1. Tarzan of the Apes
Tarzan's jungle birth, childhood, and career as king of the apes,
until his life is upturned by the arrival
of an expedition of whites. Tarzan saves Jane Porter, his love, and
Paul d'Arnot, who familiarizes him with speech and culture.
He saves Jane again in the U.S., but he respects her betrothal
to William Clayton, the illegitimate Lord Greystoke.
2. The Return of Tarzan
Tarzan thwarts Nikolas Rokoff's plans, who then throws him
overboard off the African coast. Tarzan assumes leadership
of the Waziri and discovers the treasure vaults of Opar. Jane
is shipwrecked and kidnapped by the Oparians. Tarzan saves
her and they marry.
Notes: exciting and well constructed story; Tarzan operates as a secret agent in Northern Africa; W. Clayton dies after the shipwreck.
3. The beasts of Tarzan
Lengthy pursuit along the Ugambi river involving Jane, Rokoff,
and Tarzan. Tarzan is assisted by Akut and his apes, the panther
Sheeta, and the black giant Mugambi.
Notes: pursuit triggered by (assumed) kidnapping of Tarzan's son Jack; Rokoff gets mauled by Sheeta.
4. The Son of Tarzan
Tarzan's son Jack (Korak) deserts his parents for Africa, to
follow in Tarzan's footsteps. He saves French princess
Meriem from her Arab kidnappers, but when the lovers get
separated they believe each other dead. Meriem survives
many assailers before she manages to reunite Korak and his parents.
Notes: sometimes slow, but ultimately quite successful story featuring up to 5 parallel story lines; symbolic yarn of the troubles of adolescence.
5. Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar
Belgian deserter Werper and Arab bandit Achmet Zek covet Tarzan's
possessions. Struck by an earth quake, the latter loses his memory,
Jane, his ranch, his gold, and the jewels of Opar. Searching for the
'pretty pebbles', he overhauls Werper, regains his senses, and saves
Jane.
Notes: miraculous plot, one of the best; main character is Werper, not
Tarzan; Tarzan saves La from an elephant in heat.
6. Jungle Tales of Tarzan
Miscellaneous stories of Tarzan's time in the jungle before contact.
Tarzan's first love; The capture of Tarzan; The fight for the balu;
The god of Tarzan; Tarzan and the black boy; The witch-doctor seeks vengeance;
The end of Bukawai; The lion; The nightmare; The battle for Teeka; A jungle joke;
Tarzan rescues the moon.
7. Tarzan the Untamed
W.W. I. While haunting 'the Germans', who have ransacked
his home and murdered Jane, Tarzan meets german spy Bertha Kircher,
and halfheartedly protects her in the jungle. Together with english pilot
Smith-Oldwick, they are captured in Xuja, a city of madmen,
from which they barely make their escape.
Notes: embarrassing display of nationalism, sexism, and racism; Tarzan
survives in the desert by eating a vulture; assistence from a black lion.
8. Tarzan the Terrible
Tarzan tracks Jane down to the hidden prehistoric valley Pal-ul-don,
inhabited by black and white 'pithecanthropi'. He finds her in the
city of A-lur, where his arrival leads to a civil war between the
warriors and the priests. When they are about to be slaughtered,
Korak comes to the rescue.
Notes: Tarzan subdues and rides a triceratops; he presents himself
as the 'Dor-ul-Otho' (son of god); contains Pal-ul-donian glossary.
9. Tarzan and the Golden Lion
Former employee Flora Hawkes uses Tarzan lookalike Esteban Miranda to
rob the vaults of Opar. Tarzan and La flee to a valley
where gorillas rule over degenerate
blacks. Aided by the golden lion Jad-bal-ja, Tarzan restores order and
catches the thieves, although Miranda escapes.
Notes: Tarzan trains a lion cub; Miranda fools everyone, even Jane and the
Waziri; racist; Tarzan speeches on this disgust for society.
10. Tarzan and the Ant People
Tarzan crashes into a hidden valley, where giant women without speech terrorize
their weak males, and tiny people inhabit highly developed city states. Adopted
by one of the ant peoples, he is made prisoner of war by another, and has lots
of trouble escaping from their city and back out of the valley.
Notes: exciting yarn rich in fantasy details; misogynist; Tarzan is experimentally
reduced in size; poorly developed subplot involving Miranda.
11. Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle
American photographer James Blake, separated from his safari, stumbles onto a
hidden valley where descendants of the crusaders continue to live in the Middle
Ages. Arab slavers reach the same valley and kidnap his love interest, princess
Guinalda. Tarzan fixes things.
Notes: minor supporting role for Tarzan; knights speak quasi Middle English;
extensive coverage of tournament; convoluted plot that fails to excite.
12. Tarzan and the Lost Empire
Tarzan tracks Erich Von Harben, and both end up in a hidden valley, where two
Roman cities survive, each suffering from a cruel emperor and their inept son.
Tarzan's victory as a gladiator sparks a revolution which leaps over to the
other city just in time to save Von Harben.
Notes: developed from notes for volume 11; Tarzan picks up Latin; parallel plots
in the two cities centering on thwarted romance; Nkima fetches the Waziri.
13. Tarzan at the Earth's core
Tarzan accompanies Jason Gridley on an expedition to Pellucidar in order to rescue
emperor David Innes from the Korsars. Unaccustomed to conditions on the inside of
the planet they are soon separated and lost, and pass through harrowing adventures
before they can be reunited and complete their mission.
