I think I first read it when I was about nine or ten. Or maybe I saw the Ursula Andress movie first, I'm not sure. Either way, it's been part of my consciousness for about as long as I can remember.
I read as much Rider Haggard as I could find back then, and loved it. Forty-plus years later, I'm considerably less enthralled by most of his work. But still, this and a few others are still great nostalgia trips.
I've seen the movie so many times that from memory I can repeat the sequence of notes that Ayesha's trumpeteers use to announce her. The novel starts brilliantly, but despite the many superb fantasy concepts it ran out of steam for me, becoming more of a travelogue of admittedly imaginative places than a gripping adventure yarn. Perhaps if I'd come to it before the movie I'd have enjoyed it more. Anyway, the very deficiencies in characterization and contrived drama made it ideal source material for an RPG session.
I like your list, Matt. Always wanted to read She. Good luck with reading!
You've never read it? I'm surprised!
Thank you for the recommendation and kind words, Matt!
You're welcome!
I finally read She when I decided to adapt it for a roleplaying campaign. I think it made a better game than it did a novel.
I think I first read it when I was about nine or ten. Or maybe I saw the Ursula Andress movie first, I'm not sure. Either way, it's been part of my consciousness for about as long as I can remember.
I read as much Rider Haggard as I could find back then, and loved it. Forty-plus years later, I'm considerably less enthralled by most of his work. But still, this and a few others are still great nostalgia trips.
I've seen the movie so many times that from memory I can repeat the sequence of notes that Ayesha's trumpeteers use to announce her. The novel starts brilliantly, but despite the many superb fantasy concepts it ran out of steam for me, becoming more of a travelogue of admittedly imaginative places than a gripping adventure yarn. Perhaps if I'd come to it before the movie I'd have enjoyed it more. Anyway, the very deficiencies in characterization and contrived drama made it ideal source material for an RPG session.
I rather enjoyed the BBC radio adaptation. I listened to that (again) recently, which is what inspired me to re-read the book.
I just tried downloading that but it's no longer available, frustratingly.