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Zorro #2
Zorro #2: The Further Adventures of Zorro
The Further Adventures of Zorro is an exhilarating continuation of the legendary tales of the masked avenger, Zorro, created by author X. Set in the sun-drenched landscapes of Spanish California, the novel follows the daring exploits of Don Diego de la Vega as he dons the iconic black mask and cape to fight injustice and tyranny. In this thrilling installment, Zorro faces off against a new cast of villains, including corrupt officials, ruthless bandits, and vengeful adversaries, as he defends the oppressed and champions the cause of freedom. With its swashbuckling action, heart-pounding suspense, and timeless appeal, The Further Adventures of Zorro is a must-read for fans of adventure and romance.
302 pages, Paperback
First published May 3, 1922
About the author
Johnston McCulley
258 books82 followersJohnston McCulley (February 2, 1883 – November 23, 1958) was the author of hundreds of stories, fifty novels, numerous screenplays for film and television, and the creator of the character Zorro.
Many of his novels and stories were written under the pseudonyms Harrington Strong, Raley Brien, George Drayne, Monica Morton, Rowena Raley, Frederic Phelps, Walter Pierson, and John Mack Stone, among others.
McCulley started as a police reporter for The Police Gazette and served as an Army public affairs officer during World War I. An amateur history buff, he went on to a career in pulp magazines and screenplays, often using a Southern California backdrop for his stories.
Aside from Zorro, McCulley created many other pulp characters, including Black Star, The Spider, The Mongoose, and Thubway Tham. Many of McCulley's characters — The Green Ghost, The Thunderbolt, and The Crimson Clown — were inspirations for the masked heroes that have appeared in popular culture from McCulley's time to the present day.
Born in Ottawa, Illinois, and raised in Chillicothe, Illinois, he died in 1958 in Los Angeles, California, aged 75. -wikipedia
Many of his novels and stories were written under the pseudonyms Harrington Strong, Raley Brien, George Drayne, Monica Morton, Rowena Raley, Frederic Phelps, Walter Pierson, and John Mack Stone, among others.
McCulley started as a police reporter for The Police Gazette and served as an Army public affairs officer during World War I. An amateur history buff, he went on to a career in pulp magazines and screenplays, often using a Southern California backdrop for his stories.
Aside from Zorro, McCulley created many other pulp characters, including Black Star, The Spider, The Mongoose, and Thubway Tham. Many of McCulley's characters — The Green Ghost, The Thunderbolt, and The Crimson Clown — were inspirations for the masked heroes that have appeared in popular culture from McCulley's time to the present day.
Born in Ottawa, Illinois, and raised in Chillicothe, Illinois, he died in 1958 in Los Angeles, California, aged 75. -wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
August 26, 2023
This book embodies the term swashbuckling.
As in, Don Diego de la Vega swashes and buckles better than anyone who has ever held a sword and loved a woman.
I still can't make up my mind if it was great or awful but I enjoyed it either way.
Zorro sings, winks at his friends, taunts his enemies, steals romantic kisses from his betrothed, and generally is just the best at everything right up to the last page.
Is it at all realistic? No.
But dammit, it's exactly what we want to see!
The Further Adventures continues with a character we thought was dead at the end of the last book, the evil Caption Ramon, rising up from the grave to haunt Zorro and his soon-to-be bride, the lovely senorita Lolita.
McCulley doesn't bother to explain why Ramon isn't still dead, he just flitters past it with a quick little - he recovered from getting run through with a sword and lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood for god knows how long before someone must have realized he was still alive and took him to the ER, where I'm sure they performed cutting edge surgery that saved his life, and now he's up and running about as though nothing happened - kind of explanation.
In other words, Captain Ramon rises from the ashes like a phoenix because that first Zorro movie was a hit and now we're making a sequel.
On the flip side, the somewhat morally ambiguous Sgt. Gonzales makes a complete turnaround and is now solidly on the side of angels. And Zorro's friends the bold caballeros, who honestly seem like a bunch of chivalrous frat boys, also play a bigger role in this book.
