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The great white queen
a tale of treasure and treason
514 pages
A classic, sensationalist Victorian adventure into a hidden, perilous kingdom.
What it feels like
Reading this late-Victorian adventure feels like unearthing a dusty, thrilling penny dreadful from a forgotten attic. The narrative moves at a brisk, sensational pace, sweeping the reader from the dreary prospects of English boarding school life into a breathless, exoticized journey across uncharted territories. The mood is steeped in the classic lost world atmosphere, full of hidden treasures, treacherous plots, and melodramatic peril. Le Queux's prose is earnest and highly stylized, prioritizing cliffhangers and grand declarations over deep psychological realism. It is a time capsule of imperial adventure fiction, offering pure escapism for readers who delight in the vintage thrills of H. Rider Haggard and the lure of undiscovered, perilous realms.
- Mood
- exoticized
- perilous
- thrilling
- atmospheric
- Tone
- sensational
- earnest
- melodramatic
- adventurous
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- imperial adventure · loyalty and friendship · hidden realms · coming of age · the lure of the unknown
- The writing
- Victorian and sensationalist, characterized by breathless declarations, vivid but dated descriptions, and a focus on forward momentum.
- The arc
- Moves from the mundane constraints of English school life into a breathless, perilous journey of discovery and survival.
- Who it's for
- Fans of classic, pulpy Victorian adventure tales and lost world narratives who enjoy historical escapism.
Content notes
- colonialist attitudes
- dated racial depictions
- violence
- peril
About the book
An adventurous fiction by William Le Queux. Richard Scarsmere befriended Omar, the heir to the throne of Mo while both studying in boarding school of Dr Treager. One day, Omar was summoned by his mother Naya, The Great White Queen to return to Mo at once. Fearing traps and assasination attempts, Omar leaved immediately without any notice accompanied by Scarsmere; who dreaded the prospect of working as factory clerk proposed by his maternal uncle to be commenced next year. Therefore, began his adventure to Mo, where no stranger had set it foot.
Description from Open Library.
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