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Slide 1: She (Oxford Worlds Classics) by H. Rider Haggard Great Condition, On Time Ayesha is She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, a 2,000-year-old queen who rules a fabled lost city deep in a maze of African caverns. She has the occult wisdom of Isis, the eternal youth and beauty of Aphrodite, and the violent appetite of a lamia. Like A. Conan Doyles Lost World, She is one of those magnificent Victorian yarns about an expedition to a far-off locale shadowed by magic, mystery, and death. Tim Stout writes, in Horror: 100 Best Books, As the plot takes hold one has the fancy that [Ayesha] had always existed, in some dark dimension of the imagination, and that [H. Rider] Haggard was the fortunate author to whom she chose to reveal herself. Haggard did, in fact, write this book in a six-week burst of feverish inspiration: It came faster than my poor aching hand could set it down, he later said. This edition of the 1887 classic features an introductory essay by literary critic Regina Barreca, who likens Ayesha to Flauberts Madame Bovary or Tolstoys Anna Karenina--literally fantastic female figures who must be stopped before they love again.
Slide 2: Personal Review: She (Oxford Worlds Classics) by H. Rider Haggard A classic of early fantasy, She was written in 1887, proving to be so popular that in 1908 it was made into a silent film, not once but nine times. Set in Africa the plot revolves around the immortal She or in Arabic, Ayesha meaning "She Who Must Be Obeyed which is an honorific title and another variant, "She Who Lives". Ayesha is powerful to the point that she's down right nasty. Ayesha encounters Professor Leo Vincey who just happens to be the reincarnation of her lover she's waited 2000 years for. Leo thinks she's pretty hot but in order to become her lover he must bath in the pillar of fire. I can't say anymore or I'll give the ending away. I had never seen the movie with Ursula Andress but remember the posters. Actually the book surprised me by delving into death, reincarnation, sexuality, fate and power in an era I thought to be rather uptight and straight laced. All in all the book is well written, easy to lose yourself into the plot and characters. The theme of the book has stood the test of time and could go head to head with any other modern fantasy book. For More 5 Star Customer Reviews and Lowest Price: She (Oxford Worlds Classics) by H. Rider Haggard 5 Star Customer Reviews and Lowest Price!