She: A History of Adventure
“She- who -must -be -obeyed,” sounds like a fun gal and for sure, gets her kicks in, kind of lethal though. Ayesha is a 2,000 year old woman and still looks marvelous for her age , lives in the middle of Africa during the 1800’s , rules a remote tribe of hungry cannibals, people have strange taste. When Englishmen arrive in her barbaric land, with hidden wealth , instead of being eaten, are saved by the impressive Queen. Leo is one of the tireless explorers and the fierce She, believes he is a reincarnation of a former great love. This wandering group , composed of four men quite different truth be told, would I lie? Maybe , but not here, trust me.
Ludwig Horace Holly , his foster son Leo and their servant Job, last, an inscrutable sea captain misnamed Mahomed here, a man not expected originally in the entourage, a
Arab sailor turned guide, are a little nervous you can imagine… there is a fine line between heroics and foolishness. They the intrepid travelers, very unwisely, even at the zenith of the British Imperial Age, come to this dangerous continent, an uncharted territory with unfriendly tribes, deadly diseases, hostile terrain, death all around, at the urging of Leo’s late father, father doesn’t know best always. Discovering the ruins of an ancient city, destroyed not by war , but a merciless plague that this magnificent, fascinating, lost civilization once powerful, now very dead has only old buildings left standing but how spectacular they are, breathtaking to the treasure seekers, then again sad is another word that comes to mind. The Arab a friend but quiet, disappears from the scene, a vicious war breaks out. In the conclusion, the Englishmen are brought deep down into the bowels of dark caves by the cruel Ayesha, to show an amazing event. Surprising to the Queen , it’s her great exit or is it.? Will She, the dazzling beauty return? After all this legend is invincible, immortal, everyone says and knows …The gifted writer and inventor of the Lost World books H. Rider Haggard, this She ( 100 million copies sold), and King Solomon’s Mines are his most celebrated products, probably his best too…adventures in the netherworld you can call them….
A fun 1965 film version of this novel starring Ursula Andress, should not be missed; her most celebrated role was in Dr. No…getting out of the sea on the beach as Sean Connery looks on.
