LITERATURE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3332, 23 January 1918, Page 62

LITERATURE.

BOOK NOTICES

'The Path of Glory." By Joseph Hock ing. London, New York, Toronto: Hodder and Stoughton. (Cloth; 45.)

Mr Hocking's new war story is so much a romance of love and adventure that it can hardly be called a- novel of contemporary history. All the same, it is much more than a romance, and its descriptions are singularly accurate. It is, indeed, a story of contemporary history in the "Near East," and it deals very fully with the state of things in Turkey-in-Asia, especially in relation to the Armenian massacres. The hero, an Armenian boy, son of a famous patriot, has been adopted in his babyhood by an English admiral, Trenchrom, and educated at an English public school and at Cambridge, special attention having been devoted to his study of Eastern languages and politics. When the boy, is 21 his putative father tells him the real story of his parents and their sufferings. A change comes over the boy. At once he determines to go to Armenia and help his people, and this resolution is strengthened by a letter from his father's sister, which tells him that she and her daughter are in very great danger. Victor Alexandropol then goes to Turkey-in-Asia, first of all as an Englishman, the admiral supplying him with money and numerous letters. These letters excite suspicion from the very beginning, and in order to carry out his schemes Victor is obliged to disguise himself in various Turkish guises. Sometimes he appears as a servant, again as a wealthy Turkish noble, a soldier, or even a ragamuffin. He. finds the ladies for whom he is in search, and another friend with them, who proves a daring heroine, and plays up to him on every occasion. Their adventures are of the most thrilling nature, and certainly err a little on the side of sensationalism. At first Victor thinks that he may become a patriot, like his father, and is serving the whole Armenian nation; but he soon finds that this is impossible. The sufferings of two million persons, much of which he is obliged to witness, fill him with horror; but he soon finds that he cannot do anything on their behalf, so he concentrates his attention on the rescue of his aunt and the two girls. In this he is aided by a very faithful and clever sen'ant, an Armenian named Yusef. He also gets help from some Russians; but the American mission is his ultimate saviour. Owing to the determined stand of its leaders the women are ultimately rescued. This story gives a very powerful description of the terrible fate of the Armenians, showing how their industry and commercial cleverness have gained for them good positions and much property, as against the laziness of the Turks. This position excited first ' the envy of the Turks, and then was skilfully worked up by the Germans and Moslem fanatics into a religious question, demanding the death of two million innocent persons. It is to show this horror in its true light that the book is realty written in the hope that the supine indifference of the European nation will be stirred to the uttermost.

" One of Ds," a novel in verse. By Gilbert Frankau. London: Chatto and Windus. (Heavy boards; illustrated by Fish: 5s net.) -

Contrary to the usual style, Mr Frankau's clever satirical poetical novel blossoms forth in its new edition into a very fine specimen of the publisher's art. Originally published at one shilling, it gained so wide a popularity as to justify its present appearance. It is, in truth, a kind of modern Don Juan, dealing in sarcastic verse with the faults, follies, weaknesses, and wickednesses of the average man (One of Us). We quote a verse or two from the introduction:

To every fellcw-poetasting swanker, To each and all of that Pierian caucus Amidst whose choirs my virgin harpstrings hanker To raise some tintinnabulation raucous; To soulful chemist and to Laureate banker, To bards in Oklahoma and) in Orcus, To Baudelaire, d'Annuzo and Heine, To penny and to thousand-pound-a-liner.

Thus are we knit by more than earthly ties, Geniuses both, if mine the pen more able; Dowered with equal spell in ladies' eyes; Boasting the same locks of romantic sable; Alike in pose, alike garbe and guise; Twin souls foregathered at the writing table: . Though, mine the subtler wit, the keener irony, Thou, in thy prime, wast also fairly Byrony. Wherefore to thee, my prototype less gifted, I pay such homage as befits the great; And should some echo of my fame have drifted Down to the shadow-realm of Pluto's state, Where triple tongues of Cerberus uplifted Harass the pipe of bloodless scalds' debate, Let these few stanzas, brother mine, assuage The jealous fury of thy rival rage.

"Finished." By H. Rider Haggard. London, Melbourne, and Toronto: Ward, Lock, and Co. (Cloth; 3s 6d net; illustrated.) Rider Haggard's latest story, although it may well be read separate, is really the third of the trilogy, of which " Marie" and " Child of the Storm" are the first two parts. It narrates through the mouth of Allan Quartermain, the ancient and much-beloved hero of many African novels, the consummation of the vengeance of the wizard Zikali, " The Opener of Roads," or the thing-that-should-never-have-been-born upon the royal Zulu house, the founder of which had incurred the wizard's enmity in times past. The present story takes up the tale just preparatory to the war of 1879. in which Cetewayo, the last independent King of Zululand, is betrayed by the wizard to the war, which is his doom. Though much is added for the purposes of romance, the main facts of history have been carefully adhered to, the author having himself "played a part in the events that led to the last Zulu war. The story is itself pure romance, but it contains a number of incidents which have

their foundation in the strange traditions of tlie Zulu people. Among these is tho white goddess or spirit of the Zulus, The Princess of Heaven," £t legend which is brought out very powerfully in "Child of the Storm," and reappears in the present story. It is invoked by Zikali to bring about the war which was to bo the destruction of the royal Zulu house. The extraordinary adventures in the marble temple of Quartermain and Avis-combe in 1877 serve as the commencefent of a number of strange adventures in that particular style of which Rider Haggard has proved* himself a master. Here we have, as usual, plots and counterplots, the beautiful maiden of very unsatisfactory parentage, who in this case does not fall in love with Quartermain, as he is too old, but with his companion, the Hon. Maurice Anscombo. The lady accompanies them throxigh many adventures, and is, indeed, compelled by the wizard to take the part of " The Princess of Heaven," as well as to be a hostage for Allan's good behaviour. One of the most thrilling scenes in the w r hole book is the council meeting of the Zulus in the Valley of Bones, in which Zikali meets Cetewayo and his council, and by his powerful speeches and displays of magic, partly real and partly faked, ensures the vengeance which he has been seeking all these years. " Finished 'is a typical story in Rider Haggard's best method, and will, no doubt, be very largely appreciated.