Cuando el mundo se estremeció

by H. Rider Haggard

CUANDO EL MUNDO SE ESTREMECIÓ es una de las últimas novelas que escribiera H. Rider Haggard. En ella aparecen elementos típicos de la literatura fantástica, y se prefiguran algunos de los que más tarde se llamarían ciencia ficción. Novela de aventuras, hace que su lectura resulte apasionante para todos los públicos, desde el juvenil hasta el más culto. Obra de profunda reflexión, obliga asimismo a sus lectores a meditar en problemas que el ajetreo cotidiano o la pereza y la comodidad habían conseguido aplazar. Obra de madurez, nos deja traslucir un Rider Haggard profundo y conocedor de la naturaleza humana, sumamente imaginativo, a la vez que pesimista y desengañado. Con todo, CUANDO EL MUNDO SE ESTREMECIÓ ha pasado a la historia como una de las obras maestras del autor de ELLA, LA HIJA DE AMON o LAS MINAS DEL REY SALOMÓN.

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Fiction, Science Fiction, Classics, Novels, Ebooks

Paperback

First published January 1, 1919

About the author

Sir 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.

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1916, as World War I raged, Henry Rider Haggard, then 60 years old, started to compose his 48th novel, out of an eventual 58. Originally called "The Glittering Lady," the novel was ultimately released in 1919 under the title we know today, "When the World Shook," and turned out to be still another wonderful book from this celebrated author, in which many of his old favorite themes (lost civilizations, reincarnation, love that survives beyond the grave) are revisited, but with a new spin. As in his first success, "King Solomon's Mines" (1885), we meet three intrepid Englishmen--Arbuthnot, Bastin and Bickley--and follow them on their amazing adventure. The three are quite a mixed trio, to put it mildly, Bastin being an upright, priggish, highly religious pastor; Bickley being a hardheaded materialist, a doctor and man of science (his constant debates with Bastin provide much of the book's humor); and Arbuthnot...well, he is a millionaire dreamer, a spiritual seeker, of sorts. After the deaths of two of the trio's wives, they (and Arbuthnot's plucky cocker spaniel, Tommy) undertake an extended cruise on a private yacht, and, following a monstrous cyclone, wash up on a South Pacific island replete with fetish-worshipping cannibals. And it is here that Haggard's tale really takes off, when our heroes explore a mysterious cave on the island and discover Oro and Yva, a father and daughter who have lain in suspended sleep for precisely 250,000 years! Apparently, these two were of a supercivilization that Oro had been forced to destroy way back when. Unfortunately, after taking a look around at our early 20th century, via his ability to send his ka, or spirit double, on such missions, Oro decides that this new world needs to be wiped out as well....

Pulpy in the extreme, simply written but at times offering up passages of great beauty and philosophical insight, action packed as can be and with lively and amusing characters, "When the World Shook" is surely proof positive that H. Rider Haggard still "had it" in his twilight years. As has been noted elsewhere, it IS strange to see MODERN warfare and airplanes (!) in one of his novels, but Haggard had some important points that he wanted to make in this book. Chapter 20, "Oro and Arbuthnot Travel by Night," in which the pair's spirits wander the Earth and see the horrors of modern-day warfare, is one of the most unusual passages in all the 35 Haggard novels that I've read so far. H.G. Wells could not have done a better job at demonstrating mankind's folly and showing us the waste that is war. Strangely, Oro and Arbuthnot's experiences in the U.S. are not written of in this book, the author attributing this to a gap in Arbuthnot's manuscript; perhaps Haggard felt daunted by opening up such a gigantic can of worms there! After all the horrors that he witnesses, no wonder Oro feels compelled to sink half the world in a gigantic deluge, as he did so long ago, and the method that he tries to use is a fascinating one. The reader is thus treated to an extended section in the bowels of the world, and gets to see the traveling, 2,000-foot-high gyroscope of cold fire--the World Balance--that Oro attempts to displace in a tremendously exciting scene. For those readers who are fans of Haggard's enduring fantasy "She" (1887), there are some echoes of that seminal work, as well. In "She," Ayesha acquires her immortality by bathing in the Flame of Life; here, Yva and Oro treat our heroes to their Lifewater, through which Oro has lived to be almost 1,000. And, as in "She," in this novel, our hero, Arbuthnot, finds the spirit of his deceased mate residing in another's body. (Death is no barrier to lovers in Haggard's novels; in that, they are some of the most truly romantic works that I have ever read.) Arbuthnot, actually, must have been a character very close to Haggard's heart. Both started out as lawyers, became authors, and were subsequently accused of plagiarism; both are deeply spiritual men with a love of travel and ancient civilizations. Arbuthnot's side thoughts on the meaning of life and man's place in the universe, and of what follows "death," make this adventure story much more than a mere pulpy page-turner. Though little read today, "When the World Shook" would certainly appeal to all lovers of fantasy, science fiction, adventure or romance. No, it's not one of Haggard's best, but it sure is darn good, and as entertaining as can be. Somebody, please break out $200 million, hire a screenwriter who will do justice to Haggard's unique vision, and turn THIS into a summer blockbuster!

