Review of "Bomba the Jungle Boy: The Abandoned City," by Roy Rockwood

 Review of

Bomba the Jungle Boy: The Abandoned City, by Roy Rockwood

Four out of five stars

Influence of Edgar Rice Burroughs clear

 The original novel “Tarzan of the Apes,” was written by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912. It established a long running storyline about a boy whose family is marooned in Africa and is orphaned at a very young age. He is adopted and raised by a female ape and learns how to survive in the jungle environment.

 Bomba is also a white boy that is orphaned, in this case he lives in the Amazon. Like Tarzan, he knows the ways of the jungle, is strong and wiry, capable of great feats of strength, cunning, agility and fighting prowess. This story revolves around the well-used plot device of an abandoned city containing vast stores of golden products.

 While Tarzan eventually had Jane, Bomba has as a companion the native boy Gibo. Together, they struggle through a massive earthquake, battle wild creatures that want to kill them and greedy, ruthless humans led by a man named Japazy. To appreciate this book, it is necessary to keep in mind that adventure stories for adolescents in the early years of the twentieth century were different from the modern versions. There is also the occasional racial overtone, where Bomba expresses superiority over the native Gibo and the half-breed Japazy.

 If you can suspend a bit of the modern politically correct slant on the world, it is possible to enjoy this book for what it is, a somewhat mindless adventure.

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