Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle – Edgar Rice Burroughs (1928)
In this 12th installment of the iconic series, Edgar Rice Burroughs returns to the pure, untamed spirit of Tarzan’s earliest adventures, pitting the ape-man against a lost civilization and its despotic ruler. The novel opens with Tarzan discovering the hidden city of Cathne, the “City of Gold,” and its rival, Athene, the “City of Ivory”—two remnants of a once-great empire now locked in perpetual warfare.
When Tarzan is captured by the Cathneans and forced to compete in their brutal lion games (where prisoners battle big cats in an arena), he turns the tables on his captors with savage ingenuity. Alongside Valthor, an escaped Athnean prince, Tarzan uncovers the dark secret behind the cities’ feud: the tyrannical Queen Nemone of Cathne, whose beauty masks a psychotic obsession with power and a forbidden love for her own slave, Tomos.
Burroughs weaves gladiatorial combat, political intrigue, and jungle warfare into a thrilling narrative, while exploring themes of slavery and corrupt monarchy. The novel stands out for its complex villainess—Nemone is both monstrous and pitiable—and for Tarzan’s role as an agent of revolution rather than mere rescue.
“Not just a lord of beasts, but a kingmaker—where the jungle’s law topples thrones.”