[Wreade1872 · Rating 3 out of 5]

'..think not that you Westerners have done with wars.. and what the sword spares class shall snatch from class in the struggle for supremacy and ease.'

Quite a lot of good moments in this sci-fi adventure story. Also probably one of Haggards smoothest reads. I imagine he had a few more passes on the draft than he usually does.

Most of the good elements are character driven. The plot moves slowly and is not helped by all the foreshadowing. Its pretty obvious where things are going even if you havn't read any other Haggard stories. If you have read some of his other books however then a lot of this will feel very familiar.

Given its publishing in 1919 you might expect some influence from the war but despite the storyline lending itself well to that Haggard seems to almost resent having to acknowledge the conflict. The story is also quite religious, in fact the most religious adventure story i've read since Ardistan and Djinnistan.

Its almost a perfect representation of its time period. A bit more advanced than the victorian novels but oddly old fashioned for a modern work. Although i've said its slow, the downtime for want of a better term, is not without its charm mostly due to the personalities of its characters. Theres a fair bit of humour here.

[Rakib Hasan · Rating 3 out of 5]

হ্যাগার্ডের অন্য লেখাগুলোর তুলনায় অবশ্যই দূর্বল, বিস্তারিত কিছু বলার ইচ্ছা নেই কেন যেন, এমনিতেও বিস্তারিত বলিনা খুব একটা। তবে আমার কাছে বইটা অনেক ফাস্ট লেগেছে। এটা প্লাস পয়েন্ট, কোথাও আটকানো বা থেমে যাওয়ার ব্যাপার ছিল না। অনুবাদ দারুণ। কিন্তু বইটা আরেকটু ভালো হলে বেশি ভালো লাগতো। যদিও প্লটটা ইন্টারেস্টিং।

[Ratul · Rating 3 out of 5]

ব্যাক কভারের লেখা যেমন আকর্ষণীয়, ভিতরে তেমনটা না। গল্প যেমন তেমন, চরিত্রগুলা খুবই বিরক্তিকর। একটার চেয়ে আরেকটা বেশি! হ্যাগার্ডের সেরা বইগুলোর ধারে কাছে তো থাকবেই না, আরও নির্দিষ্ট করে বললে, সম্ভবত উনার দূর্বলতম রচনাগুলোর একটা। হয়তো প্রথমদিকের লেখা, কিংবা লেখার জন্যই লেখা - কে জানে!
অনুবাদ যথারীতি চমৎকার ছিল, শুধু এ-জন্যই তিন তারা।

[Sumaiyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

After so many days I finished a book.. Nice one.

[Farzana Raisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

ঠিক জমে নাই আমার কাছে :3

[Nazmus Sakib · Rating 5 out of 5]

প্রায় তিন বছর পরে স্যার হেনরী রাইডার হ্যাগার্ডের বই পড়া!

