Maiwa's Revenge; or, The War of the Little Hand

Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider), 1856-1925Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.9

Word count: 184K words
Chapters: 19

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Maiwa's Revenge; Or, The War of the Little Hand by H. Rider HaggardAuthor: Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider), 1856-1925,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Mar 31, 2006

Editor's review

Maiwa's Revenge; Or, The War of the Little Hand is an adventure novel by H. Rider Haggard that continues the author's tradition of African-set narrative. The story revolves around revenge and war and bears the clear marks of colonial-era adventure fiction, with plot driven by conflict and action. For readers studying the Victorian adventure novel as a genre, or for those who wish to know Haggard's work beyond King Solomon's Mines, the book has value as a genre specimen. Readers may attend both to its narrative pacing and scene description and to a critical awareness of its colonial perspective, discerning the era's limitations in the text. As a public-domain ebook, it is easy to obtain quickly and to compare with similar works, making it suitable supplementary material for thematic reading in adventure literature.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy Haggard's adventure novels and wish to expand their reading of his non-canonical works
Literature students studying the generic features of Victorian adventure fiction
Readers with a genre interest in English-language adventure stories set in Africa
Learners who need public-domain English texts for textual analysis or classroom discussion

Not a good fit for

Readers sensitive to colonial-era narrative perspectives who seek a diversity of viewpoints
Readers who prefer nuanced psychological description over action-driven plots
Beginners with limited stamina for English reading who are unaccustomed to old-style adventure prose

Reading tips

Begin with Haggard's major works to grasp his narrative conventions, then read this book to compare similarities and differences.
While reading, note statements reflecting the colonial perspective and keep critical notes in light of the historical context.
Place the book within the lineage of the adventure novel and read it against contemporary works.
Read the English text in sections; when encountering unfamiliar place names and titles, mark them first and verify them later.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a sequel to King Solomon's Mines?

The materials do not indicate that this book is a sequel to King Solomon's Mines. It is a standalone adventure novel that readers can enter without first reading other Haggard works, though familiarity with the author's usual devices will help in understanding the narrative pacing.

Are the African background descriptions in the book reliable?

This book belongs to Victorian-era adventure fiction, and its background descriptions carry clear period perspectives and imaginative elements; they should not be treated as reliable historical or ethnographic material. Read it as a literary text while maintaining a critical awareness of colonial narrative.

Is it suitable for classroom use as a case study in adventure literature?

It can serve as a case text in the adventure literature genre, especially for discussing narrative modes and colonial-era perspectives. Teachers should, however, supply historical background and a critical framework so that students do not take the book's positions as objective description.

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About the author

Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider), 1856-1925 Author

H. Rider Haggard (Henry Rider Haggard, 1856–1925) was an English writer best known for his adventure and fantasy novels. Because public information is limited, his detailed life and educational background are not discussed here. The library holds 64 of his works, including representative titles such as King Solomon's Mines, She, Allan Quatermain, Nada the Lily, The People of the Mist, She and Allan, and Wisdom's Daughter. His writing often centers on African settings and exotic exploration, blending treasure hunting, ancient civilizations, mysterious women, and lost worlds into tightly plotted, highly imaginative stories. Characters such as Allan Quatermain have had a lasting influence on adventure literature, and his works have been translated into many languages and remain popular with readers.