Tarzan and the Forbidden City – Edgar Rice Burroughs (1938)
In this 21st installment of the Tarzan series, Edgar Rice Burroughs unleashes a whirlwind of adventure as the ape-man is drawn into a perilous quest for the mythical “Father of Diamonds”—a legendary gem hidden in the lost city of Ashair, deep in the African interior. The story begins when Tarzan agrees to guide an expedition led by Brian Gregory, a desperate man searching for his missing father, and Helen Bryce, a resourceful woman with secrets of her own.
Their journey takes them through treacherous jungles and up the River of Death, where they encounter hostile tribes, deadly fauna, and the enigmatic “Tarmangani”—a race of white warriors guarding Ashair’s secrets. The city itself is a marvel of ancient technology, ruled by the god-king Buiro, who wields a terrifying magnetic weapon. But Ashair’s true curse is its bloodthirsty “Death God,” a monstrous hybrid creature worshipped through human sacrifice.
Tarzan’s alliance with D’Arnot (returning from earlier novels) and his rivalry with the treacherous Paul d’Arnot (no relation) add layers of tension, culminating in a battle that pits primitive ingenuity against forgotten science. Burroughs leans into pulp sci-fi here, blending lost-world tropes with almost Lovecraftian horror.
“A jewel of a tale—where greed and godhood collide, and the jungle swallows both.”