Bill Homewood was perfect because he read this in an even more OTT way than anyone could have possibly asked him to do. I visualized the villain's twirling mustache, I saw Zorro skipping along the ship's rigging singing, and I felt faint as Senorita Lolita Pulido swooned.
I should have been rolling my eyes but I was in love with his rendition of these characters.
So prepare yourself, Random Goodreader.
Pirates may make our hero walk the plank, but the power of friendship, shoddy rope-tying practices, and true love will eventually save the day!
Recommended.
As in, Don Diego de la Vega swashes and buckles better than anyone who has ever held a sword and loved a woman.
I still can't make up my mind if it was great or awful but I enjoyed it either way.
Zorro sings, winks at his friends, taunts his enemies, steals romantic kisses from his betrothed, and generally is just the best at everything right up to the last page.
Is it at all realistic? No.
But dammit, it's exactly what we want to see!
The Further Adventures continues with a character we thought was dead at the end of the last book, the evil Caption Ramon, rising up from the grave to haunt Zorro and his soon-to-be bride, the lovely senorita Lolita.
McCulley doesn't bother to explain why Ramon isn't still dead, he just flitters past it with a quick little - he recovered from getting run through with a sword and lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood for god knows how long before someone must have realized he was still alive and took him to the ER, where I'm sure they performed cutting edge surgery that saved his life, and now he's up and running about as though nothing happened - kind of explanation.
In other words, Captain Ramon rises from the ashes like a phoenix because that first Zorro movie was a hit and now we're making a sequel.
On the flip side, the somewhat morally ambiguous Sgt. Gonzales makes a complete turnaround and is now solidly on the side of angels. And Zorro's friends the bold caballeros, who honestly seem like a bunch of chivalrous frat boys, also play a bigger role in this book.
Bill Homewood was perfect because he read this in an even more OTT way than anyone could have possibly asked him to do. I visualized the villain's twirling mustache, I saw Zorro skipping along the ship's rigging singing, and I felt faint as Senorita Lolita Pulido swooned.
I should have been rolling my eyes but I was in love with his rendition of these characters.
So prepare yourself, Random Goodreader.
Pirates may make our hero walk the plank, but the power of friendship, shoddy rope-tying practices, and true love will eventually save the day!
Recommended.
May 6, 2025
May 1, 520pm ~~ Review asap, I need to get a few chores done first.
May 5, 730pm ~~ When the Zapata Reading Club finished with The Mark Of Zorro it was my turn to pick the next title. I was all set to choose from the pile on my desk, but then I wondered if Gutenberg had any other Zorro stories by the original author.
And here we are with the second of the original Zorro tales. The Further Adventures was lots of fun to read aloud. It is an exciting story involving pirates who attacked the pueblo of Loa Angeles and kidnapped Zorro's bride-to-be. There was a despicable cowardly bad guy who plotted against so many people I think he lost track of which side he was really on, and a pirate chief whose one weakness was a fear of ghosts.
We happen to be watching a Spanish language telenovela about Zorro now too. This helped us both create mental pictures of the characters by simply envisioning the actors from the show, and we laughed after the first days' reading when we both admitted what we were doing.
I love the Zorro stories, and this was exciting and fast-paced. But I was just a little disappointed with Zorro himself in this book. He seemed less sure of himself than he had been in the first book. There was something missing but I can't really put my finger on exactly what without getting into spoiler territory. But that 'something' was responsible for the four star rating instead of five.
May 5, 730pm ~~ When the Zapata Reading Club finished with The Mark Of Zorro it was my turn to pick the next title. I was all set to choose from the pile on my desk, but then I wondered if Gutenberg had any other Zorro stories by the original author.
And here we are with the second of the original Zorro tales. The Further Adventures was lots of fun to read aloud. It is an exciting story involving pirates who attacked the pueblo of Loa Angeles and kidnapped Zorro's bride-to-be. There was a despicable cowardly bad guy who plotted against so many people I think he lost track of which side he was really on, and a pirate chief whose one weakness was a fear of ghosts.
