TARZAN
The Greystoke Legacy Under Siege
By Ralph N. Laughlin & Ann E.
Johnson
ERB Inc.
301 pages
Most fans of my generation will have
first been introduced to Tarzan of the Apes via the movies beginning with
arguably the most successful of them all, “Tarzan the Ape Man” starring Johnny
Weissmuller and Maureen O’Sullivan. It of course wasn’t the first cinematic
portrayal of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ fantastic hero but again, clearly the most
recognizable and economically successful up to that point in the character’s
history. From that one movie would come many sequels to keep an ever growing
audience entertained and such actors as Lex Barker, Gordon Scott, Jock Mahoney
and Mike Henry would pick up the vine swinging action. This stretch extended
from the mid 1940s through to the 1960s and culminated with a highly successful
weekly TV series starring Ron Ely.
Having been born a post-war baby in
1946, this was most of the exposure we were given and actually enjoyed until the
age thirteen when we discovered the original Burroughs’ novels in paperback.
You can well imagine our surprise on discovering the “original” character was
far removed from the monosyllabic wild man portrayed by Weissmuller. Rather we
were introduced to a remarkable human being who not only survived being raised
by apes in the mysterious jungles of an untamed Africa, but also a brilliant
intellect who, along with physical prowess, was able to teach himself to read
and ultimately master half a dozen languages. We learned he was heir to a vast
British fortune; his real name was John Clayton and eventually, as the saga
played out, would ultimately claim his title and the vast amount of wealth that
accompanied.
We’ll also hazard that most of you
reading this review will have read many of those classics plus other pastiches,
some good, some not so good, offered up by various authors over the years.
Which brings us to this current series being produced by ERB, Inc. under the
umbrella title of “The Wild Adventures of Edgar Rices Burroughs” with this
title kicking off Series # 4.
The story takes place in the 1980s
and deftly mixes fiction with reality. Authors Laughlin and Johnson immediately
establish the Clayton Clan as existing among four generations. There is Tarzan
and Jane, their son Korak and his wife Meriem, their son Jackie and his wife Irene
and their son Jonathan (Jon) Clayton. Jon is one of the primary plot drivers in
the adventure, as it is his desire to follow in his great-grandather’s
footsteps that leads us through his ordeals throughout the book. At the same
time one of Tarzan’s oldest enemies reaches out from beyond the grave to attack
his family both in Africa and in London where the estate’s billion dollar Trust
is managed by Jackie. A physical assault is directed at the Claytons’ beautiful
African plantation at the exact same time that spurious charges of treason and
illegal financial dealings are leveled at the Trust.
And as if this double assault wasn’t
vicious enough, Korak’s dear friend, gorilla specialist and advocate, Diane
Fossey, is brutally murdered in her jungle home and the blame is directed at
Korak.
This book is a brilliantly conceived
extension of all that Burroughs created during his career, expanding on these
marvelous characters in such a fresh and original way while maintining their
authentic personalities throughout. Thus Jon Clayton, as the new generation,
becomes the central lynchpin upon which the adventure barrel forwards and to
its credit never once is muddled as its various subplots alternate taking
center stage.
Each of the Claytons comes to life
within these pages as never before and the central theme of family and loyalty
to such is a powerful one skillfully employed.
“Tarzan – The Grestoke Legacy Under Siege,” is a terrific book and one every Tarzan fan, young and old, should pick
up and add to their library. As for this
reviewer, all we can say is that we are eagerly awaiting the next chapter in
this exciting new series.
