Haggard produces a variation on King Solomon's Mines. Like that work, he has his hero, Leonard Outram, undertake a perilous journey to the edge of an African desert wherein lies a Lost Civilization, the People of the Mist. In this case, however, the goal is to gain a fortune in rubies rather than diamonds. Another faithful African attendant, Otter the dwarf, stands by Leonard's side, just as Umbopa the giant did for Quatermain in Mines. There is also a hidden identity story leading to an overthrow of the ruling power. Here, it is Soa, the exiled daughter of the high priest, Nam, who initially seems to support Leonard and his new wife, Juanna. But jealous of Leonard's theft of Juanna's affections, Soa being her servant since childhood, the newly returned exile masterminds a plot to gain supreme power of the kingdom of the Mist through her father. At least in Mines, Umbopa remained true and faithful to Quatermain after revealing himself to be the rightful king of his land. Both stories also have the principals returning from the quests with wealth and success. Although also in both cases, there is a melancholy ending, where things still seem amiss. Money, titles, and land aren't enough without family and love. And in the case of People of the Mist, a hand reaches out from the grave to bring unease to Leonard and Juanna's life together.
An enjoyable time with this fantasy adventure. Amazing it is that Haggard can take the same storyline from earlier works and keep them fresh and full of tension and mystery.
An enjoyable time with this fantasy adventure. Amazing it is that Haggard can take the same storyline from earlier works and keep them fresh and full of tension and mystery.
June 8, 2023
৪.৫★
বইটা আমার কাছে দারুণ লেগেছে। হেনরি রাইডার হ্যাগার্ড এর লেখার ফ্যান হলেও সব বই যে সমানভাবে ভালো লেগেছে তা নয়, কিন্তু এই বইটা বেশিই ভালো লেগেছে। শুরু থেকে শেষ পর্যন্ত সমানতালে ভালো লাগার ফ্লো টা বজায় ছিল। অনুবাদকও এজন্য ধন্যবাদ প্রাপ্য কারণ অনেক সাবলীল অনুবাদ করেছেন। লেখকের অন্য কিছু বইয়ে অ্যাডভেঞ্চারের পার্টগুলো পড়ার সময় বেশ একঘেয়েমি লাগে কিন্তু এই বইয়ের ক্ষেত্রে এই ব্যাপারটা ব্যতিক্রম ছিল। অ্যাডভেঞ্চারের শুরু থেকে শেষ পর্যন্ত বিশেষ করে শুরু এবং শেষটার জন্যই বইটা বেশি ভালো লেগেছে।
বইটা আমার কাছে দারুণ লেগেছে। হেনরি রাইডার হ্যাগার্ড এর লেখার ফ্যান হলেও সব বই যে সমানভাবে ভালো লেগেছে তা নয়, কিন্তু এই বইটা বেশিই ভালো লেগেছে। শুরু থেকে শেষ পর্যন্ত সমানতালে ভালো লাগার ফ্লো টা বজায় ছিল। অনুবাদকও এজন্য ধন্যবাদ প্রাপ্য কারণ অনেক সাবলীল অনুবাদ করেছেন। লেখকের অন্য কিছু বইয়ে অ্যাডভেঞ্চারের পার্টগুলো পড়ার সময় বেশ একঘেয়েমি লাগে কিন্তু এই বইয়ের ক্ষেত্রে এই ব্যাপারটা ব্যতিক্রম ছিল। অ্যাডভেঞ্চারের শুরু থেকে শেষ পর্যন্ত বিশেষ করে শুরু এবং শেষটার জন্যই বইটা বেশি ভালো লেগেছে।
May 5, 2026
H. Rider Haggard (1856-1925) was a very prolific adventure writer who is acknowledged as the father of the "lost race" story. He's best remembered for his classics She and King Solomon's Mines, but he wrote over fifty novels, many of them set in Africa with a lost-race scenario, some with a supernatural element, some with a historical setting, etc., but all of the ones I've read were good and well-told adventures. The People of the Mist is one of my favorites; it's the story of two brothers who go to Africa when their father loses the family fortune and then kills himself. They get involved in a caper to steal gems from a lost civilization by posing as gods, and there's a stronger line of romance than in most of Haggard's work. The novel was serialized from December 1893 to August 1894 in a publication called (I'm not making this up) Tit-Bits Weekly, before it was published in hardback in 1894. Lin Carter selected it for a spot in his classic Ballantine Adult Fantasy line in 1973, and it appeared with one of my all-time favorite covers, a gorgeous wrap-around by Dean Ellis. (Note: Naturally, there are racial and ethnic and gender problems for modern readers, as one has to expect from a book published in the 19th century.)
May 26, 2022
Х. Р. Хагард ми е дарил безброй часове наслада през юношеските години с четената и препрочитана дилогия Рудниците на цар Соломон. Алан Куотърмейн. Уви, тук магията не сработи. Вероятно причината се корени донякъде в мен, вече привикнал към по-друг тип екшън истории (не смея да и си помисля да се върна към гореспоменатите заглавия, за да не се разочаровам още повече), но и романът си имаше доста кусури.
Главният герой, смелият англичанин Ленард Аутрам, остана абсолютен статист и длъжник на останалите персонажи през цялото повествование. Дори дясната му ръка, джуджето Отър, не успя да спаси трагичното положение - макар да имаше някои свежи сюжетни решения с негово участие, телешкото му преклонение пред господаря бързо успяваше да развали общото впечатление. Вземайки предвид и изсмукания от пръстите финал с абсолютно нелогични (но пък типични за литературата от ония времена) съдбовни съвпадения, закръглям оценката си на три звезди.
Главният герой, смелият англичанин Ленард Аутрам, остана абсолютен статист и длъжник на останалите персонажи през цялото повествование. Дори дясната му ръка, джуджето Отър, не успя да спаси трагичното положение - макар да имаше някои свежи сюжетни решения с негово участие, телешкото му преклонение пред господаря бързо успяваше да развали общото впечатление. Вземайки предвид и изсмукания от пръстите финал с абсолютно нелогични (но пък типични за литературата от ония времена) съдбовни съвпадения, закръглям оценката си на три звезди.
