H. Rider Haggard’s Allain Quatermain (1887) is the English writer’s second publication featuring the now famous fictional adventurer of the title. The latter has originally appeared in King Solomon’s Mines (1885) to later become the protagonist of numerous series of books written by Haggard as well as by other writers. It is reported that Haggard started writing his novels in emulation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, ending up creating one of the most unforgettable characters of adventure literature. The story starts when Quatermain loses his only son Harry. His discontent with his comfortable and luxurious existence in England pushes him to return to the African wilderness and resume his life of adventures being accompanied with a number of English friends, including Sir Henry Curtis. Complications start when they have to counter a sneak attack by a native tribe and finally manage to defeat it. Later, they find themselves engaged in a sort of civil war between two noble sisters, Nyleptha and Sorais. Siding with Nyleptha, they ultimately win the war, yet while Curtis marries the queen and becomes king of the tribe, Quatermain dies after being seriously wounded in the battle. By and large, the fictional character of Allain Quatermain is a typical British explorer who incarnates a lust for exotic cultures and unexplored lands, yet Haggard does not miss to let natives have their say about what is happening on their territories.
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