"An imaginative, entertaining adventure story."-E.F. Bleiler
"Enchantment is just what this writer exercised; he fixed pictures in
our minds that thirty years have been unable to wear away."-Graham Green
There are few equals to the thrilling adventure-fantasy novels of H.
Rider Haggard, and of all of his series the Ayesha novels have been the
favorites of his fans. In this final chronological installment of the
novels, Ayesha: The Return of She (1905) the adventures of intrigue,
the supernatural, and love continue, yet this time in the deep exotic
wilds of the Asian continent.
After the immortal African Queen Ayesha, or "She", apparently perishes
in a tower of fire, the Englishman Horace Holly and his adopted son Leo
Vincey return home from their African journey. Twenty years later, the
pair are still haunted by the strange memories of the beautiful but
cruel supernatural being "She", and eventually Leo is afflicted by
powerful visions of her presence. In agreement that she is still roaming
the earth, Holly and Leo set out for Asia, and eventually to "Thibet",
where they make perilous journeys through the jungles and mountainous
peaks of the uncharted wild. Through battles with immortals,
death-hounds and sorceresses they are finally re-united with Ayesha. As
Holly and Leo are pulled further into the world of the occult it becomes
clear that the Queen's ambitions are nefarious, yet they have
inexplicably fallen into the allure of her powers. A classic of
gothic-fantasy literature, this final installment of the Ayesha series
succeeds at creating one of the most exotic and mysterious mythical
worlds ever created.