September 22, 2022
গল্পটা হতভাগ্য যুবক লিওনার্দো অট্রাম এর। ভাগ্যদেবীর নির্মমতায় ভেস্তে যায় তার প্রথম প্রেম, ভাগ্যদেবী আরাধনায় রত হয় অট্রাম আর ভাই তবে একসময় ভাইও মারা যায়, একা হয়ে পড়ে অট্রাম। ভাগ্যাহত যুবক লিওনার্ড অট্রাম আর অনিন্দ্যসুন্দরী জুয়ানা রডের সঙ্গে বেড়িয়ে পরা যাক অভিযানে। হারানো একটা সভ্যতা খুঁজে বেড়াচ্ছে ওরা অন্ধকার মহাদেশ আফ্রিকার বুকে। ওখানে কুয়াশা মানব বলে রহস্যময় একদল মানুষ বাস করে। অবিশ্বাস্য এক রত্নভান্ডার আছে ওদের কাছে ; আর সেটা পেতে হলে পাড়ি দিতে হবে হাজারো বিপদ, লড়তে হবে দৈত্যাকার এক কুমির দেবতার সঙ্গে, বেঁচে ফিরতে হবে নরবলির হাত থেকে, ছিন্ন করতে হবে রাজা আর পুরোহিতের মধ্যকার ষড়যন্ত্রের জাল…তারপর?
কিছু কিছু বই থাকে যা ভেতরটা নাড়া দিয়ে যায় এই বইটি ঠিক তেমনি। আমার সেরা এডভেঞ্চার জনরা'য় বইটি জায়গা করে নিলো।
হ্যাগার্ড মানে টান টান উত্তেজনা আর লোমহর্ষক অভিমানের উপাখ্যান।
দ্য পিপল অভ দ্য মিস্ট লেখাটাও তার ব্যতিক্রম নয়। প্রথম পঞ্চাশ পৃষ্ঠা পর্যন্ত পড়ার পর থেকে আপনি একটু একটু করে ঘোরের মধ্যে চলে যাবেন। শেষ পৃষ্ঠা অবধি না পৌছানো পর্যন্ত সে ঘোর কাটবে না।
হ্যাগার্ডের লেখা আমার বরাবরই ভাল লাগে। এটি তাঁর আরেকটি অসাধারণ সৃষ্টি,রহস্য রোমাঞ্চে পরিপূর্ণ, রোমাঞ্চের পরিমান টা একটু বেশিই।আর হ্যা আছে রোমান্সঃ ত্রিভূজ, চতুর্ভুজ প্রেমকাহিনী।
কিছু কিছু বই থাকে যা ভেতরটা নাড়া দিয়ে যায় এই বইটি ঠিক তেমনি। আমার সেরা এডভেঞ্চার জনরা'য় বইটি জায়গা করে নিলো।
হ্যাগার্ড মানে টান টান উত্তেজনা আর লোমহর্ষক অভিমানের উপাখ্যান।
দ্য পিপল অভ দ্য মিস্ট লেখাটাও তার ব্যতিক্রম নয়। প্রথম পঞ্চাশ পৃষ্ঠা পর্যন্ত পড়ার পর থেকে আপনি একটু একটু করে ঘোরের মধ্যে চলে যাবেন। শেষ পৃষ্ঠা অবধি না পৌছানো পর্যন্ত সে ঘোর কাটবে না।
হ্যাগার্ডের লেখা আমার বরাবরই ভাল লাগে। এটি তাঁর আরেকটি অসাধারণ সৃষ্টি,রহস্য রোমাঞ্চে পরিপূর্ণ, রোমাঞ্চের পরিমান টা একটু বেশিই।আর হ্যা আছে রোমান্সঃ ত্রিভূজ, চতুর্ভুজ প্রেমকাহিনী।
December 18, 2016
Abandoning this one. It started off pretty good, but then got bogged down with the romance. It's not for me.
May 18, 2023
Страшна книга, написана 1894. Точно в момента имах нужда от приключенска фантасмагория, която се води романтизъм, написана е добре и ме връща 30 години назад, когато бях момче и тези книги ми бяха вселена и огромно забавление.
February 15, 2021
আমার পড়া আমার জীবনের অন্যতর প্রিয় বই। স্যার হেনরি রাইডার হ্যাগার্ড এতো সুন্দর বর্ণনা করেন সব কিছু মনে হয় যেন আমিও এই দুর্গম যাত্রায় অন্তর্ভুক্ত :') আবারো পড়তে হবে।
September 7, 2017
হ্যাগার্ড মানে টান টান উত্তেজনা আর লোমহর্ষক অভিমানের উপাখ্যান।
দ্য পিপল অভ দ্য মিস্ট লেখাটাও তার ব্যতিক্রম নয়। প্রথম পঞ্চাশ পৃষ্ঠা পর্যন্ত পড়ার পর থেকে আপনি একটু একটু করে ঘোরের মধ্যে চলে যাবেন। শেষ পৃষ্ঠা অবধি না পৌছানো পর্যন্ত সে ঘোর কাটবে না।
বইয়ের নামঃ দ্য পিপল অভ দ্য মিস্ট
লেখকঃ হেনরি রাইডার হ্যাগার্ড
পৃষ্ঠাসংখ্যাঃ ৪৮৩
প্রথম প্রকাশকালঃ ১৮৯৪
জনরাঃ ফ্যান্টাসি
প্রকাশনাঃ সেবা প্রকাশনী
প্রায় পাঁচশো পৃষ্ঠার এই বইটিতে আছে ছোট বড় অনেকগুলো চরিত্র। তবে কোন চরিত্র কম গুরুত্বপূর্ণ ছিল না।
লিওনার্ড অট্রাম, জোয়ানা রড, অটার এবং সোওয়া এই চারটি চরিত্রের ব্যপ্তি ছিল প্রায় শুরু থেকে শেষ পর্যন্ত এবং চারজনকে প্রধান চরিত্র বলা যায়।
পারিবারিক সম্পত্তি থেকে বঞ্চিত হবার পর ছয়শো বছরের খানদানী পরিবার অট্রামদের শেষ দুই বংশধর টম এবং লিওনার্ড পাড়ি দেয় আফ্রিকায় সোনা আহরণের উদ্দেশ্যে। উদ্দেশ্য ধনী হয়ে ইল্যান্ডে ফেরত আসা আর অট্রামদের হারানো সম্পত্তি ফিরে পাওয়া। কিন্তু আফ্রিকার আবহাওয়া কেঁড়ে নেয় টমের জীবন। মৃত্যুর পূর্বের টম ভবিষ্যতে ইঙ্গিত পায় যেখানে সে দেখতে পায় লিওয়ার্ড এক মেয়ের সহযোগিতায় তার হারানো সম্পদ ফিরে পাবে।