We happen to be watching a Spanish language telenovela about Zorro now too. This helped us both create mental pictures of the characters by simply envisioning the actors from the show, and we laughed after the first days' reading when we both admitted what we were doing.
I love the Zorro stories, and this was exciting and fast-paced. But I was just a little disappointed with Zorro himself in this book. He seemed less sure of himself than he had been in the first book. There was something missing but I can't really put my finger on exactly what without getting into spoiler territory. But that 'something' was responsible for the four star rating instead of five.
March 2, 2023
The second book featuring the hero Zorro. Released in 1922.
This book was essentially Zorro vs Pirates. And it’s a lot of fun. It takes up directly after the last book. Diego and Lolita are to be wed. On the night before their wedding pirates kidnap her and raid the town of valuables. So Zorro and the caballeros have to go after Lolita to rescue her by chasing down the pirates.
It’s so much fun. I really like McCulley’s dialogue. There are several twists and turns involving the pirates I quite enjoyed. Most everyone is back. Sgt Gonzales, Captain Ramon, Frey Felipe, etc, etc. Definitely looking forward to the third one.
This book was essentially Zorro vs Pirates. And it’s a lot of fun. It takes up directly after the last book. Diego and Lolita are to be wed. On the night before their wedding pirates kidnap her and raid the town of valuables. So Zorro and the caballeros have to go after Lolita to rescue her by chasing down the pirates.
It’s so much fun. I really like McCulley’s dialogue. There are several twists and turns involving the pirates I quite enjoyed. Most everyone is back. Sgt Gonzales, Captain Ramon, Frey Felipe, etc, etc. Definitely looking forward to the third one.
December 7, 2023
didn't Ramón die?
I mean he did... I checked again Just to make shure, and even if Zorro did not check his pulse I felt it was quite obvious that he died.
I know the storys don't take consistancy all to serious but this is a direct continuation.
I liked the book though, loved the romantic scenes. And Johnston McCulley nerfing Zorros fighting skills by making him slip/stumble will never get old for me
I mean he did... I checked again Just to make shure, and even if Zorro did not check his pulse I felt it was quite obvious that he died.
I know the storys don't take consistancy all to serious but this is a direct continuation.
I liked the book though, loved the romantic scenes. And Johnston McCulley nerfing Zorros fighting skills by making him slip/stumble will never get old for me
March 12, 2019
Wait.
A Zorro story where everyone knows his identity and he doesn’t wear a mask?
Yep.
Oh, and there’s pirates that attack the little pueblo of Los Angeles?
Sí.
If this sounds like ridiculous swashbuckling fun, you are right. There’s plenty of derring do, sword fights, narrow escapes, and acts of bravado to keep you entertained, not to mention a señorita constantly in peril from a villain who actually takes time to twirl his mustache while plotting nefarious deeds.
This is pure escapism, and it will lead me to reading more of these original Zorro tales in the months to come.
A Zorro story where everyone knows his identity and he doesn’t wear a mask?
Yep.
Oh, and there’s pirates that attack the little pueblo of Los Angeles?
Sí.
If this sounds like ridiculous swashbuckling fun, you are right. There’s plenty of derring do, sword fights, narrow escapes, and acts of bravado to keep you entertained, not to mention a señorita constantly in peril from a villain who actually takes time to twirl his mustache while plotting nefarious deeds.
This is pure escapism, and it will lead me to reading more of these original Zorro tales in the months to come.
September 17, 2020
An enjoyably melodramatic adventure story. The Further Adventures of Zorro picks up shortly after the conclusion of The Curse of Capistrano (aka The Mark of Zorro) and follows Señor Zorro on a mission to rescue his fiancée Señorita Lolita from the clutches of pirates, who have raided Los Angeles on the night before their wedding. Turns out the pirates aren’t the main villain, as they have been recruited by someone who wants revenge on Zorro and the entire caballero class and has concocted an elaborate plot to kill Zorro, wipe out the caballeros, and steal away with Señorita Lolita.
