Nada the Lily (Wildside Fantasy)

Rating:
Summary: A DEMONSTRATION OF THE ART OF STORY TELLING
Review: Almost everyone is familiar with King Solomon's Mines, She and Alan Quatermain etc but I have encountered relatively few readers of Nada the Lily. This is extraordinary since it is one of Haggard's greatest stories. Given the scenario of an adventure/love story spread out accross the South African landscape during the ruthless and absolute rule of the Zulu king Chaka, this is, as they say, a story that has everything. In this regard I have often wondered that whilst Haggard is one the most filmed if not over filmed authors, Nada the Lily has never made it to the cinema even though it reads as if it was written for the big sreen and the bigger the screen the better.

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding African Victorian adventure story
Review: Sadly, Rider Haggard is no longer required reading in the school system. Nevertheless, this rip-roaring action story about the early life of Umslopogas, a character more usually found in a supporting role in the novel Alan Quartermain, is probably Haggard's most poetic and free-flowing yarn. A multiplicity of interesting characters is to be found in this tale, although the central theme is the moving love story of Umslopogas and Nada (a native girl of great beauty). If you have been moved by West Side Story or Romeo and Juliet, and also enjoy a rollicking action-packed adventure saga, this book is a must for you!