টমের মৃত্যুর পরপর সেখানে সোওয়া নামের এক মধ্য বয়সী নারী ক্লিষ্ট অবস্থা পৌছায়। সে জানায় দাস ব্যবসায়ের কুখ্যাত সর্দার পেরেইরো তার মালিকের মেয়ে জোয়ানা আর খামারেরে কৃষ্ণাঙ্গদের দাস হিসাবে ধরে নিয়ে গেছে। যদি লিওনার্ড তাকে জোয়ানাকে উদ্ধার করতে সাহায্য করে তাহলে সে তাকে সন্ধান থেকে প্রাচীন এক জাতির। কুয়াশামানব বলে তাঁদের। যারা আকা এবং যাল নামের দুইজন দেব-দেবীর উপাসনা করে। এবং প্রতিবছর তাঁদের মন্দিরে অবস্থানরত বিশাল এক কুমিরের নিকট জীবন্ত মানুষ বলি দেয়। ভয়ানহ বিপদের শহর সেটা। যাদের শহরের লুকিয়ে আছে স্যাফায়ার এবং রুবির মত দামী পাথর।
তারপর পেইরোর আস্তানায় পৌছে ওরা আবিষ্কার করে এটা কোন সাধারণ জায়গা নয়। পুরো একটা দুর্গ। মাত্র দুইজন পুরুষ আর একজন মধ্যবয়সী নারী নিয়ে কিভাবে পেরেইরো আর তার প্রায় একশো দস্যুকে প্রতিহত করবে ওরা?
জানতে হলে পড়তে হবে এই উদ্বেগ জানানো এই লেখাটি।
ব্যক্তিগত মতামতঃ
ব্যক্তিগতভাবে আমার সবথেকে ভাল লেগেছে ওটারকে। সে লিওনার্ডের ভৃত্য। উচ্চতায় মাত্র চার ফুট। কদাকার চেহারা। কিন্তু আসুরিক শক্তি এবং অদম্য সাহসের অধিকারী। কিছু মানুষ আছে যাদের কোন কিছুতেই না থাকে না। যদি বলা হয় চলো বৃষ্টি ভিজি সে বলবে চলো ভিজি, যদি বলা হয় পাহাড় ডিঙ্গায় সে বলবে চলো ডিঙ্গাই আবার যদি বলা হয় চলো মরে যাই সে বললে এ আর এমন কি কথা? চলো মরি। ওটার হলো ঠিক সেই শ্রেণীর মানুষ। যার কোন কিছুতেই না নেই।
এই লেখাটা সুপুরুষ লিওনার্ড কিংবা সুন্দরী জোয়ানার জন্য না অনেকদিন মনে থাকবে শুধু ওটারের বীরত্বের জন্য।
দ্য পিপল অভ দ্য মিস্ট লেখাটাও তার ব্যতিক্রম নয়। প্রথম পঞ্চাশ পৃষ্ঠা পর্যন্ত পড়ার পর থেকে আপনি একটু একটু করে ঘোরের মধ্যে চলে যাবেন। শেষ পৃষ্ঠা অবধি না পৌছানো পর্যন্ত সে ঘোর কাটবে না।
বইয়ের নামঃ দ্য পিপল অভ দ্য মিস্ট
লেখকঃ হেনরি রাইডার হ্যাগার্ড
পৃষ্ঠাসংখ্যাঃ ৪৮৩
প্রথম প্রকাশকালঃ ১৮৯৪
জনরাঃ ফ্যান্টাসি
প্রকাশনাঃ সেবা প্রকাশনী
প্রায় পাঁচশো পৃষ্ঠার এই বইটিতে আছে ছোট বড় অনেকগুলো চরিত্র। তবে কোন চরিত্র কম গুরুত্বপূর্ণ ছিল না।
লিওনার্ড অট্রাম, জোয়ানা রড, অটার এবং সোওয়া এই চারটি চরিত্রের ব্যপ্তি ছিল প্রায় শুরু থেকে শেষ পর্যন্ত এবং চারজনকে প্রধান চরিত্র বলা যায়।
পারিবারিক সম্পত্তি থেকে বঞ্চিত হবার পর ছয়শো বছরের খানদানী পরিবার অট্রামদের শেষ দুই বংশধর টম এবং লিওনার্ড পাড়ি দেয় আফ্রিকায় সোনা আহরণের উদ্দেশ্যে। উদ্দেশ্য ধনী হয়ে ইল্যান্ডে ফেরত আসা আর অট্রামদের হারানো সম্পত্তি ফিরে পাওয়া। কিন্তু আফ্রিকার আবহাওয়া কেঁড়ে নেয় টমের জীবন। মৃত্যুর পূর্বের টম ভবিষ্যতে ইঙ্গিত পায় যেখানে সে দেখতে পায় লিওয়ার্ড এক মেয়ের সহযোগিতায় তার হারানো সম্পদ ফিরে পাবে।
টমের মৃত্যুর পরপর সেখানে সোওয়া নামের এক মধ্য বয়সী নারী ক্লিষ্ট অবস্থা পৌছায়। সে জানায় দাস ব্যবসায়ের কুখ্যাত সর্দার পেরেইরো তার মালিকের মেয়ে জোয়ানা আর খামারেরে কৃষ্ণাঙ্গদের দাস হিসাবে ধরে নিয়ে গেছে। যদি লিওনার্ড তাকে জোয়ানাকে উদ্ধার করতে সাহায্য করে তাহলে সে তাকে সন্ধান থেকে প্রাচীন এক জাতির। কুয়াশামানব বলে তাঁদের। যারা আকা এবং যাল নামের দুইজন দেব-দেবীর উপাসনা করে। এবং প্রতিবছর তাঁদের মন্দিরে অবস্থানরত বিশাল এক কুমিরের নিকট জীবন্ত মানুষ বলি দেয়। ভয়ানহ বিপদের শহর সেটা। যাদের শহরের লুকিয়ে আছে স্যাফায়ার এবং রুবির মত দামী পাথর।
তারপর পেইরোর আস্তানায় পৌছে ওরা আবিষ্কার করে এটা কোন সাধারণ জায়গা নয়। পুরো একটা দুর্গ। মাত্র দুইজন পুরুষ আর একজন মধ্যবয়সী নারী নিয়ে কিভাবে পেরেইরো আর তার প্রায় একশো দস্যুকে প্রতিহত করবে ওরা?
