King--Of the Khyber Rifles

by Talbot Mundy

Book Overview

"I can't get enough of you," she whispered in King's ear. She was Yasmini, the sloe-eyed dancing beauty who had drawn King back into the hills of India in the shadow of the towering Himalayas. Now they were alone in a cave together and she drew him farther into the dark. It was not in Yasmini's scheme of things to leave things to chance: no novice at the art of love, she made it an art reborn . . .

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0881841692
• ISBN13: 9780881841695
• Release Date: January 1985
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.49 lbs.

Customer Reviews

British India adventure/military classic

From cover: "There are rumors of an uprising. Our young hero Athelston King of the India Secret Service, is dispatched to the Khyber Pass to prevent what threatens to become a Holy War. Armed only with quick wit, courage and the knowledge of men, King must travel to the Khinjan Caves, a place from which no Englishman has ever emerged alive. For this mission, King is assigned a partner, Yasmini the Wonderful, a woman who all of India believes to hold the mysteries of the mountains in the hollow of her hand. Before they are through, many will die and King himself, will stand on the brink of death."

A Lost Classic

Thirty years ago, this was one of the "Classics Illustrated" comics, and it made a big impression on me as a kid. Now, having visited India and studied its history, returning to the story in book form resonated on several levels. Mundy is a piercing observer of human nature as manifested in the diverse peoples of India and their British imperialist masters. He is also a master of graphic description. This swashbuckling tale of fantasy and adventure lets him be Edgar Rice Burroughs and Rudyard Kipling at the same time. It's exhilirating, thought-provoking, and a great memoir of the not-so-distant days when fantasy worlds could still be postulated for this planet. Read it, and then read "The Nine Unknown", by the same author