The character Quatermain (not "Quartermain", a common error) is an English-born professional big game hunter and occasional trader in southern Africa. He supports colonial efforts to spread civilization in the Dark Continent, and he also favours native Africans' having a say in their affairs. Quatermain is an imperial outdoorsman who finds English cities and climate unbearable. He prefers to spend most of his life in Africa, where he grew up under the care of his widower father, a Christian missionary. In the earliest ...
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The character Quatermain (not "Quartermain", a common error) is an English-born professional big game hunter and occasional trader in southern Africa. He supports colonial efforts to spread civilization in the Dark Continent, and he also favours native Africans' having a say in their affairs. Quatermain is an imperial outdoorsman who finds English cities and climate unbearable. He prefers to spend most of his life in Africa, where he grew up under the care of his widower father, a Christian missionary. In the earliest-written novels, native Africans refer to Quatermain as Macumazahn, meaning "Watcher-by-Night," a reference to his nocturnal habits and keen instincts. In later-written novels, Macumazahn is said to be a short form of Macumazana, meaning "One who stands out." Quatermain is frequently accompanied by his native servant Hans, a wise and caring family retainer from his youth. His sarcastic comments offer a sharp critique of European conventions. In his final adventures, Quatermain is joined by two British companions, Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good of the Royal Navy, and by his African friend Umslopogaas.
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Written in 1887, Allan Quatermain is the sequel to the adventure novel King Solomon's Mines. In the sequel the major characters (Allan Quatermain, Sir Henry Curtis, and Captain Good) of the previous book are reunited and, eager for adventure, begin another expedition in search of a legendary lost civilization deep in Africa; the three Englishmen are joined by the Zulu warrior Umslopogaas. The adventurers find their lost civilization but only after an arduous, exciting, and dangerous journey. Of course, once the explorers arrive in the lost civilization, the adventure and drama continue to the very end. As in King Solomon's Mines the story is narrated by hunter, explorer, and adventurer Allan Quatermain; he is a little more philosophical and reflective in his narrative in this book. I did like this book a great deal as it is a good balance of adventure and light romance. One does not have to read King Solomon's Mines to understand Allan Quatermain but readers will get a lot more out of the sequel if they have read the previous book. In sum, Allan Quatermain is a good sequel to a good book.