হেনরী রাইডার হ্যাগার্ডের বই পড়া শুরু তার আফ্রিক্যান এডভেঞ্চার দিয়ে, এত দূর্দান্ত এডভেঞ্চার সম্ভবত জুল ভার্নের সাথেও তুলনা চলে না। এডভেঞ্চারের সাথে রোমান্স মিশিয়ে এমন একটা জিনিস তৈরি করেন উনি, যে জিনিসটা আরো অসাধারণ হয়ে ধরা দেয়!

অনুবাদ পড়া ছেড়ে দিয়েছি প্রায় চার পাঁচ বছর, তারপরেও সেবা'র অনুবাদ দেখলে আর সামলাতে পারিনা নিজেকে। টিপিক্যাল হ্যাগার্ডের বইতে যা যা থাকে( অতিপ্রাকৃত, আদিবাসী, অলৌকিকতা ইত্যাদি) তার সবই আছে এই বইতে, ব্যতিক্রম হয়নি কিছুই। অনুবাদ বরাবরের মতই দূর্দান্ত আর সাবলীল, কোথাও পড়তে গিয়ে এতটুকু ধৈর্যচ্যুতি হয়নি।

[James Hold · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apparently with great age comes great wisdom. And those possessing this great wisdom are compelled to dispense this great wisdom ad infinitum until all the listeners (or readers) drop dead of boredom. HRH has some boring books under his buckle but WTWS has to be the most boring of the lot. Everything in it seems recycled from other stories. You can predict the ending: volcanic island, beautiful girl. hostile tribesmen, blah blah blah. HRH is rapidly slipping down on my list of favorite authors.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is second-rate Haggard, but even then it isn't half bad. It just isn't as diverting as, say, She or King Solomon's Mines.

I won't go into the plot details, but let me briefly say that there is a strong element of allegory here. There are three friends -- one an absolutely unwavering skeptic, another a completely faithful believer, and the third and central character a man who falls somewhere in between, a man looking for meaning to life.

It is the long and repeated philosophical discourses of said three pals that begins to pall very quickly. Haggard repeatedly suspends the main narration, which involves a sea voyage and terrible storm that finds the three men cast away on an uncharted island, replete with the proverbial "lost world" elements that Haggard is known for. The three men endure all manner of hardships and find all manner of wonders, most wondrous being a very ancient tomb that -- egads! -- contains two wonderful corpses. But wait! They are still alive! And they can be revived! And they have been asleep for over 200,000 years!

Pardon my exclamation marks. You get the drift. Sensational stuff, but, alas, so heavily interlarded with the musings of the Skeptic vs. Believer vs. Hero that, frankly, I just began to skim those sections.

This is, in short, a fairly entertaining "lost world" novel, but not on a par with other Haggard I've read.

Read this for the February 2018 meeting of the Reading Genres book club, which was devoted to books written in 1918 or written about events of that year. I chose to read a number of pulp fiction novels written in 1918, most of which can be classified as "lost world" novels.

[Lisa (Harmonybites) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not going to claim that Haggard even at his best is the same order of classic as the best by Charles Dickens, the Brontes, George Eliot or Thomas Hardy. But like fellow Victorians Arthur Conan Doyle or Robert Louis Stevenson or Rudyard Kipling, Haggard really could spin a good yarn, and the fantasy genre in general owes him a great debt. Ten of his books are on my bookshelves. I gobbled those up in my teens and most I remember very, very well even decades later. My favorite of his novels involved Ayesha, known as She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, especially the book Wisdom's Daughter. I wouldn't consider this one of Haggard's best though. Of the ten Haggard books on my shelves, with the exception of She and Allan, this is my least favorite, the one I remember least vividly, and those aspects I do remember (reincarnated love, near immortals, lost civilizations) are the ones repeated in book after book by Haggard. That said, this is entertaining, and definitely even the lesser of Haggard books makes many a contemporary fantasy seem rather pallid.

