TARZAN'S BACK! Return to Pal-ul-Don by Will Murray!

When I heard this book was coming out, I immediately set to re-reading Tarzan the Terrible, the Burroughs novel recounting Tarzan’s previous visit to Pal-ul-Don. Though I’m glad I did, as an ERB refresher, it wasn’t really necessary. Return to Pal-ul-Don is a stand-alone adventure, introducing readers to new wonders, new horrors and new races in this forgotten corner of Africa.

This makes Return to Pal-ul-Don accessible to everyone – from folks who know Tarzan only through comics or movies, right up to the die-hards who carry the whole canon around as part of their DNA.

Any way you look at it, this a book that would have made Burroughs proud. It’s a fine blend of action, mystery, suspense and jungle know-how. Tarzan himself is portrayed in the grand fashion—noble, fearless and somewhat conflicted, struggling to balance the savage and civilized elements of his character. As always, the Lord of the Jungle is fiercely loyal to his friends, and merciless to his enemies.

The story opens with our hero, as John Clayton, having just earned his wings in the R.A.F. That would seem to place it shortly before the events in the last Tarzan novel penned by Burroughs himself, Tarzan and the Foreign Legion. Flying Officer Clayton is primed to kick some Axis butts out of the air, but instead receives a mission more suited to his peculiar talents. A secret agent with information vital to the war effort has been lost in the African jungle, and Clayton is sent to retrieve both.

Finding himself back in Pal-ul-Don (The Land of Man), Tarzan makes new friends: a race of squatty guys wearing giant turtle shells, a hybrid warrior with a tail, and a trusty elephant he dubs Torn Ear. Chief among his enemies are a horde of spider-worshippers armed with blowguns and poisoned darts. Such cowardly weapons make Tarzan truly angry, and a truly angry Ape Man is a wondrous thing to see. 

Mr. Murray spins the tale with confidence and style, and it’s to be hoped this is only the first of a long series of new “Wild Adventures” of Tarzan from Altus Press.  

The trade paperback edition is available now, but coming soon is a hardcover edition with a wraparound cover and a bonus story. Which do you get? Tough choice. You’ll find the paper edition here: Tarzan: Return to Pal-ul-don (The Wild Adventures of Tarzan) (Volume 1)