Notes: Pellucidar crossover; all-out fantasy; complex plot with exciting twists
and chance resolutions; romance of Jason and Jana, the red flower of Zoram.
14. Tarzan the Invincible
Firebrand communists are searching for Opar, where La has been deposed.
Tarzan tries to thwart their plans and to reinstate La. Much
wandering about in the jungle by La, Jad-bal-ja, American agent
Wayne Colt, and Zora Drinov, a girl led astray by the communists.
Notes: shameless portrayal of the Russians/Reds as the bad guys; story without spark; clichés abound (Opar, Nkima, Tantor, the Waziri, the Arabs).
15. Tarzan Triumphant
Tarzan, hunting for slavers, saves marooned pilot Lady Barbara Collis
from a crater inhabited by degenerate descendants of a disciple of
Paul. Many co-stars, including geologist LaFayette Smith and his
buddy Danny "Gunner" Patrick, Russian spy Stabutch, and the
beautiful valley girl Jezebel.
Notes: Tarzan's part is insignificant; parallel story lines do not interact for the longest time; funny reproduction of American slang (Patrick).
16. Tarzan and the City of Gold
In the isolated valleys of Athne and Cathne (the city of gold),
Tarzan makes a shattering impression on Cathne's queen, Nemone.
The attraction is mutual, but palace schemes and Nemone's streaks
of insanity ultimately lead to Tarzan's demise. Jad-bal-ja saves
him in the nick of time.
Notes: the Tarzan novel with the most erotic tension; very well construed story; almost entirely in urban setting.
17. Tarzan and the Lion Man
A film crew has a disastrous location shoot in the jungle. Tarzan
comes to their aid, struck by the likeness of the lead Stanley Obroski
(the Lion Man) to himself. He saves the actresses from anglophone gorillas,
sprung from the genetic experiments of an English mad scientist.
Notes: poorly constructed story; identity confusion; stinging Hollywood
critique; the gorillas' names hail from the story of Henry VIII.
18. Tarzan and the leopard men
Tarzan suffers from temporary amnesia. Acting as guardian angel to
Orando the Utenga, he fights the secret order of the leopard men.
They have kidnapped a white woman, Kali Bwana, who searches for her
brother, an ivory poacher. His partner, Old Timer, attempts to save her.
Notes: nice build-up in the first half, the second half is more random;
in the first 100 pages Tarzan is called Muzimo, and Nkima "the spirit of
Nyamwegi".
19. Tarzan's quest
Tarzan and his Waziri investigate the kidnapping of young girls by the
mysterious white Kavuru. These also capture Jane who makes an emergency
landing with her company in the jungle. Tarzan rescues them by parachuting
straight into the temple, together with Jane's pilot Brown.
Notes: bickering, murder and romance in Jane's group; the Kavuru economy
runs on the insane; it's all about a life potion.
20. Tarzan and the forbidden city
Tarzan and a group with d'Arnot travel in search of the missing Brian
Gregory, who went after the 'Father of Diamonds' in the forbidden city
of Ashair. All company members are constantly being attacked, kidnapped,
emprisoned, (almost) raped or executed, and saved by Tarzan.
Notes: might be spurious; unstructured; no development of characters or situations; partly under water; Tarzan fights two lions.
20'. The Red Star of Tarzan
First draft of 20.
21. Tarzan the magnificent
Tarzan liberates Stanley Wood and Gonfala from the sorcerer Mafka, who
manipulates his Kaji (female warriors) and their male prisoners via
telepathy. Two of the men kidnap Gonfala, leading her (and Wood and Tarzan)
to the valleys of Athne and Cathne, where many things are amiss.
Notes: practically linear story, strange jumps in time and place; the first
half shows many signs of not being from Burroughs' hand.
22. Tarzan and the Foreign Legion
W.W. II. R.A.F. colonel Tarzan crashes in the jungle of Sumatra with a bunch
of Americans. They make it to the coast, together with Dutch refugee Corrie
van der Meer and a number of Dutch guerillas. The jungle is infested with
Japanese, traitors, and wild animals.
Notes: fighting scenes alternate with passages highlighting the psychological
and romantic vicissitudes inside the "foreign legion"; propagandist.
23. Tarzan and the madman
Chasing an amnesiac who thinks himself Tarzan and has kidnapped the white girl
Sandra Pickerall, Tarzan arrives at a mountain valley where descendants of the
Portuguese and the Gallas fight each other. The kidnapper turns out to be OK,
and after a battle the protagonists escape without much trouble.
Notes: Tarzan's role is negligible; access to the valley via an exciting climb;
the good Pelham Dutton is mindlessly mauled by apes.
24. Tarzan and the Castaways
Following mutiny and shipwreck, Tarzan and his travel companions end up on an unknown island, where descendants of the Mayas survive.
Notes: Tarzan suffers briefly from aphasia; characters finely drawn, but the plot is very sketchy.
Tarzan intends to remove a poacher, the world boxing champion Mullargan, from his estate, but ends up having to save him from cannibals.
Tarzan encounters two plane wrecks, as well as a safari plagued by mysterious deaths. He connects the two cases and solves the murders.
Notes: crossover to the detective genre; sketchy, probably not a genuine Burroughs; lengthy exposition of the 'MacGuffin' in chapter 2.