It’s very pulpy—with dastardly villains, wild flights of diction and purplish prose, multiple cliffhanger chapter endings and daring escapes, and lots more unexpected obstacles thrown into the hero’s path—but it’s immensely enjoyable. As in the first Zorro adventure, McCulley offers up some genuine plot surprises that grow organically from character motivation, so even though the plot becomes convoluted toward the end it never feels contrived.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by British actor Bill Homewood, who really hams it up with bombastic narration and thick Spanish accents. (You will not be able to stop rolling your Rs after listening to this.) It’s fun most of the time, but sometimes it’s so over-the-top it makes the story outright silly where, with a more straight performance, the action would feel more charmingly tongue-in-cheek.
Recommended.
It’s very pulpy—with dastardly villains, wild flights of diction and purplish prose, multiple cliffhanger chapter endings and daring escapes, and lots more unexpected obstacles thrown into the hero’s path—but it’s immensely enjoyable. As in the first Zorro adventure, McCulley offers up some genuine plot surprises that grow organically from character motivation, so even though the plot becomes convoluted toward the end it never feels contrived.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by British actor Bill Homewood, who really hams it up with bombastic narration and thick Spanish accents. (You will not be able to stop rolling your Rs after listening to this.) It’s fun most of the time, but sometimes it’s so over-the-top it makes the story outright silly where, with a more straight performance, the action would feel more charmingly tongue-in-cheek.
Recommended.
June 28, 2026
This is what swashbuckling is all about! Zorro makes a comeback on the eve of his wedding to Senorita Lolita Pulido (love saying her name in my terrible Spanish accent) when pirates and the zombified Captain Ramon decide they can’t leave well enough alone. What commences is a day (?) of chaos that includes fantastic feats of survival and heroism on the part of Don Diego Vega as he prepares to defeat the bad guys, rescue the Senorita and his caballero buddies and still make it to his wedding intact and with the Senorita by his side. All I could see in my mind as I read along were Disney characters from Pirates of the Caribbean and Guy Williams with his little mustache. It certainly was a great moment of nostalgia.
I hope I can find some more of these Zorro stories. They make me smile which is great in these dark times.
I hope I can find some more of these Zorro stories. They make me smile which is great in these dark times.
May 17, 2024
I enjoyed this one a lot more than the first book, "The Curse of Capistrano" a.k.a. "The Mark of Zorro". Maybe it's because it has pirates and some sea adventure as well as the inevitable Zorro derring-do. Overall, the story seemed to flow better and the characters are more interesting.
I was surprised to find Captain Ramon seemingly back from the dead, but I guess familiar villains work better.
The story does show its episodic nature, though. The number of gains and reverses Zorro suffers throughout are frankly ridiculous and slightly annoying.
But it's a cracking read filled with action and adventure.
I was surprised to find Captain Ramon seemingly back from the dead, but I guess familiar villains work better.
The story does show its episodic nature, though. The number of gains and reverses Zorro suffers throughout are frankly ridiculous and slightly annoying.
But it's a cracking read filled with action and adventure.
April 17, 2024
The Further Adventures of Zorro, sequel to The Mark or Zorro (as it became popularly known) / The Curse of Capistrano (its original title), picks up shortly after the end of the first book. As the first book ends with Don Diego Vega being revealed as Zorro, I had guessed that this book would either reboot the series (pretending the reveal never happened) or would be set in the period before Zorro's identity became known (a la The Hound of the Baskervilles). I didn't expect - and it was an unpleasant surprise to find - that this book picks up the night before Diego and Lolita Pulido's wedding, with Los Angeles being raided on pirates on the behalf of an apparently-not-dead-after-all Captain Ramon (who had been all but stated as dead in the final events of Mark/Curse, considering the extended discussion of whether or not his death should be considered murder or the unfortunate by lawful result of a duel, but who was resurrected for plot purposes). The pirates raid the village, abducting Lolita as Ramon's share of the loot, which of course sets the course for Diego to 'become' Zorro once more to save her, followed by all his loyal caballeros.
