Tarzan &Jewel of Opar

by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Book Overview

A spy, Albert Werper, has been sent by Tarzan's long time foe, Achmet Zek, to abduct Jane. His plan changes when he discovers that Tarzan is bankrupt and must return to the lost city of Opar to bring back more gold. While Tarzan and the spy are in the treasure tomb, an earthquake strikes Tarzan down and blocks the exit. The only way out leads Werper to the sacrificial chamber of the Flaming God, where he soon finds himself the next victim. Tarzan...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345241630
• ISBN13: 9780345241634
• Release Date: March 1975
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Maybe he WANTS to lose his memory.

Yes, the famous ape-man gets amnesia, but it isn't old, because this is the FIRST time he loses his memory. And really, you have to wonder if he kind of likes it that way, because he really finds civilization to be a drag. And also, Tarzan gets, um... raped. Sort of. No details, but it isn't that hard to figure out. We should all be so lucky as to be raped by the High Priestess of the Flaming God. Opar is bad news. Every time anybody goes there, they get sacrificed or eaten or buried in rubble or, in this case, get amnesia. Gold is a solid investment, but really, this place is bad mojo. But the book is good adventure. Jane shows that she can be more than a damsel in distress, though she can be that, too. Tarzan has to deal with villains both savage and civilized, and with his own amnesia. La is, well, La. She will show up again in this series of books, and she's in fine form here. If there were ever to be ACCURATE Tarzan movies made, this one would break box-office records. You shouldn't start with this book; you need to know about the first time the Big T visited Opar.

the Amazing Ape man does it again!

I was completely sucked into this book from page one. It has been several years since I read the first four books in this series (tracking down this book proved problematic, to say the least). After finishing this book I came to the conclusion that this is ERB's version of the classic cursed gold stories of the Norse sagas, (Neibelugileid..if I spelled that right, or the Volsung saga. More modern times, Wagner's Ring Cycle, and Lord of the Rings.) This book takes place of the course of one or two weeks, the time line is very very energy charged. Except for the few days where Tarzan has his amnesia and decides to loll about the jungle, no idea that he needs to save Jane. Jane is pretty impressive in this book, she doesn't let herself be a complete damsel in distress, she makes several escape attempts and is remarkably tough when it comes to finding out that her husband is dead. (So she and many others think). Of course she isn't the imperial seductress that La is designed to be. Who is a very interesting character to see in action, she is a spoiled child for the most part, who's only sympathy can be aroused when Tarzan is around. None of the bad guys in this are cartoonish, they all have sympathetic moments and times when ERB gives us insight into their character. I really enjoyed this book, I can't reccomend it highly enough and I really wish it was more widely available.

Tarzan's Jewels shine brightly in Opar

Excellent, another exciting installment in the Tarzan series, in which Tarzan's jewels stand out clearly as the main characters. Tarzan again shows his knack for hanging low, almost below his skimpy loincloth, as he dwells among his fellow jungle-folk. Not to say that his phallus is at all diminished by the sheer enormity of the jewels, but somehow Tarzan manages to utilize his incredible pool balls in ways humans simply don't. In all, if paired with some great mood music (I suggest "Possibilities" to get you started) it is a highly arousing adventure. I was rock solid in seconds. I'm sure you'll enjoy this amazingly erotic adventure as much as I did, provided that you are, in fact, a fat homosexual.

Tarzan returns to visit La in Opar in this ERB pot-boiler

"Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar" is the fifth book in the Tarzan series and is generally considered one of the better of Edgar Rice Burrough's tales of the Lord of the Jungle. Tarzan once again returns to Opar, the source of the gold for lost colony of fabled Atlantis. Ever since Atlantis sank beneath the waves, the workers of Opar have continued to mine the gold. Tarzan follows a greedy Belgian and Arab into the jungle, where the evil pair manage to stumble upon the lost city, at which point our hero loses his memory after a fight. This is good news for La, the beautiful high priestess who serves the Flaming God, because she has had that big crush on the apeman since their first encounter. However, while his amnesia opens the door for her amorous advances, her high priests are vowing that Tarzan will not escape their sacrificial knives a second time. Meanwhile, Jane is in trouble back at their African homestead. As you read "Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar," you will pick up on the fact that Burroughs liked the character of La a lot more than he did that of Jane Clayton Greystoke (who he would attempt to kill off in a few books). Of course, this second visit to the land of Opar is not as exciting as the first and the amnesia bit is pretty old hat, even for Burroughs. This is definitely one of the author's pot-boilers and for the pulp fiction era it is pretty solid stuff. Things get a bit predictable, but the tension between Tarzan and La gives the book a bit of bite. You just need to make sure you go through the first four Tarzan books before you read this one, or you are going to be a bit lost.

Tarzan returns to Opar with its gold and high priestess La

"Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar" is the fifth book in the Tarzan series and is generally considered one of the better of Edgar Rice Burroughs' tales of the Lord of the Jungle. Tarzan once again returns to Opar, the source of the gold for lost colony of fabled Atlantis. Ever since Atlantis sank beneath the waves, the workers of Opar have continued to mine all that gold, which means there is a rather impressive stockpile. Tarzan follows a greedy Belgian and Arab into the jungle, where the evil pair manage to stumble upon the lost city, at which point our hero loses his memory after a fight. This is good news for La, the beautiful high priestess who serves the Flaming God, because she has had that big crush on the ape man since their first encounter. However, while his amnesia opens the door for her amorous advances, her high priests are vowing that Tarzan will not escape their sacrificial knives a second time. Meanwhile, Jane is in trouble back at their African homestead and wondering what is keeping her noble husband from once again rescuing her. "Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar" first appeared in two issues of "All-Story Cavalier Weekly" in 1916. As you read the novel you will pick up on the fact that Burroughs liked the character of La a lot more than he did that of Jane (who he would attempt to kill off in a few books). Of course, this second visit to the land of Opar is not as exciting as the first and the amnesia bit is going to be one that ERB subjects Tarzan to a couple of more times down the road. This is definitely one of the author's pot-boilers and for the pulp fiction era it is pretty solid stuff. Things get a bit predictable, but the tension between Tarzan and La gives the book a bit of bite. You just need to make sure you go through the first four Tarzan books before you read this one, because you need to know about what happened the first time Tarzan visited Opar.