[Robert Lebling · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the World Shook by H. Rider Haggard is an unusual if flawed piece of early science fiction, laced with philosophy, religion, colonial anthropology, romance and humor.

It is a post-Victorian novel, written during World War I, and the conflict impinges upon the narrative in various ways. When the World Shook was first published in serial form in the British Christian evangelical magazine The Quiver in 1918, at the end of the war, and was released as a novel the following year.

The author, Sir Henry Rider Haggard, wrote adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa – such as King Solomon’s Mines (1885), Allan Quatermain (1887) and She (1887) – and was a pioneer of the “lost world” literary genre, of which When the World Shook is a late example.

Haggard was a close friend of Rudyard Kipling, and Sir Henry’s biographer Morton Cohen says Kipling provided the idea for When the World Shook. The website HiLoBrow says Kipling “helped with the plot.”

For more: http://rlebling.blogspot.com/2012/11/...

[M.C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le pongo tres estrellas porque el inicio es extremadamente largo y pesado. El autor se echa casi cien páginas contándonos la vida de los personajes anterior al viaje en barco que motiva la aventura en sí y que, quitando cierto hecho biográfico del protagonista principal, carece de relevancia para la historia. En cuanto llegan a la isla donde transcurre el grueso de la acción, ya se pone la novela interesante y se convierte en "una novela de Rider Haggard" con todos sus tópicos favoritos, como si el autor reciclara ideas de anteriores obras. Así tenemos a seres longevos casi inmortales, con grandes poderes, ideología teosófica u ocultista, con viajes astrales, telepatía, antiguas civilizaciones que desaparecieron mucho antes de las conocidas en la Historia oficial, superhombres que quieren dominar el mundo... En la obra se contrapone la creencia atea y materialista con la espiritual. En cuanto al argumento, aunque entra en la fantasía podría también catalogarse como Ciencia Ficción con algún atrevido hallazgo. Si no fuera por ese denso inicio le ponía cuatro estrellas.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1919
The story centers upon the proverbial "lost world" elements that Haggard is known for. There are three friends -- one an absolutely unwavering skeptic, (a talented surgeon Beckley), another a completely faithful believer (a minister Bastin who is a pain in the butt), and the third and central character a man, Arbuthnot, who falls somewhere in between, a man looking for meaning to life. These three college friends are in middle age and live under the financial umbrella of Arbuthnot. They travel with him on a South Seas cruise for rest and relaxation while Aubothot feels drawn to the area, A hurricane ship wrecks them on an unknown island in the Pacific inhabited by a degenerating people who worship an anciet god called Oro. The three men endure all manner of hardships and find all manner of wonders on the island, most wondrous being a very ancient tomb containing two wonderful bodies who are still alive! They have been asleep for over 200,000 years!

The story line is constantly interupted with philosophical discussions and counter arguments between intellegent skeptic Beckley and dogmatic minister Bastin. Not surprising, the story is about reincarnation love which is a usual motif in Haggard hostorical romances. Also a reference to WW I.

[Alvi Rahman Shovon · Rating 4 out of 5]

গত বছরের মাঝামাঝি পর পর বেশ কয়েকটা হেনরী রাইডার হ্যাগার্ডের বই পড়ে ধৈর্যচ্যুতি হয়ে গিয়েছিল। তারপর আর হেনরীমুখো হইনি। এবছর সেবা থেকে প্রকাশিত হেনরীর এই বইখানা কিনে পড়ে নিয়েছি। হেনরীর লেখার গতানুগতিক ধারার সব মালমশলা যেমন অতিপ্রাকৃত ব্যাপার স্যাপার, আদিবাসীগোষ্ঠীর রীতিনীতি, অলৌকিকতাসহ সবকিছুই ছিল। তবে পড়ে শান্তি পেয়েছি। বিরক্ত লাগেনি একদমই। অনুবাদটা ছিল সাবলীল এবং উপভোগ্য।

