Tarzan and the Leopard Men

Rating:
Summary: An ERB adventure in which Tarzan gets amnesia
Review: "Tarzan and the Leopard Men" was originally published as a six-part serial in "Blue Book Magazine" from August 1932 to January 1933. The 18th of Edgar Rice Burroughs' pulp fiction yarns about the Lord of the Jungle (and 44th overall) represents the downward spiral in the series as ERB pulls the old amnesia chestnut out to tell another story of romance and adventure in the jungles of Africa.

The story begins with a story in which a series of things happen: Kali Bwana, the story's requisite damsel in distress, is attacked in the middle of the night by Golato, the headman of her safari. Tarzan, accompanied by Nkima, his little simian friend, is knocked unconscious and trapped under a tree. Meanwhile, Nyamwegi, a native who is returning home to his village after seeing his girl friend, is attacked and killed by four of the Leopard Men, a mysterious cannibalistic cult. Orando, son of Lobongo, the chief of that same village, discovers and frees Tarzan, who no longer remembers his own name, even though he thinks the ape-man is a demon.

Both Nyamwegi and Orando had been praying to their muzimo, their protective spirit, and Orando decides that Tarzan is his muzimo, and that Nkima must be Nyamwegi's ghost. Not remembering that he is the Lord of the Jungle but still having all of his finely honed instincts and physical abilities might make accomplishing the tasks at hand more difficult, but you know that by the end of this yarn that Tarzan will put an end to the Leopard Man cult and not only rescue Kali Bwana but help her find what she is looking for in the African jungles. In other words, your basic, formulaic ERB potboiler for 23 chapters.

If this was one of your first Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan novels you would be more impressed with "Tarzan and the Leopard Men" than if you have been working your way chronologically through the series, because in that case there is really nothing new here beyond the amnesia gambit. But that is not exactly a positive addition to the formula. The bottom line is that this Tarzan adventure is okay, but nothing special. Once you get past the first ten Tarzan novles you are into the land of diminishing returns with pretty much each and every volume.

Rating:
Summary: An ERB adventure in which Tarzan gets amnesia
Review: "Tarzan and the Leopard Men" was originally published as a six-part serial in "Blue Book Magazine" from August 1932 to January 1933. The 18th of Edgar Rice Burroughs' pulp fiction yarns about the Lord of the Jungle (and 44th overall) represents the downward spiral in the series as ERB pulls the old amnesia chestnut out to tell another story of romance and adventure in the jungles of Africa.

The story begins with a story in which a series of things happen: Kali Bwana, the story's requisite damsel in distress, is attacked in the middle of the night by Golato, the headman of her safari. Tarzan, accompanied by Nkima, his little simian friend, is knocked unconscious and trapped under a tree. Meanwhile, Nyamwegi, a native who is returning home to his village after seeing his girl friend, is attacked and killed by four of the Leopard Men, a mysterious cannibalistic cult. Orando, son of Lobongo, the chief of that same village, discovers and frees Tarzan, who no longer remembers his own name, even though he thinks the ape-man is a demon.

Both Nyamwegi and Orando had been praying to their muzimo, their protective spirit, and Orando decides that Tarzan is his muzimo, and that Nkima must be Nyamwegi's ghost. Not remembering that he is the Lord of the Jungle but still having all of his finely honed instincts and physical abilities might make accomplishing the tasks at hand more difficult, but you know that by the end of this yarn that Tarzan will put an end to the Leopard Man cult and not only rescue Kali Bwana but help her find what she is looking for in the African jungles. In other words, your basic, formulaic ERB potboiler for 23 chapters.

If this was one of your first Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan novels you would be more impressed with "Tarzan and the Leopard Men" than if you have been working your way chronologically through the series, because in that case there is really nothing new here beyond the amnesia gambit. But that is not exactly a positive addition to the formula. The bottom line is that this Tarzan adventure is okay, but nothing special. Once you get past the first ten Tarzan novles you are into the land of diminishing returns with pretty much each and every volume.