Book cover of She: A History of Adventure

Book description

She — subtitled A History of Adventure — is a novel by H. Rider Haggard (1856–1925), first serialised in The Graphic magazine from October 1886 to January 1887. She is one of the classics of imaginative literature, and one of the best-selling books of all time, with over 100 million…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked She as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I find H.Rider Haggard's famous tales of adventure (e.g. King Solomon's Mines) pretty disgusting: bunch of white guys in southern Africa, where they can slaughter and loot at will, far from the constraints of “civilised” society.

But “She” is one of a kind. A perilous wilderness, where the people who put pots on the heads of strangers have a very sinister outlook on life (these are cooking pots, and this is a stranded population, desperate for protein). Their immortal goddess (originally Ancient Greek?) lives in a tomb, doesn't seem to eat or drink; talks like a spoilt, entitled Victorian debutante,…

This is an interesting tale about a man looking for the source of eternal life and actually finds it. However, he begins to see the corruption that can accompany such a gift. He also learns that while easily attained, the gift can just as easily be taken away. I enjoyed the notion of a life spent doing whatever one wants, but I also appreciated the idea that being immortal doesn't include character development and one can just as easily spend a millenia being a tool. I especially enjoyed how the main character answered the titular character when she demanded he…

If you love She...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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