Tarzan the Magnificent

Tarzan #21

by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Two tribes of frightful warrior women, the Kaji and the Zuli, war with one another for possession of the men they lure into slavery. Their mysterious hypnotic power comes for the magnificent gems they worship -- an emerald and a diamond, each as big as a human head. Will the Lord of the Jungle be immune to the strange power of the Kaji and the Zuli?

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Fiction, Classics, Action, Pulp, Speculative Fiction

35 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 1939

About the author

Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.

Reviews

[Tharindu Dissanayake · Rating 5 out of 5]

"TRUTH is stranger than fiction."

Tarzan the Magnificent felt like a combination of two parts merged in to one. First half of the book holds some similarity to the book before, Tarzan and the Forbidden City, in that they visit a hidden city looking for a gem. The second part resumes takes us back to a loose end from Tarzan and the City of Gold, where the author only mentioned of the city of Athne. But this time around, readers are allowed in to the city.

Though the story was long, it did not feel like that at all. It was fully captivating, adventurous and was not lacking elements that are unique to ERB's imagination. Loved the story.

"Many people have died; many people are dying; many people will die - even you, my friend."

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tarzan the Magnificent was originally published as two serialized novels in two different pulp magazines: Argosy and Blue Book respectively as "Tarzan and the Magic Men," and "Tarzan and the Elephant Men." Despite being combined into one novel in 1939, it is evident that this began as two separate stories that required extensive editing to compile as one book, Tarzan the Magnificent. This is book #21 of the 24 written by ERB about Tarzan.

I continue my complaint that ERB is recycling stories, finding different ways to tell the same story. The reader is familiar with some of these characters, the two civilizations, races, there manner of being, and idiosyncrasies. Cathne is the City of Gold and Athne is the City of Ivory. Both cities are run by women, the Kaji and the Zuli. Both tribes are telepathic.

The story revolves around the political intrigue that is inherent in neighbors knowing the plans of a closely adjacent partner and not agreeing with it. The "N-word" is used too often in this version, but the tone is very characteristic of ERB. Also, it is my sincerest belief that Tarzan the Magnificent is consistent with all of the books found in the Tarzan mythos.

Good work, somewhat dated, and redundant.

[Ray Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tarzan the Magnificent is two Tarzan novellas published together as one book. The first story has Tarzan facing off against a couple of evil dudes with magic gem stones. It’s pretty bad, and the gemstones are under utilized.

The second story has Tarzan returning to the rival valleys of Cathne and Athne, last seen in Tarzan and the City of Gold. In that book the City of Ivory is mentioned, but not visited. Here Tarzan finally gets to go there. I rather liked City of Gold and was glad to see him return there, though not enough time was spent among the Elephant-Men.

Tarzan books tend to be racist. This one is more racist than normal. A couple of villains throw the “n” word around. The latter part of the book is also very classist. I found myself somewhat rooting for the villains due to the class based derision heaped on them.

At one point a character states he is going to marry a woman who is biracial. And one of the other characters warns him that doing so will subject the both of them to a living hell due to the racist social structure of “the great democracy of the U.S.A.”

I wonder if Burroughs was self aware enough to recognize his own racism as he bemoaned the horrors of racisms.

Quotes:
“Why only last night we were planning on the future, after we got married.”
Van Eyk shook his head. “Have you ever really stopped to think about what that would mean, Stan? What it would mean to you both in the future — in America? I’m thinking just as much of her happiness as yours, old man. I’m thinking of the Hell on earth that would be your lot — hers and yours. You know as well as I what one drop of colored blood does for a man or woman in the great democracy of the U.S.A. You’d both be ostracized by the blacks as well as the whites. I’m not speaking from any personal prejudice; I’m just stating a fact. It’s hard and cruel and terrible, but it still remains a fact.”
Pg. 91

“What a terrible thing to say, Stanlee,” cried Gonfala. “Do you think that we would be like that?”
“Oh, we’re different,” Wood assured her; “these people are beasts.”
“Not beasts,” Tarzan corrected. “They are human beings, and they act like human beings.”
Pg. 167