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of Rider's top books. But an interesting part of his work. Mostly allegorical. Some parts have not aged well, but I was occasionally surprised at some passages that were decidedly egalitarian, anti-imperialism and class divide conscious, at least for 1919. For example, this passage during a journey through the world via astral projection, A Christmas Carol style:

Later we found ourselves opposite to the doors of a famous restaurant where a magnificent and gigantic commissionaire helped ladies from motor-cars, receiving in return money from the men who attended on them. We entered; it was the hour of dinner. The place sparkled with gems, and the naked backs of the women gleamed in the electric light. Course followed upon course; champagne flowed, a fine band played, everything was costly; everything was, in a sense, repellent.
“These are the wealthy citizens of a nation engaged in fighting for its life,” remarked Oro to me, stroking his long beard. “It is interesting, very interesting. Let us go.”

The narration by Michael Page is very good (and super nerds may recognize him from his narration of the Elder Scrolls novels).

[Norman Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arbuthnot, the leader, is a millionaire looking for meaning in the world. Bastin is a pastor who believes in the literal interpretation of the Bible. Bickley is a doctor and man of science who only believes what can be proved. While exploring the world on a private yacht, a colossal cyclone strands them on an uncharted South Pacific island populated by natives who worship a strange deity named Oro. When the trio is forced to flee the wrath of the natives after Bastin's misguided efforts to convert them to Christianity, they take shelter in the taboo cave where the deity lives. Oro and his daughter Yva wake up after being in suspended animation for exactly 250,000 years. Oro doesn't like what the world has become, and vows to wipe it out just as he did a quarter-million years ago. Will our heroes be able to stop him? Will Yva succumb to the love of a modern Englishman? This is adventure as only H. Rider Haggard can write.

[Steve Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What you think magic - is not magic." - The Lady Yva

In When the World Shook, H. Rider Haggard manages to mix together a quarter of a million year old culture, epistemological mysteries and theological philosophy, prescient seafarers, death dealing glances, World War I, a "Journey to the Center of the Earth", advanced flying machines, storms at sea, a lost island, telepathy and 4th dimensional teleportation, suspended animation, ancient Armageddon, idol worshipers, hints at space travel, long dead cities and even a couple of love triangles without missing a beat.

The story is a thoroughly entertaining adventure. Conclusion-wise, it's quite satisfying and the tale wraps up in a somewhat unexpected manner. Very impressive.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent example of narrative fiction. Haggard make the reader feel as though they are sitting in the pleasantly-narcissistic Humphrey Arbuthnot's drawing room with a cup of tea, while the old man takes advantage of having an audience to recount his self-absorbed, youthful adventures. The story itself is steeped in Masonic mysticism and is a lively, sometimes humorous adventure. While a late work for Haggard, it is a very good place for readers to introduce themselves to his vast library of adventure stories.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed reading this fictional work because it frequently depicted scenes and situation which made me reflect on my own worldview and position regarding the issues at hand. If you allow yourself to be drawn into the story it becomes more than just a work of fantasy.

Unfortunately, the edition I read was a Project Guttenberg ebook version and I found it poorly formatted in comparison to what I have come to expect from a Kindle Edition.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic tale of three Englishmen, and a small dog being stranded on a remote island, only to find strange islanders who worshipped a being called Ori! Then the three escape to a sacred island, to encounter the person who the islanders worship along with his daughter, Eva. And go on a wild adventure of the weirdest kind! A must read or listen to for an outstanding example of a journey to save the world from utter destruction!

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I find the storyline very interesting despite having read several other stories with similar plots, it was still the first of many without doubt. The one thing that caused the story to plod along for me and thus I have it a lower score than it probably deserves. The reader’s voice extremely over melodramatic. It nearly caused to stop listening at several points.

[NRH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly this was written early in the twentieth century and the English used is a little aged but the story is one of the better motifs that there is in science fiction / horror. I've read better but by the same token I've read many that were worse.

