Allan and the Holy Flower Book

This is one of the 14 books that H. Rider Haggard wrote (starting with "King Solomon's Mines") depicting the adventures of Allan Quatermain, great English hunter in the wilds of mysterious Africa. I was a little worried when I started this book, as it took around 1 1/2 whole pages to get going, but then the next 394 pages proved just as action-packed, fast-moving and entertaining as can be. The story concerns an expedition for a very rare orchid, and the search for the kidnapped wife of one of Quatermain's friends. There are any number of tremendous battle scenes, and before all is said and done, we have run up against a giant gorilla god, cannibals, slave traders, a very suspenseful lake chase, evil wizards, a hidden volcanic sanctuary...and on and on. And for fans of Quatermain's Hottentot sidekick, Hans, let me add that this great character has rarely been shown in a more humorous or heroic light. Haggard's imagination seemed to be working overtime on this book, and despite an occasional inconsistency here and there (e.g., in one spot he writes that the Mother of the Flower is always eaten by her followers, and later on he writes that she is buried), the result is one tremendously entertaining yarn. What an incredible movie this would make, if done faithfully! It is a real shame that this book has been out of print for so long and is so hard to find now. It is well worth searching out.