Monday, May 16, 2022

Tarzan and the Forest of Stone by Jeffrey J. Mariotte

 

Disclaimer: I was given an uncorrected advance proof of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jeffrey J. Mariotte enters the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe with a six-gun bang! Mariotte accurately captures Tarzan’s discomfort—and amusement—at 1930s Los Angeles “civilization,” and when danger rears its head, the Lord of the Jungle doesn’t hesitate to dive in headfirst—headfirst into the Arizona desert, an environment markedly different from the lush jungles to which the ape-man is accustomed.

Using equally his wits, brawn, natural instinct for survival, and ability to commune with nature and nature’s creatures, Tarzan roars to the rescue in what is essentially a Western. A Western replete with a lost city, Indigenous Peoples’ mysticism, and train-robber bandits-cum-gangsters. Burroughs was no stranger to Westerns and it’s nice to see Tarzan and the Western motifs blended so seamlessly.

Add to that, the tale is set squarely in continuity (aka the “expanded canon” which is the trademark of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe series), taking place immediately after Lord Greystoke’s visit to Hollywood at the tail end of TARZAN AND THE LION MAN, and readers are given a delightful lagniappe when Tarzan visits Burroughs himself at the Tarzana Ranch…all in all a fantastic 5-star read!

Order TARZAN AND THE FOREST OF STONE directly from Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.

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