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

In vielerlei Hinsicht ein klassischer Tarzan-Roman mit den üblichen Ingredenzien, inklusive der so eigenwillig=typischen Doppelungen (Zwillingsherrscher, zwei Reiche, zwei magische Steine). Es wäre wirklich einmal einer genauen Betrachtung Wert, warum ERB so häufig auf dieses Motiv zugreift, zumal ja selbst Tarzan gelegentlich Doppelgänger hat.
Untypisch hingegen hier das übernatürliche Element, dass TARZAN THE MAGNIFICENT in die Nähe von Howards CONAN rückt. Allerdings gleichen sich die Charaktere in vielem so gar nicht, hier der edle Wilde, dort der Barbar mit ganz eigenem Ehrencodex. Ähnlichkeiten ließen sich aber auch aufzeigen.
Beim grün strahlenden Smaragd musste ich an einen anderen Helden mit ähnlicher Kraftquelle denken: "Am hellsten Tag, in schwärzester Nacht entgeht nichts Böses meiner Wacht! Wer finsteren Mächten sich verspricht, der hüte sich vor Green Lanterns Licht!" Ob Bill Finger wohl TtM gelesen hat und sich inspirieren ließ?

[Freyja Vanadis · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a silly little book. I haven't read it for almost 31 years, and I don't remember if I liked it back then. But I sure don't like it now. The whole idea of Tarzan himself is ridiculous and requires total suspension of disbelief, but this goes above and beyond. I can't imagine how the whole Tarzan series became so popular in the early half of the 20th century, but somehow it did. I suppose it's no different than the fantasy and sci-fi books of today though.

[Cindy Tomamichel · Rating 3 out of 5]

While entertaining in parts, this is far from being one of ERB's best works. The plot went around and around in circles, and there was a lot of repeated phrases and events.

Descriptions of long lost civilisations and tribes are well done, so there is no failure of imagination. It is a product of its times, and some readers may find some of the characters racist remarks hard to stomach, although it is plain they reflect the time of writing. Ditto with the repeated slaying of lions.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt oddly disjointed to me until I found out that it was originally published as two separate stories and then it all made sense. Well, maybe I wouldn’t go that far but at least I understood why it felt like two halves of a whole. The first half of the book starts when Tarzan gets caught up with a refugee from yet another lost civilization. No one could accuse Edgar Rice Burroughs of not draining that well down to the last drop. This time around the two warring cities (aren’t there always two warring cities, too?) are run by twin brothers who use magic gems to telepathically control the residents. Tarzan’s rescue goes wrong when the refugee gets pulled back by the magic of the gems and he follows after. He gets captured, something that always worried me when I was a young teen reading these but now I just roll with because he always comes out on top and his captors always rue the day. It’s part of why I love the books.

This civilization is an odd departure from ERB’s typical lost whites because this has African women who have been stealing and mating with white men to try to become white – an explanation for which is never given. Edgar Rice Burroughs loved to explore and talk about genetics but had the early 1900s prejudices and racism so firmly entrenched that he seems unaware of his own bias. It makes me wonder what unconscious biases my writing divulges. Wait, don’t tell me, I do NOT want to know. Our refugee, Stanley Wood, is in love with one of these women, the queen Gonfala, and believes she’s in love with him. There is a catch, however, she is in some tiny part a “black” girl and that is a problem in ERB world. The fact that she’s blonde and fair skinned and any tiny proportion of African genes would be miniscule after so many generations doesn’t change the fact that, as far as ERB and his characters are concerned, she’s not white. A character in the book points out that Stanley can’t marry her because prejudice back in the states would be too strong. It’s ironic that ERB is so blind to his own racism while calling out others for the same thing.

Anyway, adventures ensue and Tarzan’s muscle and mind are pitted against the might of the magic gems. Of course Tarzan is immune to their influences and everyone who matters (meaning anyone white) is rescued and returned safe to Tarzan’s bungalow where they presumable meet Jane although she doesn’t make an onscreen appearance. About this time I thought this was going to be the shortest Tarzan book ever (I was listening to it and had no idea how much was left) but then Gonfala is kidnapped and the second half of the book kicks off. This leads to something unusual for a Tarzan book – a return to a previous location. Other than his birthplace, his bungalow, and Opar, Tarzan rarely retraced his steps. But this time they end up, through adventures that are hazy in my memory, back in the City of Gold from the book Tarzan and the City of Gold. It was good to see some of the people from the earlier book even though the plot was even more tortured than usual. Captures, rescues, and treachery abound until everything gets resolved, including the matter of Wood and Gonfala’s relationship.

