Biittner's Book Reviews: King Solomon's Mines

A little late on this one but it is a book worth writing a quick review for. King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard was our February book club pick and one of the titles on our 501 Must Read list. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it. It is such a great adventure novel. I was surprised to learn that it was the first of it's genre as it really stands the test of time. The characters are great: Quartermain is the classic adventurer, Umbopa is an intriguing "side-kick", and Gagool is an unforgettable villain. The landscape descriptions are vivid and you can easily imagine the perils they face. It is fast paced, great read. Upon finishing it my first thought was that I greatly preferred it to Treasure Island (which was hard to get through) and Heart of Darkness (which is less fun and more political).