The Man-Eater

by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Love and greed, cowardice and heroism, rights and wrongs. This story set in the jungles of Africa has it all. You won't believe who turns out to be the hero of this suspenseful tale!'The Man Eater' is an adventure novel that takes place in Congo, where the Belgian missionaries suffer frequent attacks and killings by the native Wakandas. There is no Tarzan this time, just an unusual hero. He takes it upon himself to punish the wrongdoers and go after justice and peace. A little bit of racial stereotyping and language which wouldn't be tolerated today, but all in all, it is a compelling and highly entertaining adventure novel that fans of Burroughs and Tarzan enthusiasts will devour in one go.-

Genres: Adventure, Fiction, Fantasy

124 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 1915

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

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

In many ways, this is a typical jungle adventure by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950), published in 1915. There's no Tarzan in this jungle story, but, instead, we have a magnificent lion who becomes the hero of the story. I've always enjoyed animal stories as far back as I can remember, so I'm sure I would have liked this one as a kid. The lion is the hero, as I said, even though he's a man-eater! He goes after the white villains in the story, so that makes him the hero. Of course, to enjoy the story, you have to overlook the racial stereotyping and language. But, interestingly enough, the main female character, Virginia, turns out to be quite a strong and capable woman, certainly not a popular idea in 1915....Also, interestingly, the bad natives are the Wakanda and there is no "Black Panther" among them. They are revolting against the Belgians, who were the bad guys in the most recent Tarzan film, "The Legend of Tarzan." My, how times change!

[James Hold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice outing as usual from one of my favorite authors. This book sparked a bit of controversy that continues to this day, specifically concerning a possible daughter of Tarzan. Early in the book a Mrs Clayton and her daughter Charlotte visit the Virginia estate of Ruth Morton. There is a lot of speculation that Mrs. Clayton is the wife of John Clayton, Lord Greystoke. Charlotte Clayton is never mentioned again anywhere in the series so the reference is tenuous at best. Who knows but maybe she got killed by a rhino on her first outing? Still it's nice to speculate that Sheena and Nyoka and the rest had a predecessor in the daughter of Tarzan himself.

[itchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

eponymous sentence:
p35: They besought the whites to help them--to go forth with their guns and slay the manxeater; but though they hunted for two days no trace of the marauder could they find.

ocr:
p49: "She did not reply, and he crossed the hut, stooping and feeling for her with his hands.

p50: "Take your hands off me," she said, "or I'11 pull the trigger," and she poked the muzzle against his ribs.

p61: "...1 shudder to think what your fate would have been had chance not led us together at the right moment."

p62: "Get 'em back in the good ol' U.S.," he urged Taylor, "an' I'11 agree to help you; but Africa--never again!" and he raised his right hand solemnly above his head.

Good on you, Ben.

Today's generation would have puked at least once before the end of this book.

[Yibbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a surprising hero! And what an imaginative romp! From African jungles to New York gangsters, there are more villains and natural obstacles to be overcome than you would expect from such a short story. I went in expecting a rather slow-paced thriller of some sort. Instead, I got a very well-paced adventure, full of twist and turns all along the way. As with any adventure novel, the characters don’t always act thoughtfully or logically, but Burrows manages to make those actions into his character’s enduring qualities.
Fun trivia… Wakanda, of the Marvel universe, may have been named after the fictitious African tribe in the opening chapter of this book.
There were a couple ‘mild’ curse words. It was also written in 1915 about a wealthy southern family. There are terms that are considered very offensive now. It is a product of its time.

[Tim Deforest · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun adventure story involving a rotten relative trying to steal an inheritance, a missing marriage certificate probably located in a ruined building in the African jungle, a plot to commit murder, and a whopping big lion who takes a dislike to the villain and befriends the hero after an "Androcles and the Lion" situation. The action moves from Virginia to Africa and back to Virginia again, in which the lion (escaping from a circus train after a train wreck) plays an important role in the suspenseful conclusion. Great fun.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has not aged well. It's chock full of casual racism in the actions, in name/reference, and dialect.

I'd have rather heard about the lion's murder spree more than the weak lost legal document story.

Also, a man-eating lion who gets sold to a circus and not killed? Come on.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical entertaining, easy to read Burrough's Book.

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical Burroughs yarn involving a family will and a lion.

[Garick Cooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am an ERB fan, with over 70 books in my collection. This is a relatively obscure work. By modern standards, it is too short to be called a novel, and relies so heavily on coincidence as to strain credulity to the breaking point. Other than the eponymous lion, Burroughs produces no memorable characters here, unlike in his more successful series. (In Tarzan, he created one of the most well-known literary characters of all time.)

That said, the action and plot twists come fast and furious, and the ending is neatly resolved for all parties. ERB really did have a natural storyteller’s gift. Those who know and love him already will want to read this for the sake of completeness. For those who don’t know him, I recommend starting with one of his historical novels, either The War Chief or The Outlaw of Torn.

[Michael C. Cordell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not one of Burroughs' best, if I'm being honest. He's the master of unlikely coincidences and this book is no exception. The language at times isn't culturally sensitive in today's society, though for 1915, it was probably pretty commonplace -- yet it's still shocking to read.