This was not one of my favorites, even for the later books. It’s pretty typical later Tarzan with silly coincidences and lots of running around without making any progress. The first half of the book is stronger than the second half when ERB couldn’t even be bothered to do any new world-building. The whole thing feels even more lazy and deriviative than usual, and for ERB that’s saying a lot. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Tarzan, but this is not one I would recommend to anyone but a true fan or a completist.

Three stars at best and that’s with the Tarzan uplift.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another rollicking adventure by Tarzan. Within this story, Tarzan finds a message written some 20 years earlier from an English Lord. By an odd twist of fate Tarzan gets sucked into a new adventure assisting an American.

Like with many stories, this is a rather good adventure with a mix of action, love, greed and betrayal. We even see Tarzan return to The Cities of Gold and Ivory. We even have a brief scene at Tarzan’s home and, although NOT by name, Jane makes a brief appearance. What you must learn though with Burroughs, he can’t sum up a story satisfactory. This is true with this story.

However, two points, Firstly, you soon find a standard plot to Burroughs. Two warring communities hidden away in time in Africa forgotten by the world around them, speaking a branch of English long lost and forgotten. This storyline done many times by Burroughs. Secondly, to read Burroughs, AND, to enjoy his works, must be done superficially. Burroughs is like Kipling, a product of there time. To read today, with modern views and ethics, they make rather uncomfortable reading. This story is even more so case and point. The two communities found by Tarzan, live in a Bricked Stone Style community, more advanced than the ‘sub species’ Africans in there mud huts. The Africans are ALWAYS portrayed as dim, slaves, fearful, subservient to the white man. To make this story even more uncomfortable, the white communities were once Africans. Although not explained, they would only sleep with White Men to lighten there skin tone, so much so, they were white themselves, occasionally with dark hair. Any African Skin Colour was killed or removed. Again, a product of the time, Wood, an American falls in love, his colleagues refer to how she would be treated in the US, White Skin, African Born.

This story, scratched below the surface shows the deep routed view of the “White Man” being elevated above the dim witted native, the real African.

[Norman Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantasy novel and a superhero story because of mind control. It’s a travel novel because of four, count ‘em FOUR cities, two of which are new to the Tarzan universe. It’s a comic novel because of Troll and Spike. I don’t have enough categories for this book.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A combination of two novellas first published in the 1930's, I remember really liking this one back in the '60's when I read it, hence my 5 star rating now.

[Joel Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first half of the book isn't as engaging as some of the other Tarzans. Tarzan wanders the jungle, serving as a deus ex machina. The last half of the novel becomes more interesting when the lead characters become imprisoned in the City of Gold.

Saving the City of Opar, often, we don't see Tarzan return to the scene of his adventures. Here, we get to see what happened to the City of Gold after Tarzan's last visit--and it really hasn't improved much since the demise of Nemone. Her brother has taken the reins of the kingdom, and he has little gratitude to Tarzan for his role in making that possible.

I would have liked to have seen the majority of the novel focus on the dynamics between the city of Gold and the City of Ivory, but I like that the second half of the book, at least, is a de facto sequel to Tarzan and the City of Gold.

[Jerimy Stoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better Tarzan books. This one kept me turning pages. As usual, the books follow a pattern. Tarzan learns of a problem, investigates is and becomes involved. He solves a bunch of problems, and there are always new issues that rise up just when there seems to be an end to it all. At this stage in Edgar's series, Tarzan has a lot of friends, and he is able to enlist succor along his way. His friends are listed among both man and beast.

Things I have learned from reading this short novel:
1. Reading young adult literature is still fun.
2. Reading sure beats watching television.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book in need of an editor. Just when you think it is wrapping up, it veers off into a second story.
It does have one of my favorite quotes from Tarzan: " All countries are unhappy where there are men...Men are the stupidest of beasts."

[Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

I may not make it through the last few.

[Nickolai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Не лучшая, но и не худшая книга серии. Даже есть что-то оригинальное: управление сознанием. Всё остальное - приключения идентичные тем, что происходили в одном из предыдущих романов.

[Major B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun story and also interesting since there was a bit of magic. I always enjoy going back to previous lost cities, especially with lions and elephants!

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tarzan #21. This is also known as Tarzan and the Magic Men.

