She: A History of Adventure

The art of writing adventure novels is much like Mozart’s music: easy to learn, difficult to master. Those who do master it, however, earn themselves a place in the pantheon of globally distinguished and loved authors. As one might guess, it is not a mean feat. Having said that, we now come to the book to be reviewed. “She: A History of Adventure” was written by H. Rider Haggard in 1887.

The book opens with an account by the publisher of the story, who recounts his first encounter with the protagonists, Horace Holly and his ward, Leo Vincey. Vincey, an extremely handsome young man, forms quite an incongruous pair with his guardian, Holly, who is said to forcibly remind the publisher of a gorilla. The manner in which Holly came to be Vincey’s guardian is one fraught with history and sadness, but an engaging account. Leo’s father, who happened to be a fellow inhabitant of Cambridge, appeared on Holly’s doorstep one night, ill enough to be coughing up blood. He declared his decision to make Holly his son’s guardian, left an iron chest in his care, and proceeded to narrate his family’s history, which could be traced back sixty-six generations to a priest of Isis, originally of Greek extraction, named Kallikrates. Initially doubtful, Holly accepted the charge his friend laid upon him and promised to raise his son, Leo, as his father desired. Vincey departed that night, claiming that he would not live to see another day, but Holly dismissed it as a mere fancy, albeit with some concern. Upon Vincey’s death the next morning, Holly resigned himself to the fact that he would have to bring up Leo by himself.

Thus begins this account by Haggard, which goes on to narrate an adventure in Africa. On Leo’s twenty-fifth birthday, as instructed by his father, Holly opens the chest left with him. Inside, they find a detailed account of Vincey’s family history, going all the way back to ancient Africa and Egypt. However, the account they possess is an extrapolation and translation of the writing on a clay shard, originally inscribed by Amenartas, the wife of Kallikrates. In it, they find that the Queen of a then-ancient kingdom in Libya, well-versed in magic and possessing the secret to immortality, had fallen in love with Kallikrates and wished to make him her consort by making him immortal. The condition attached to it (since immortality always comes at a price) was that he had to kill his wife. Upon Kallikrates’ refusal, the Queen became so enraged that she killed him, but was instantly overcome with guilt and remorse, thus allowing Amenartas and her infant son to escape to Rome. Amenartas tasked her son, Tisisthenes, later Vindex (the ‘Avenger’), with revenge for his father.

As luck would have it, Vindex, and the sixty-odd generations which followed him, were unable to make the journey to the ancient kingdom and avenge their predecessor. The latest in this line of avengers was Leo Vincey, who accepted his task with alacrity. With Holly and his manservant Job, he embarks on this adventure, which takes them to Zanzibar first and then to the exact location indicated in the shard of Amenartas. The journey is long, gruelling, and there are few survivors left when they encounter the Amahagger, the people who serve the Queen. The trio are on the verge of being killed by the Amahagger, when they are saved by the arrival of a messenger of the Queen, who orders them to be released. Holly is left stunned, marvelling at the power and omniscience of She-who-must-be-obeyed.

The trio is escorted to the ancient kingdom of Kor described by Amenartas, to the audience of She, who shows them special favour, particularly Leo. Over time, Leo falls in love with Ustane, an inhabitant, much to the chagrin of She. Meanwhile, Holly discovers more and more about She, realizing that she has been alive since the time of the ancient Egyptians and possesses more power than a mere mortal like him can comprehend. They discover that her real name was Ayesha, and one night, Holly stumbles through the corridors of Kor to find Ayesha looking at a body. The next day, Leo and Holly are brought into the same room and it is revealed that the body is that of Kallikrates, preserved over the course of history. The biggest shock, however, lies in the fact that Leo and Kallikrates look exactly the same and She claims that Leo is truly his ancestor’s reincarnation.

She reveals her love for Leo and offers him immortality, which also entails a trip to the Pillar of Fire. Leo agrees, even after he sees She strike Ustane dead with her magic. Bewitched, Holly, Job and Leo follow Ayesha to the Pillar, where she asks Leo to pass through the column of fire so that he may become immortal. Sceptical, he asks her to do so first to prove that it won’t kill him. Ayesha, confident of the powers of the Pillar, walks through the column. For a moment, nothing happens, but then Ayesha begins to age drastically, the accumulated centuries rushing back to take their toll. As she implores to Leo to not forget her, she falls down and dies-at the very same spot where she had killed Kallikrates centuries ago.

Leo and Holly find that Job, their companion, has died of fright, and begin their journey back to Kor, and then civilization. The way back is no easier than before, and this time, they are in worse condition, both mentally and physically. In spite of the unfavourable circumstances, the two of them manage to find their way back to England, almost exactly two years to the day since they first set out on their adventure.

Much like “King Solomon’s Mines”, “She” is another timeless classic, demonstrating adventure unlike any seen before, especially in the Dark continent. Although the language in which the book is written may seem tedious to some readers, it is a thoroughly engrossing read capable of commanding one’s undivided attention until the end. Having said that, do give this book a read; it is definitely a tale for the ages.