[Paul Tupper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I only needed to read one H. Rider Haggard book in my life. I should have stopped with She. This book is fun, but it really drags (and the edition I read had already been abridged.)

[charles hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

World

Well, I have to say that one chapter did not get my attn. Very tied up with individual stuff that just did not grab me. Compared to his alternates of that day, not too interesting.

[Susmita Sarker (বাচ্চা ভূত) · Rating 4 out of 5]

হেনরি রাইডার হ্যাগার্ড স্যারের বরাবরই ভক্ত আমি,ওনার অ্যাডভেন্চার উপন্যাসগুলোর তুলনা হয় না। অলৌকিক, অতিপ্রাকৃত, বাস্তবতা, প্রকৃতি সব মিশে একাকার। অনেকদিন পর প্রিয় লেখকের উপন্যাস পড়ে একঘেয়েমি কেটে গেলো।

[Thomas Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventure & philosophy intertwine. Often too wordy, but the romance keeps the read going.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I turned, looked, and nearly collapsed on the floor of the vault, since beauty can sometimes strike us like a blow.

This was published through 1918 serially, if I’m reading the copyright correctly, and then in 1919 as a book. The “Great War” plays a part: it convinces the great power that has awakened that mankind has regressed, is worse than it was 250,000 years ago when that power ruled.

America was apparently still among the “neutral nations” when it was written. America apparently had a reputation for speed, or at least its elevator operators did. “At a speed that would have made an American elevator attendant turn pale” was used by the narrator to describe a fearful—literally fearful—rate of descent.

The narrator is Humphrey Arbuthnot. He is accompanied on this adventure by two friends, Bickley and Bastin, whose names reflect that they are there almost as two sides of his own mind. Bickley is argumentative and hyper-rational to the point of irrationality: he doesn’t even believe what he sees, if he can’t explain it. Bastin is stolid, faithful—again, literally, full of faith—and trusting also to the point of irrationality. Much of the book’s narrative arc is Arbuthnot learning the limits of rationality and the power of faithfulness.

At one point, when deciding whether to continue the adventure believing the wonders, or discard them and leave, he takes the middle road:

“They may be illusions, but at least they are very interesting illusions. One might live ten lifetimes and find nothing else of the sort. Therefore I should like to see the end of the dream.”

One of the jokes of the book is that for all their arguments Bickley and Bastin are very similar to each other. There’s one humorous scene in which both abandon Humphrey at different times, Bastin, first, to give advice to an elderly parishioner on her varicose veins, and Bickley, later, to operate on the same woman’s varicose veins.

Bickley and Bastin are also possibly the best example of Dungeons & Dragons-style high intelligence/low wisdom and the reverse that I’ve seen in a novel. The ancient power also utilizes something that looks a lot like the D&D spell “hold person”, although given the ubiquity of such an effect in fantasy literature that doesn’t mean it came from here.

Haggard is not on the infamous Appendix N, but, like Clark Ashton Smith that seems an oversight. Haggard’s adventures put his characters into fantastic situations that they’re expected to navigate as players would. They feature larger-than-life villains, larger-than-life sets, deep dungeons and buried cities, and ancient powers that can’t be classified as either sorcery or technology because they’re at such a level as to blur into one.

It’s very likely I’ve read this before, but a long, long time again. Parts were vaguely familiar; and I have one of Bastin’s arguments in my quote file: “You should measure the universe and its possibilities by worlds and not by acres.” It’s also possible, of course, that this was an interstitial quote in Omni’s Continuum.

She was more heavy than I thought, and yet I could have wished the journey longer.

The other part of the story is a twice-doomed love story (this isn’t a spoiler—it’s one of those things where the reader gets it long before the narrator does) that itself highlights the epoch-spanning and mysterious ancient world, the things that man does not know and possibly, because of his violent bickering, never will.