জানতে হলে পড়তে হবে এই উদ্বেগ জানানো এই লেখাটি।
ব্যক্তিগত মতামতঃ
ব্যক্তিগতভাবে আমার সবথেকে ভাল লেগেছে ওটারকে। সে লিওনার্ডের ভৃত্য। উচ্চতায় মাত্র চার ফুট। কদাকার চেহারা। কিন্তু আসুরিক শক্তি এবং অদম্য সাহসের অধিকারী। কিছু মানুষ আছে যাদের কোন কিছুতেই না থাকে না। যদি বলা হয় চলো বৃষ্টি ভিজি সে বলবে চলো ভিজি, যদি বলা হয় পাহাড় ডিঙ্গায় সে বলবে চলো ডিঙ্গাই আবার যদি বলা হয় চলো মরে যাই সে বললে এ আর এমন কি কথা? চলো মরি। ওটার হলো ঠিক সেই শ্রেণীর মানুষ। যার কোন কিছুতেই না নেই।
এই লেখাটা সুপুরুষ লিওনার্ড কিংবা সুন্দরী জোয়ানার জন্য না অনেকদিন মনে থাকবে শুধু ওটারের বীরত্বের জন্য।
December 27, 2008
This is an adventure novel which turns into a heist story through its middle part.
The 'heist' part of it--posing as gods to a lost civilization in order to obtain a heap of the pretty pebbles which Europeans seem to love so much--forms the unexpectedly soggy middle of the narrative. This section feeds on the spectacle of the People of the Mist and their wild, barbaric religious ceremonies. The protagonists, shoehorned into the role of deities, are sequestered and become little more than witnesses, having to wait around until the plot clock ticks and things start to spiral out of control.
What astonished me was that the entire first third of the novel, up to the expedition to the People of the Mist, formed a separate novel in itself, and one which had a much faster pace.
The 'heist' part of it--posing as gods to a lost civilization in order to obtain a heap of the pretty pebbles which Europeans seem to love so much--forms the unexpectedly soggy middle of the narrative. This section feeds on the spectacle of the People of the Mist and their wild, barbaric religious ceremonies. The protagonists, shoehorned into the role of deities, are sequestered and become little more than witnesses, having to wait around until the plot clock ticks and things start to spiral out of control.
What astonished me was that the entire first third of the novel, up to the expedition to the People of the Mist, formed a separate novel in itself, and one which had a much faster pace.
September 24, 2012
Having become disenchanted with Haggard's classic "She" to the point of quitting halfway through, I embark upon this book having been assured by my oldest daughter, Hannah, that this book is different and worthy of the time. I must say that so far it has been enthralling and I've been devoting my few spare moments to devouring it. It is living up to the description which I share here:
Florid, over the top, rattling good yarn. How can you resist? Of course, you shouldn't.
UPDATE
Reading this aloud for my Forgotten Classics podcast, I am having a pure blast, and that's just with the first couple of chapters.
A penniless British adventurer seeks untold wealth in the wilds of the "Dark Continent" after losing his family lands and estates in this thrilling novel of romance, adventure, and lost peoples. An intensely engrossing tale.Adventure in Africa, lost love, vicious slave traders, a possible new love, an amazing sidekick, and a mysterious, possibly not-to-be-trusted woman with a giant "red stone" (think ruby, folks) ... all add up to a roller coaster ride so far.
Florid, over the top, rattling good yarn. How can you resist? Of course, you shouldn't.
UPDATE
Reading this aloud for my Forgotten Classics podcast, I am having a pure blast, and that's just with the first couple of chapters.
January 22, 2019
বরাবরের মতো এবার ও হ্যাগার্ড আমাকে হতাশ করে নি। নেশার মত একটা সময় কেটেছে। হ্যাগার্ড লাভারদের জন্য মাস্ট রিড একটা বই।
হ্যাপি রিডিং :)
হ্যাপি রিডিং :)
August 9, 2009
Haggard pretty much began the Lost Race novel, or so it is generally said. For that reason I'll give this book a 4. Just for reading, however, I'd have to rate it a 3. Good, but a little slow. Not as much fun as ERB or REH.
July 4, 2023
লিওনার্ড অর্ট্রাম, জুয়ানা রড, অটার,ফাদার ফ্রান্সিসকো আর রাজা ওলফানের চরিত্র অনেক দিন মনে থাকবে। অসাধারণ একটা অ্যাডভেঞ্চার রোমাঞ্চোপন্যাস পড়লাম। হ্যাগার্ডের বই এই প্রথম পড়লাম। নিঃসন্দেহে হ্যাগার্ডের সাথে যাত্রা আরো দীর্ঘ হবে।
August 18, 2023
The most entertaining Haggard I've read, and an excellent adventure novel, though it never achieves the chilling atmosphere, weirdness, or profundity of SHE. Extra half star because of when it was written. Astonishing how well this holds up. Recommended as an entry point to Haggard's works.
December 10, 2016
বিষাল একটা ঘোর এর মধ্যে ছিলাম।
April 21, 2010
When I was a teenager a novel by Haggard called Wisdom's Daughter caught my eye. I loved that historical fantasy set in Ancient Egypt and bought up every Haggard book I could find, one book short of a dozen. It's decades later, they were still on my shelves, and I found I could vividly remember all but two--Heart of the World and People of the Mist. That puts People of the Mist at the bottom of the pile for me--although for what it's worth, I did like this more than Heart of the World.
Haggard's style is probably not going to be congenial to the average contemporary reader. I've seen it called "overwritten" and it can be stiff and melodramatic. Once you've read a few of his books, you can begin to see them as formulaic. Leonard and Juanna, the hero and heroine of the novel, aren't as memorable as Alan Quartermain (a ancestor of Indiana Jones) or Ayesha (aka She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed) but I did find them interesting, even if not completely fleshed out figures. You don't read Haggard the way you do Hardy or Eliot for great prose about the Human Condition (tm). And yes, there is racial and gender stereotyping--some may feel offended at Haggard's tendency to call people of pre-industrial cultures "savages." But he's only as bad as his (Victorian) times--not, like say Lovecraft, worse. What you do read Haggard for is adventures in colorful settings. There's hardly a page not filled with action, and he's the king of the tale of the "lost civilization." So yes, I was entertained. I wouldn't chose this as my first Haggard book--I'd recommend instead one of the Ayesha novels (Wisdom's Daughter, She) or Alan Quartermain (such as the ever-popular King Solomon's Mines or his Viking tale Eric Brighteyes. But if you do then find Haggard fun, this is worth a try.
Haggard's style is probably not going to be congenial to the average contemporary reader. I've seen it called "overwritten" and it can be stiff and melodramatic. Once you've read a few of his books, you can begin to see them as formulaic. Leonard and Juanna, the hero and heroine of the novel, aren't as memorable as Alan Quartermain (a ancestor of Indiana Jones) or Ayesha (aka She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed) but I did find them interesting, even if not completely fleshed out figures. You don't read Haggard the way you do Hardy or Eliot for great prose about the Human Condition (tm). And yes, there is racial and gender stereotyping--some may feel offended at Haggard's tendency to call people of pre-industrial cultures "savages." But he's only as bad as his (Victorian) times--not, like say Lovecraft, worse. What you do read Haggard for is adventures in colorful settings. There's hardly a page not filled with action, and he's the king of the tale of the "lost civilization." So yes, I was entertained. I wouldn't chose this as my first Haggard book--I'd recommend instead one of the Ayesha novels (Wisdom's Daughter, She) or Alan Quartermain (such as the ever-popular King Solomon's Mines or his Viking tale Eric Brighteyes. But if you do then find Haggard fun, this is worth a try.
February 18, 2011
I finished reading The People of the Mist (1894) by H. Rider Haggard last night (on 6/12/2010). Having enjoyed re-reading Tarzan, I thought I’d go a little bit further back in time and read an African adventure by the author of King Solomon’s Mines (1885) and She (1886). It’s been a while since I read either of those notables, but I think I enjoyed them somewhat more than The People of the Mist.
Of course, She is a classic; according to Wikipedia it’s been in print almost continuously for over a hundred and twenty years. And Allan Quatermain (the hero of King Solomon’s Mines) is considered by many to be the archetype from which Indiana Jones eventually sprang.
The People of the Mist was enjoyable, but after reading Burroughs’ fast and furious pacing in Tarzan, it seemed a little slow. But there’s plenty of action, death defying (and improbable) escapes and foolish lovers denying love at first sight. Unlike Burroughs, Haggard’s main characters are a little most realistic, or at least not quite so purely good or evil. And Haggard’s Africa has some verisimilitude; he’d lived in South Africa for several years, whereas Burroughs apparently never visited the place. Plus Haggard's endings aren’t always happily ever after.
Still, in many ways Burroughs’ books seem like the direct descendants of Haggard’s. Haggard was writing of lost (and fallen) civilizations throughout Burroughs early years; in fact their professional lives overlapped by about a decade. I have a hard time imagining that Haggard’s books weren’t a major influence on Burroughs.
Next, I think I’ll venture further into the past and shift genres and read some Edgar Allen Poe. Jules Verne and H.P. Lovecraft each wrote a sequel to one his novels and that sounds like an interesting adventure...
Of course, She is a classic; according to Wikipedia it’s been in print almost continuously for over a hundred and twenty years. And Allan Quatermain (the hero of King Solomon’s Mines) is considered by many to be the archetype from which Indiana Jones eventually sprang.
The People of the Mist was enjoyable, but after reading Burroughs’ fast and furious pacing in Tarzan, it seemed a little slow. But there’s plenty of action, death defying (and improbable) escapes and foolish lovers denying love at first sight. Unlike Burroughs, Haggard’s main characters are a little most realistic, or at least not quite so purely good or evil. And Haggard’s Africa has some verisimilitude; he’d lived in South Africa for several years, whereas Burroughs apparently never visited the place. Plus Haggard's endings aren’t always happily ever after.
Still, in many ways Burroughs’ books seem like the direct descendants of Haggard’s. Haggard was writing of lost (and fallen) civilizations throughout Burroughs early years; in fact their professional lives overlapped by about a decade. I have a hard time imagining that Haggard’s books weren’t a major influence on Burroughs.
Next, I think I’ll venture further into the past and shift genres and read some Edgar Allen Poe. Jules Verne and H.P. Lovecraft each wrote a sequel to one his novels and that sounds like an interesting adventure...
May 7, 2010
A rousing adventure tale in the best traditions of the genre. If this book had been written at a later time I would say the plot was tired and overused. However given the time period of the writing it is easy to see how Sir Henry's works form the basis for the adventures tales of later authors including (as I understand) Robert Howard (of Conan fame) and Edgar Rice Burroughs(Tarzan among others).
The writing was excellent, the plot twists were well done and the dialogue was fun to read as it was written in period. The only drawback for me were the characters. I liked the heroine and the sidekick but the hero didn't work for me. The sidekick (a dwarf african native) should have been the hero. Otter (the sidekick) repeatedly saved the hero's ass. Leonard (the 'hero') just wasn't heroic. He was constantly being saved, never coming up with a plan himself and berating those who were pulling his fat out of the fire. He seemed to me to be simply along for the ride that the others were actively on.
Overall a great story and fun read.
The writing was excellent, the plot twists were well done and the dialogue was fun to read as it was written in period. The only drawback for me were the characters. I liked the heroine and the sidekick but the hero didn't work for me. The sidekick (a dwarf african native) should have been the hero. Otter (the sidekick) repeatedly saved the hero's ass. Leonard (the 'hero') just wasn't heroic. He was constantly being saved, never coming up with a plan himself and berating those who were pulling his fat out of the fire. He seemed to me to be simply along for the ride that the others were actively on.
Overall a great story and fun read.
September 20, 2026
(1894) Haggard bounces back completely from his previous novel, the lifeless Montezuma’s Daughter, written following the death of his son and the collapse of his own health. In more ways than one, then, was it good to see this artistic comeback.
“By George! this is quite affecting…”
It’s a Lost Race treasure-hunting sort of novel, where the main characters are taken for gods. So, very familiar territory. Yet it was apparently Haggard’s peculiar task to limit his strong imagination to the same scenarios over and over again in order to challenge it even more. The opening is a tour de force of mournfulness, as only he could do. It also gets you emotionally invested and wanting revenge within the first ten pages. The lovers’ quarrels in the beginning are as delightful as any in Trollope. And the book features maybe the best of Haggard’s many great sidekicks, in the black dwarf Otter, who made me laugh out loud several times and almost (I was reading in public) shed a tear.
Haggard keeps the plot moving in the middle, as the situation of the imposters starts to unravel. The people are growing restless. An evil priest-class is suspicious. The crew is disappearing one by one at night. Otter is becoming a drunk and a prey to spies. One of the protagonists is turning against the heroes, posing a threat from within. That damn mist won’t let up. All of this gives a sense of motion, however downward, to chapters that are sometimes lulls in his other works. For good measure, Haggard throws a giant crocodile-god into the mix.
As I’ve come to expect, the novel has some mad action scenes, one involving the ancient crocodile, and another an escape on a sled down mountain glaciers, written with the outlandishness of Poe and the sensory detail of Kipling, the author’s sometime writing companion (they would literally write side by side). It sounds like a truism to praise a novelist for his imagination, but it was almost a speciality with these writers of “romances,” the way they used their mind’s eye—picturing forth their fantastic conceits so realistically that it never failed to bring out a marvel or two. I mentioned Poe. Hawthorne was another early one. And Verne. But no period did it so consistently as that of Kipling, Doyle, Wells (especially), and Haggard. In this they are all following a tradition of speculative literature going back to Homer.
This isn’t a perfect book. The hero is worse than useless. When everyone is preparing themselves to be sacrificed to the crocodile, only Otter shows some pluck, fashioning a weapon in order to take the creature down with him. I had to wonder: couldn’t Leonard have thought of that? The mercurial heroine also annoyed me at times. And with a little effort eliminating repetitions, Haggard could’ve upped the tempo a bit. But when you enter his world you have to be willing to submit to his vision, ponderous passages and all. The book finishes strong. The denouement is heartwarming and dream-like but tinged with a little wistful realism.
My tenth Haggard novel and one of the best.
_____________________
Marginalia:
There are two mentions in this book of “cyclopean” stone walls. I wonder if this is where Lovecraft got it.
Allusion to a famous document by Pizarro, dividing the spoils of Peru, which Haggard suggests is one of the strangest ever drawn up.
____
Quotes:
“Thus the dwarf addressed himself, and it seemed to his bewildered brain that the words which he had imagined were true, and that Leonard really stood by and mocked him. At last he sprang to his feet, and crying, “Never, Baas!” so loudly that the cave rang with the echoes of his shout, he rushed straight at the foe…”
“Indeed Otter enlarged upon the theme… Leonard, he declared, had owned country as wide as a horse could gallop across in a day; moreover, he had two hundred tribesmen, heads of families, who fed upon oxen killed for them—twenty oxen a week; and ten principal wives had called him husband.”
“So he told her that and much more, speaking to her earnestly, hopefully, and most tenderly, as a man might speak to the woman whom he worshipped and with whom he is about to travel to that shore of which we know nothing, though day and night we hear the waves that bear us forward break yonder on its beach.”
“…it is terrible to watch the latest wax and ebb of life, and with the intelligence to comprehend that these flickerings, this coming and this going, these sinkings and these last recoveries are the trial flights of the animating and eternal principle—call it soul or what you will—before it trusts itself afar.”
“And yet, was Leonard altogether happy as he stood looking on these familiar things? Perhaps not quite, for yonder in the churchyard there was a grave, and within the church a monument in white marble, that was wonderfully like one who had loved him and whom he had loved, though time and trouble had written a strange difference on her face.”
“‘Don’t you see, Leonard,’ his wife said almost fiercely, ‘it is most amusing, you made a mistake. Your brother’s dying prophecy was like a Delphic oracle—it could be taken two ways, and, of course, you adopted the wrong interpretation.’” Nice ironic ending by Haggard.
“Juanna took the letter and perused it twice, by which time she knew it as well as she did the Lord’s Prayer, nor did she ever forget a single word of it.” Funny line. Ominous too. If Leonard forgets his first love, his wife will never let him.
“[Leonard] could not blame the dwarf, who after all was a savage and looked at things as a savage would... He sometimes wished, so deep was his depression, that he also was a savage and could do likewise.” It’s hard not to hear in that last quote the author wishing he too could drown his sorrows in drink.
“By George! this is quite affecting…”
It’s a Lost Race treasure-hunting sort of novel, where the main characters are taken for gods. So, very familiar territory. Yet it was apparently Haggard’s peculiar task to limit his strong imagination to the same scenarios over and over again in order to challenge it even more. The opening is a tour de force of mournfulness, as only he could do. It also gets you emotionally invested and wanting revenge within the first ten pages. The lovers’ quarrels in the beginning are as delightful as any in Trollope. And the book features maybe the best of Haggard’s many great sidekicks, in the black dwarf Otter, who made me laugh out loud several times and almost (I was reading in public) shed a tear.
