Pretty good sequel. Rough action in the jungle, etc. ( )

The third Tarzan novel, originally published as a serial in 1914, sees our hero brought back to the African jungle from his London home when his wife, Jane, and their son, Jack are kidnapped by his familiar Russian enemies. A truly impressive number of twists, double twists, mistaken identities, racial stereotypes, and use of the word "thews" (I had to look it up!) ensues. Jane refreshingly gets chapters all to herself and manages to do a great job taking care of herself. Tarzan builds himself a pack of giant apes and a ruthlessly adorable panther to assist in his quest of rescuing Jane and Jack and getting them all back to civilization. If you can set aside the racism endemic to the early twentieth century adventure novel (especially ones set in Africa) this is a page turner with just the kind of florid style and cliffhangers you'd expect from Burroughs. ( )

What a lot of twists, turns, and reversals of fortune! Jane gets far more agency than ever before; for a well-brought up Baltimore girl, she is awfully handy with a pistol, rifle, and paddle. It is charming how literary the thrillers of yore were. Burroughs could really turn a phrase.

As always, improbable coincidences, mostly of the spatial sort, occur. The west coast of Africa is really a bit larger than his novels would make it appear. ( )

I'm working my way through the whole EGB collection in chronological order and I'm considering cheating and moving ahead to the next Tarzan book. These stories are just so freaking fun!! Yeah, there's some stuff that isn't particularly "PC" anymore, but surprisingly little given the time period in which it was written. In any event, fast-paced story and tons of action. If you're able to suspend a little disbelief, buckle up and go!! ( )

Oh no! Jane and Tarzan junior get kidnapped! Again! Jane continues in her brave but dim-witted role. Tarzan gets lots of sidekicks, including Sheeta the murderous leopard. ( )