Now throw your arms around me and I will tell you strange stories of lost days…

[Mbuye · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘When the World Shook’ published by H. Rider Haggard in 1919 is part fantasy, part lost world, and part science fiction. One of his last novels, it is not set in Africa, as most of his great novels, but on an obscure South Sea island. While not his best work, it does grapple with philosophical doubts between science and religion, a heaven after death (or, as one of the characters puts it, The Other Place), of the idea of reincarnation. Throughout the novel runs the fear of what is after death.

Although not primarily a science fiction writer, in one of the climactic scenes, Haggard describes a mushroom shaped cloud widening at the apex, a whirling column of fire, both of which are prophetic of a future mushroom shaped cloud. Thanks to the reality of the war recently concluded, we also get a glimpse of the latest instruments of destruction, including airships and submarines.

Haggard has for two of his principals, a preAtlantis father and daughter who are aroused from a 250,000-year sleep of suspended animation in pods, kept warm in underground caverns by means of radium bricks. It is evident that Haggard is not familiar with all the properties of radium. The climax takes place deep underground, with a kind of paternoster lift to take you to hell, where it is the intention of the wise, if murderous, pre Atlantean to shift the axis of the earth, much as a train is moved from one track to another by points and the shifting of gears. The result would have been the drowning of more than half the known world.

All very exciting, but not achievable if a human sacrifice could be persuaded to offer itself to prevent the catastrophe. When such a sacrifice comes forward, the hearts of three men and a dog are shattered, but the world is saved.

Now if that isn't a ripping yarn, I don't know what could be!

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 2 out of 5]

Until reading World Shook, I judged She and Allan to be the worst of all the H. Rider Haggard novels. World Shook, however, has knocked the latter from the top spot. Just getting this story started is a problem. Humphrey and his two friends, Bastin and Bickley, have nothing memorable about them whatsoever. The story being set in a sleepy English village, moreover, induces drowsiness. How many times did I find myself having read eight or nine pages that I simply couldn't remember having gone over? Part of the problem is the vague imagery. After reading these 400 plus pages, I still have little idea what the trio of adventurers even look like. Things do pick up when the three head out to the South Seas, encounter a storm, and find themselves shipwrecked on the island of Orofena, wherein they're taken in by cannibals until they start to explore a taboo island within the island. There they find Oro and his daughter, Yva, and wake them from a sleep of 250,000 years. And this is where things really go wrong. Readers soon finds themselves trying to remain awake while Humphrey and Yva hold endless discussions on life, reincarnation, the after death, and the "final" death. It just goes on and on and on, and it doesn't stop. Not even the threat of Oro bringing a global catastrophe will stop Humphrey and Yva moaning about eternity and what comes after.

Two minor things bothered me. One, why does it seem that the people in every lost civilization that Haggard's characters discover all wear sandals and robes? No shoes. No boots. Always sandals. And always flowing robes. Two, why did Haggard name Humphrey's dog Tommy? What self-respecting dog would ever answer to a name like that? Might as well call him Stuart, Bruce, Mike, or David. It's a witless name for the only creature in the novel to show any liveliness and intuitive intelligence. The mutt deserved a better name.

[Bibhakar Das · Rating 1 out of 5]

Title: A Disappointing Journey with of lack excitement and thrill

When I picked up this book by H. Rider Haggard, I was filled with excitement for a great adventure in my mind. After all, Haggard is renowned for his captivating storytelling. However, I must admit that this particular book fell short of my expectations.

The beginning of the book showed promise. It managed to grab my attention, but as I delved deeper into the story, I found myself yearning for excitement, thrills, suspense, or any element that could breathe life into the narrative. Unfortunately, these elements were conspicuously absent.

The climax and ending of the story were disappointing. The lack of any real surprises left me feeling unsatisfied and underwhelmed.

Now, I don't want to discredit H. Rider Haggard's abilities as a writer. He has proven time and again that he is capable of weaving fantastic tales. However, this book left me wondering if it was an exception to his usually thrilling works. If you're a fan of Haggard, you might want to give this one a pass and explore some of his other, more captivating works.