Tarzan finds a 40-year old letter in the hand of a dead man that leads him to a ‘previously unknown’ magical race who lure white men to service their women who want to be white. There’s also a giant diamond and emerald involved.

Even though it sounds corny and the plot is basically a repeat of others before it’s actually a pretty good story. It doesn’t have too much overdeveloped landscape descriptions or touchy-feely stuff. Tarzan’s dry wit limited conversations are wonderful.

The story could have easily wrapped-up in the middle without all the escaping, kidnapping, stealing and rescuing that everybody did in the second half. I like that it leads us back to the cities of Gold and Ivory from a previous book, reusing a location instead of adding one.

Footnote: 1) On one hand Woora says he’s going to get revenge on Tarzan for killing his pet, while in the very next sentence he says he’s not a vindictive man. Typical crazy person.

2) That knife of his that he got from his father sure keeps coming back to him no matter how many times it’s taken away. I hope it's not the same one that he carries around now.

Fave scenes: Wood trying to cross the Neubari fork with Tarzan’s help, the fake fireplaces, the failure of Tarzan’s lion gauntlet and capturing the great bull elephant.

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the low points of the Tarzan series. The book is made up of two magazine stories combined here into one, neither is much good. The first part is something of a Rider Haggard rip off and the set up is fairly good. The device of a magical diamond and emerald that grants their possessors telepathic powers should have easily been used to far greater effect than it is here. The second part rather surprisingly revisits the lost twin cities of Cathne and Athene from Tarzan and the city of gold not that this adds much of interest. Lots of captures and escapes many of which are dull and forced and an ending that seems like ERB just got fed up with the whole thing and finished it.

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Truth is stranger than fiction."



Another compilation of two short Tarzan stories combined in one novel. Both literal, typical Burroughs.

"Tarzan and the Magic Men:" There's a magic stone, a missing white woman, a cult. Typical Tarzan adventure.

"Tarzan and the Elephant Men:" We get to see the City of Ivory mentioned previously in another book but never got to see. I like getting to return and expand upon previous books like this, it fleshes out the world and characters more and makes it seem like each book isn't strictly a one-off.

One more left and I've completely read the Tarzan books!

[Kevin Dumcum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two Tarzan novellas smashed together to make one book with the typical Burroughs’ sequence of fortunate coincidences and a rushed ending that unsatisfactorily tries to tie up loose ends.

Burroughs was phoning this one in.

It is also, by far, the most racist of the Tarzan books that cannot be explained away as “a product of its time.” It is one thing, I suppose, for the evil characters to be racist, it adds to their evilness. But the first half of the book revolves around a race of black African women who so hate their race that they have embarked on a multi-generational breeding program with only white males. Why? “Nobody knows.”

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read all 24 of the Tarzan books. Read dates are from the mid 1970s through 1982. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the Tarzan books. They made a great escape from high school and college. I still have all 24 books and they are at the top of my book shelf. I thought it was pretty neat to find the actual covers listed on Goodreads and there are no barcodes on the books, plus the cover price ranged from $1.50-1.95 for each book.

[Kevin Findley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still a great book, but like many of the later novels, Jane is not mentioned by name or not at all. Very strange, but makes for great fodder when you talk to hard-core ERB fans.

The language may offend a few people, but this was written over 70 years ago. Keep that in mind with how real people were actually treated back then, and Burroughs looks like a forward-thinking progressive.

Find it! Buy it! READ IT!

[Rob Roy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really two novels strung together and far from Burroughs best. One of the issues with this book is the constant use of classic Tarzan scenes over and over. How many lions can you kill in on novel? This book, a product of its time, is probably the most raciest of the Tarzan series I have read today.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tarzan the Magnificent (Tarzan #21) by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Ballantine Books 1939) (Fiction). Tarzan encounters a race of men with unusually vast mental powers. My rating: 6/10, finished 1973.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, ERB is going through the motions a bit with these later Tarzan books, but they are still entertaining.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

At least Jane was mentioned, if not by name.

[Susan A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tarzan meets up with old friends, solves problems and always saves the damsel in distress. What a Guy!

[Harold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worthwhile! Great action!

[Cecil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tarzan Saves the day yet again. Can diamonds really hypnotize?

[Nancy Raines]

Tarzan Book 21