She: A History of Adventure

By: H. Rider Haggard

Narrated by: B.J. Harrison

Legends tell of an ancient sorceress who has learned the secrets of immortality. She rules over a lost people deep in unexplored Africa. She can slay at a glance, and her beauty is so legendary that no man can look upon her and keep his own will. Leo Vincey learns of a quest that has haunted his family for generations. He is to go to find this all-powerful woman, and discover the secret of eternal life.

Public Domain (P)2010 B.J. Harrison

A product of it’s time

I listened the whole way through. But it was not always pleasant. This book is definitely a product of its time. Racist, misogynistic, and imperialist. However the reader did a great job. I found his voice easy to listen to and the character voices pleasant and unobtrusive.

Too many words.

H. Rider Haggard tended to use 100 words where 5 would do. This book could have done with a good deal of editing to make it half its length or less. I understand it was originally serialized, so perhaps he was paid per word. Other than the long drawn out scenes where he waxed poetic over every minor detail, it was OK, I suppose. It exposed every major bigotry of the era: race, sex, class, religion, etc.. It is a good study of the zeitgeist of the late 19th century, if nothing else. The narrator was good.

The mystery of 'She' continues

This popular work from the 19th and 20th Century is credited by other very well known authors as being an influence on their own works. Graham Green, Henry Miller, J R R Tolkien are among those mentioned in Wikipedia.
'She' is now available to read free online. Having B.J.Harrison read it to me is just wonderful and certainly worth the few dollars asked.
This work also throws some light on the mysterious feminine presence in the male where the feminine is projected outwards onto another almost ageless beautiful and terrible woman.
'She' is really an adventure story. Chests with scrolls, pottery and a letter.A record of a 2000 year search, passed from father to son. Kind of..if you liked Indianna Jones..you could like this one. Its very British and not politically correct these days and does reveal some of the prevailing bias of the times in which it was written. 'Indianna' would most certainly have read Haggard.

thrilling tale, beautiful performance

a great adventure story (as the subtitle implies) coupled with a brilliant performance. Delightful dialog between characters as well.

The Story that Began It All--Read So Beautifully!

I first heard of "She" from Rumpole of the Bailey, then seeing that B. J. Harrison performed the book, I had to listen to it. Indeed, the book has become one of my favorites.

As you listen to She, you will be able to trace the inspiration of many works of art, such as J. R. R. Tolkien's Galadriel and the ring of power, Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray, even the Goa'uld of the TV series Stargate. The story is also deeply philosophical, making you pause and wonder about the power of beauty to beguile and initiate love, the true force of love, our mortality or immortality, and the nature of She herself, who beguiles us, the readers, even when she seems at her cruelest (notice, I say "seem" because what you think you know about morality seems to extend in her presence).

B. J. Harrison is at his best when he reads classic literature that requires high emotion to come across as believable. He achieves this difficult goal. Beyond his soothing voice, his performance of each character--and most especially She--is a treat to experience.

Highly recommended!