Though it sounds like this book should have a greater focus on swashbuckling action than Mark did, that was not the case. Seeing as Zorro's taking on a whole crew of pirates by himself and/or the caballeros are trying to take on an entire encampment where they are outnumbered three to one, there's a lot of running to avoid capture, actually being captured, and bemoaning being captured in this story. Disappointingly, there's not a whole lot of emphasis on the supposed cunning of the fox, either; Diego and his posse tend to just attack the pirates head on and it's Lolita who has some (very limited) time in the spotlight actually thinking out a plan more complex than 'use sword to slash bad man until dead.'
All in all, I didn't like this book very much at all. I sincerely hope the rest of McCulley's original series is better.
Though it sounds like this book should have a greater focus on swashbuckling action than Mark did, that was not the case. Seeing as Zorro's taking on a whole crew of pirates by himself and/or the caballeros are trying to take on an entire encampment where they are outnumbered three to one, there's a lot of running to avoid capture, actually being captured, and bemoaning being captured in this story. Disappointingly, there's not a whole lot of emphasis on the supposed cunning of the fox, either; Diego and his posse tend to just attack the pirates head on and it's Lolita who has some (very limited) time in the spotlight actually thinking out a plan more complex than 'use sword to slash bad man until dead.'
All in all, I didn't like this book very much at all. I sincerely hope the rest of McCulley's original series is better.
May 31, 2020
This edition has The Further Adventures of Zorro, the second novel and also some of the short stories.
McCulley wrote MANY short stories featuring Zorro. This edition is one of six that are published. I recommend this edition in the series since you get the short stories as well as the novel.
Pirates kidnap Don Diego's bride to be and he must get her back. This story is a continuation of the first novel. It is fun and exciting.
McCulley wrote MANY short stories featuring Zorro. This edition is one of six that are published. I recommend this edition in the series since you get the short stories as well as the novel.
Pirates kidnap Don Diego's bride to be and he must get her back. This story is a continuation of the first novel. It is fun and exciting.
November 23, 2017
This one qualifies as average only in comparison to its contemporaries. The prose is melodramatic, which is only emphasized by the reader's affected style (I listened to it), so much that I almost couldn't finish it. I'd probably like it better if I had read it but it lacks the tension, and humor, provided in the first book by Diego trying to keep his identity as Zorro secret.
January 19, 2020
Love Zorro
This is like a afternoon matinee. Fun book and plot. There not much more to write about this. Enjoy it
This is like a afternoon matinee. Fun book and plot. There not much more to write about this. Enjoy it
June 18, 2026
Rounding down to three!
Zorro vs. Pirates! An awfully fun adventure that was made for the silver screen, though predates "talkies" by about a decade. Often while reading I thought the book was written to be read aloud for a radio broadcast. The book would easily earn a higher rating for its sheer fun, but it is quite a bit dated. The female love interest, Lolita, and villain Captain Ramon would have fit perfectly in a scene involving train tracks, some rope, and a twirling mustache. Also, since everyone knows Zorro's secret identity in this book, a good deal of fun involving mistaken identities and more that the first book offered was missing and missed.
Still, this economical book is bursting with sword fights, daring escapes, grand battles, and memorable moments. I know I laughed out loud when Zorro fell off the ship a second time.
Zorro vs. Pirates! An awfully fun adventure that was made for the silver screen, though predates "talkies" by about a decade. Often while reading I thought the book was written to be read aloud for a radio broadcast. The book would easily earn a higher rating for its sheer fun, but it is quite a bit dated. The female love interest, Lolita, and villain Captain Ramon would have fit perfectly in a scene involving train tracks, some rope, and a twirling mustache. Also, since everyone knows Zorro's secret identity in this book, a good deal of fun involving mistaken identities and more that the first book offered was missing and missed.
Still, this economical book is bursting with sword fights, daring escapes, grand battles, and memorable moments. I know I laughed out loud when Zorro fell off the ship a second time.