Haggard keeps the plot moving in the middle, as the situation of the imposters starts to unravel. The people are growing restless. An evil priest-class is suspicious. The crew is disappearing one by one at night. Otter is becoming a drunk and a prey to spies. One of the protagonists is turning against the heroes, posing a threat from within. That damn mist won’t let up. All of this gives a sense of motion, however downward, to chapters that are sometimes lulls in his other works. For good measure, Haggard throws a giant crocodile-god into the mix.
As I’ve come to expect, the novel has some mad action scenes, one involving the ancient crocodile, and another an escape on a sled down mountain glaciers, written with the outlandishness of Poe and the sensory detail of Kipling, the author’s sometime writing companion (they would literally write side by side). It sounds like a truism to praise a novelist for his imagination, but it was almost a speciality with these writers of “romances,” the way they used their mind’s eye—picturing forth their fantastic conceits so realistically that it never failed to bring out a marvel or two. I mentioned Poe. Hawthorne was another early one. And Verne. But no period did it so consistently as that of Kipling, Doyle, Wells (especially), and Haggard. In this they are all following a tradition of speculative literature going back to Homer.
This isn’t a perfect book. The hero is worse than useless. When everyone is preparing themselves to be sacrificed to the crocodile, only Otter shows some pluck, fashioning a weapon in order to take the creature down with him. I had to wonder: couldn’t Leonard have thought of that? The mercurial heroine also annoyed me at times. And with a little effort eliminating repetitions, Haggard could’ve upped the tempo a bit. But when you enter his world you have to be willing to submit to his vision, ponderous passages and all. The book finishes strong. The denouement is heartwarming and dream-like but tinged with a little wistful realism.
My tenth Haggard novel and one of the best.
_____________________
Marginalia:
There are two mentions in this book of “cyclopean” stone walls. I wonder if this is where Lovecraft got it.
Allusion to a famous document by Pizarro, dividing the spoils of Peru, which Haggard suggests is one of the strangest ever drawn up.
____
Quotes:
“Thus the dwarf addressed himself, and it seemed to his bewildered brain that the words which he had imagined were true, and that Leonard really stood by and mocked him. At last he sprang to his feet, and crying, “Never, Baas!” so loudly that the cave rang with the echoes of his shout, he rushed straight at the foe…”
“Indeed Otter enlarged upon the theme… Leonard, he declared, had owned country as wide as a horse could gallop across in a day; moreover, he had two hundred tribesmen, heads of families, who fed upon oxen killed for them—twenty oxen a week; and ten principal wives had called him husband.”
“So he told her that and much more, speaking to her earnestly, hopefully, and most tenderly, as a man might speak to the woman whom he worshipped and with whom he is about to travel to that shore of which we know nothing, though day and night we hear the waves that bear us forward break yonder on its beach.”
“…it is terrible to watch the latest wax and ebb of life, and with the intelligence to comprehend that these flickerings, this coming and this going, these sinkings and these last recoveries are the trial flights of the animating and eternal principle—call it soul or what you will—before it trusts itself afar.”
“And yet, was Leonard altogether happy as he stood looking on these familiar things? Perhaps not quite, for yonder in the churchyard there was a grave, and within the church a monument in white marble, that was wonderfully like one who had loved him and whom he had loved, though time and trouble had written a strange difference on her face.”
“‘Don’t you see, Leonard,’ his wife said almost fiercely, ‘it is most amusing, you made a mistake. Your brother’s dying prophecy was like a Delphic oracle—it could be taken two ways, and, of course, you adopted the wrong interpretation.’” Nice ironic ending by Haggard.
“Juanna took the letter and perused it twice, by which time she knew it as well as she did the Lord’s Prayer, nor did she ever forget a single word of it.” Funny line. Ominous too. If Leonard forgets his first love, his wife will never let him.
“[Leonard] could not blame the dwarf, who after all was a savage and looked at things as a savage would... He sometimes wished, so deep was his depression, that he also was a savage and could do likewise.” It’s hard not to hear in that last quote the author wishing he too could drown his sorrows in drink.
August 19, 2022
রেটিং : ৪.৫/৫
টানটান রোমাঞ্চকর অ্যাডভেঞ্চার কাহিনী । প্রায় পাঁচশ' পৃষ্ঠা কিভাবে শেষ হয়ে গেল বুঝতেই পারলাম না।একটানে এত বড় বই শেষ কবে পড়েছি মনে পড়ছে না।সম্ভবত হ্যাগার্ডের অন্যতম সেরা কাজের একটা এই বই।
অল্প কিছু অসঙ্গতি চোখে পড়েছে,কিছু অতিনাটকীয়তাও আছে,তবে সোয়া একশ বছর আগে লেখা একটা বইয়ের জন্য এসব অগ্রাহ্য করাই যায়।
অনুবাদের প্রশংসা না করলেই নয়।মাখন-মসৃণ অনুবাদের জন্য অনুবাদকের কাছে কৃতজ্ঞতা।
(বইয়ের জন্য ৪ তারা,অনুবাদের জন্য .৫ যোগ)
টানটান রোমাঞ্চকর অ্যাডভেঞ্চার কাহিনী । প্রায় পাঁচশ' পৃষ্ঠা কিভাবে শেষ হয়ে গেল বুঝতেই পারলাম না।একটানে এত বড় বই শেষ কবে পড়েছি মনে পড়ছে না।সম্ভবত হ্যাগার্ডের অন্যতম সেরা কাজের একটা এই বই।
অল্প কিছু অসঙ্গতি চোখে পড়েছে,কিছু অতিনাটকীয়তাও আছে,তবে সোয়া একশ বছর আগে লেখা একটা বইয়ের জন্য এসব অগ্রাহ্য করাই যায়।
অনুবাদের প্রশংসা না করলেই নয়।মাখন-মসৃণ অনুবাদের জন্য অনুবাদকের কাছে কৃতজ্ঞতা।
(বইয়ের জন্য ৪ তারা,অনুবাদের জন্য .৫ যোগ)
March 16, 2015
এ তো আমার পছন্দের বই! দারুণ একটা অ্যাডভেঞ্চার, বিশেষ করে শুরু আর শেষ।
অত বছর আগে কিপটামি করে ৪ দিয়ে রাখসি কেন কে জানে!
