I'm still not a fan of the african adventure story but this is certainly better than most. A lot of different aspects to it, its got some humor, its fairly dark in places, some romance, lot of magic as well as the usual war scenes. It's good for its type. ( )

Best considered as a continuation of The Holy Flower, Haggard's The Ivory Child reintroduces several of the same characters, albeit some only briefly, and also retraces some of the journeys Quatermain undertook in that earlier novel. A difference does exist in emphasis, if not in the plot itself. That is, Haggard pushes the elements of fantasy and mysticism far beyond what was depicted in The Holy Flower. The story itself is yet another good one. And once more, Haggard seems to make use of James G. Frazer's observations regarding cultural anthropology and religious rites. ( )

Allan Quartermain story ( )

One of a number of what I consider good basic Haggard/Quartermain adventures, not as wonderful as King Solomon's Mines but working the standard formula agreeably. This time Allen is called into a conflict between a white people and a black people --the latter worship a giant elephant called Jana, which Quartermain is summoned to kill. ( )