August 16, 2026
When I was looking for a Zorro book to read I tried to get the first volume but nobody seemed to have it. (Of course, now everyone seems to have it.) I couldn't find it so I settled for "Zorro: The Complete Pulp Adventures, Volume 2". I don't think it really makes a difference. "Vol. 2" gave me a good sample size of author Johnston McCulley's Zorro character. The three stories in this book were all different lengths but they were all fun reads. I don't know if I'll ever bother reading any of the other Zorro stories but I might.
May 16, 2021
This volume consists of 3 stories, the name of the 1st is this book's title. Zorro gets involved with,among other things, a ship, in it, the longest of the 3. The 2nd story involves a Zorro masquerder and the 3rd a mysterious titular character tha bad guys want to rally behind. Also, Don Diego escorts a would be fiance, but not Lolito from the first story!
November 7, 2021
So I only read The Further Adventures of Zorro in this second volume of his complete adventures. I enjoyed this, but not as much as the original story. It was fun to see how bad things could get for him and to see how he would come to escape. Very dramatic with heroes and villains alike and I really hope the captain is finally dead!
October 26, 2023
Not a bad classic sequel, though a little old fashioned in places - typical damsel in distress, pirates and numerous perils for our hero. Quick, easy read, and although you don't really need to read the first book to enjoy this one, it is still probably better to read the first one just so you know the back story of the characters.
August 23, 2022
Continuity be damned! With respect to plot that is; the over-the-top egos and comically casual racism, classism, and sexism continue right on!
The adventure aspect was fun enough to get me to listen to it all and decide to listen to the next one. Not great but good enough!
The adventure aspect was fun enough to get me to listen to it all and decide to listen to the next one. Not great but good enough!
December 26, 2022
Definitely not as good as the original Zorro story. This story was a bit messy and all over the place. Situations seemed repetitive and several times Zorro did things that felt uncharacteristic. Overall I give the story 3.5 stars and would recommend fans of the character to read it.
April 6, 2026
This sequel to the Mark of Zorro is just as thrilling as the first one! Again, I listened to an audiobook read by Bill Homewood and again, his voice is perfect and I would even say sexy. Just saying. I’ll be reading the third one for sure.
June 19, 2018
Although not nearly as good as the first Zorro story, this is still a rollicking grand swashbuckler that is an entertaining read if you're a fan of the genre
April 22, 2019
Entertaining, but not as good as the first one, which had way more humour. But this one has pirates, which is awesome.
April 13, 2023
Compared to the Zorro who fought for the downtrodden and oppressed, fighting to rescue the distressed damsal - a worn out trope even then - reads hollow.
May 26, 2024
I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as the first book. This was partly the narrator's over-the-top Spanish accent, but we also spent too much time with the bad guys and not enough time with Zorro IMO.
Read
December 8, 2024A little more violent than the first book. several deaths
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2025
The classic familiar melodrama. Zero literature strength, outdated attitudes for women, but still fun in its way.
April 16, 2025
Fun, fast, and highly entertaining
July 6, 2025
The second book in the Zorro series.
July 17, 2025
This one is a bit less Batman and a bit more Jason Bourne.
September 14, 2024
Wonderful series of fun stories staring the infamous bandit Zorro! I grew up watching the Disney tv show and I love the movie with Tyrone Power too, so it's fun to see the origins of both of these.
Maybe it's just my edition, but my copy was full of typos and the stories seemed out of order since everyone knows Diego is Zorro in the story with the pirates, but in Zorro Deals with Treason, and The Mysterious Don Miguel no one knows his identity, so it was a bit confusing at first. Still lots of swashbuckling fun!
Maybe it's just my edition, but my copy was full of typos and the stories seemed out of order since everyone knows Diego is Zorro in the story with the pirates, but in Zorro Deals with Treason, and The Mysterious Don Miguel no one knows his identity, so it was a bit confusing at first. Still lots of swashbuckling fun!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews