This is really a companion book to Haggard's novels; though very entertaining it does not stand on its own well unless you have a much more thorough knowledge of Haggard's canon than I did, going into it. Despite this, all of the stories are told with his usual flair and I flew through the book in a couple of days. The longest stories deal with his son and wife respectively, both of whom are confined to melancholic references in his better known works. Allan's Wife, in particular, has cinematic qualities that I'd love to see explored on screen.

The introduction is worth spending time on, providing a short biography of Haggard, a bibliography ordered by where the stories take place in Quartermain's life, and of course a short discussion on racism. Haggard is a long way from being the most offensive author of this period, since he lived in Africa and got to know a lot of people there. However, in some ways this makes some of the attitudes grate more than usual - you feel like he, at least, ought to know better - and it feels inconsistent.

If you like Haggard this is a must read. If you're undecided, or new to Haggard, it's probably not the place to start; pick up one of his famous works first to ground yourself.

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