Not as well known as She or King Solomon's Mines and not as good structurally - it's a bit all over the shop in places and occasionally repeats (two tyrannical Zulu kings getting overthrown) - but it's a wonderful, sweeping epic, full of action, pain, romance, blood and regret. It's only a quarter of the way through and we've already had people driven out of their kingdoms, blood feuds, making friends with a future king, vengeance, romance, separate siblings.
Mopo flees to the kingdom of Shaka with his sister, who the king takes as his wife. She gives birth to a son, who Shaka wants dead (so no heir will grow up to overthrow him) but Mopo fakes the death and raises him as his own. He grows up to be Umslopogaas, who we know will die in Allan Quartermain, giving his a bittersweet quality, and who falls for his supposed sister Nada the Lily, who he later finds out he can marry.
It's melodramatic, passionate and terrific, full of great characters: brave Umslopogaas, Gwali the wolf king (his ally), wily Mopo, the beautiful Nada (so hot she causes wars), Umslopogaas' jealous wife, the mediocre tyrant Dingane, various witch doctors and brave Zulu warriors. There are hardly any white people in it - mostly Boers who are referred to rather than participate in action.
Wonderful dramatic scenes, such as Shaka wiping out Mopos's family, the rescue of young Umslopogaas, the death of Nada while holding his hand through a gap in the cage, Gwali's brave death fighting off scores of men with his wolves nearby. It's a cracking read and someone should make a film out of it.
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