৪.৫ দিতে হয় অন্তত।
অত বছর আগে কিপটামি করে ৪ দিয়ে রাখসি কেন কে জানে!
৪.৫ দিতে হয় অন্তত।
June 10, 2026
This is my 15th H. Rider Haggard book, and I would place it among the better ones out of the 15 I've read so far. Some parts felt slightly stretched, but it never became boring. In fact, at several moments the tension was so strong that I was genuinely holding my breath, waiting to see what would happen next.
But the ending ruined everything for me. At the end, I felt the same way Juanna was feeling, a kind of emotional loss, like winning something on the outside but still feeling defeated inside. The original oath made by Tom and Leonard Outram to regain the Outram family fortune using their own hard-earned money was what gave the story its core purpose. But that oath never really gets fulfilled. Yes, the Outram wealth is eventually restored, but not through their effort or struggle. Instead, it comes as a gift through Jane Beach’s love and generosity, which made the ending feel less earned.
As main characters, Leonard Outram and Juanna Rodd did not leave a strong impression. They were mostly just going along with whatever was happening around them. In comparison, Otter felt more like a true central heroic presence in terms of presence and impact. The main villains Soa and Nam were really impactful. The two most memorable characters for me will be Father Francisco and Olfan, the king of the Mist people. Father Francisco's sacrifice really touched my heart and his tragic end was unacceptable. And on the other side, I never expected to find a gentleman like Olfan among such a savage and barbaric people.
But the ending ruined everything for me. At the end, I felt the same way Juanna was feeling, a kind of emotional loss, like winning something on the outside but still feeling defeated inside. The original oath made by Tom and Leonard Outram to regain the Outram family fortune using their own hard-earned money was what gave the story its core purpose. But that oath never really gets fulfilled. Yes, the Outram wealth is eventually restored, but not through their effort or struggle. Instead, it comes as a gift through Jane Beach’s love and generosity, which made the ending feel less earned.
As main characters, Leonard Outram and Juanna Rodd did not leave a strong impression. They were mostly just going along with whatever was happening around them. In comparison, Otter felt more like a true central heroic presence in terms of presence and impact. The main villains Soa and Nam were really impactful. The two most memorable characters for me will be Father Francisco and Olfan, the king of the Mist people. Father Francisco's sacrifice really touched my heart and his tragic end was unacceptable. And on the other side, I never expected to find a gentleman like Olfan among such a savage and barbaric people.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2023
This is not an Alan Quatermain book and I saw one reviewer say that it wasn't as good as the books in the Quatermain series. I didn't find that to be true at all.
The protagonist of the book is Leonard who is summarily kicked out of his ancestral mansion with his brother because his father has been implicated in some shady financial doings. The house is sold and Leonard's fiancee, Jane, is suddenly set up in an arranged marriage to the new owner of the mansion.
Broke and shamed, Leonard and his brother swear to seek a fortune to buy back the ancestral mansion, and Jane makes a pact that she will delay the marriage until he can return. They dig for gold in Africa and don't do that well. When Leonard's brother dies of a fever, they encounter a middle-aged African woman who enlists them to save her mistress who has been kidnapped by slave traders. In return she promises them a fortune in rubies from her homeland, where dwell the People of the Mist.
This story has all the archetypal elements of Haggard tale, including Africa as the setting, people impersonating gods, a lost civilization, and doomed romance. The difference here is that Leonard isn't as self-effacing and doesn't quite have the same sense of humor as Quatermain. Also, the true hero of the book is Otter, Leonard's native African dwarf servant, who saves the day over and over again, despite a bout with alcoholism when he becomes bored while impersonating one of the gods of the People of the Mist.
The protagonist of the book is Leonard who is summarily kicked out of his ancestral mansion with his brother because his father has been implicated in some shady financial doings. The house is sold and Leonard's fiancee, Jane, is suddenly set up in an arranged marriage to the new owner of the mansion.
Broke and shamed, Leonard and his brother swear to seek a fortune to buy back the ancestral mansion, and Jane makes a pact that she will delay the marriage until he can return. They dig for gold in Africa and don't do that well. When Leonard's brother dies of a fever, they encounter a middle-aged African woman who enlists them to save her mistress who has been kidnapped by slave traders. In return she promises them a fortune in rubies from her homeland, where dwell the People of the Mist.
This story has all the archetypal elements of Haggard tale, including Africa as the setting, people impersonating gods, a lost civilization, and doomed romance. The difference here is that Leonard isn't as self-effacing and doesn't quite have the same sense of humor as Quatermain. Also, the true hero of the book is Otter, Leonard's native African dwarf servant, who saves the day over and over again, despite a bout with alcoholism when he becomes bored while impersonating one of the gods of the People of the Mist.
May 17, 2022
Classic adventure
Started reading this on a whim, and had a hard time putting it down. It's story was rich with relationships... healthy and flawed. It's the diversity of relationships and the strong characters that made this adventure book interesting. There's honor, dignity, strength, weakness, devotion, fear, jealousy, wisdom, love, friendship, self-reflection, and above all, hope. I enjoyed the author's descriptive telling of the adventures of Leonard and his companion Otter.
Started reading this on a whim, and had a hard time putting it down. It's story was rich with relationships... healthy and flawed. It's the diversity of relationships and the strong characters that made this adventure book interesting. There's honor, dignity, strength, weakness, devotion, fear, jealousy, wisdom, love, friendship, self-reflection, and above all, hope. I enjoyed the author's descriptive telling of the adventures of Leonard and his companion Otter.
December 4, 2025
More romance than adventure, still some classic Haggard adventure and swashbuckiling, but heavy emphasis on the relationship of love interests overpowers the plot.
July 19, 2021
This book got 4 stars for the tobogganing.
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