Girish Mahajan (Editor)

The Mystery of the Black Jungle

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Translator
  
Nico Lorenzutti

Originally published
  
1895

Page count
  
286

Preceded by
  
The Tigers of Mompracem

3.9/5
Goodreads

Series
  
The Sandokan Series

Author
  
Emilio Salgari

Country
  
Italy

The Mystery of the Black Jungle t1gstaticcomimagesqtbnANd9GcTRrvZHsjXF9Ahwj0

Original title
  
I misteri della jungla nera

Language
  
English, Original: Italian

Publisher
  
ROH Press (first English translation) Donath (first Italian publisher)

Publication date
  
English 2008, Italian 1895

Genres
  
Adventure fiction, Young adult fiction

Similar
  
The Pirates of Malaysia, The Tigers of Mompracem, The King of the Sea, The Two Tigers, Quest for a Throne

The Mystery of the Black Jungle (Italian: I misteri della jungla nera) is an exotic adventure novel written by Italian author Emilio Salgari, published in 1895. It features two of his most famous characters, the hunter Tremal-Naik and his loyal servant Kammamuri. The adventure continues in The Pirates of Malaysia.

Contents

Plot summary

Few can live in the Black Jungle of the Sundarbans, the islands formed by the delta of the Ganges river in India, a desolate, silent place teeming with wild dangerous beasts. Yet it is among its dark forests and bamboo groves here that the renowned snake and tiger hunter Tremal-Naik makes his home. For years he has lived there in peace until one night in the deep of the jungle a strange apparition stands before him - a beautiful young woman that vanishes in an instant. Within days, strange music is heard in the jungle, then one of his men is found dead without a mark upon his body. Determined to find some answers, the hunter sets off with his faithful servant Kammamuri, but as they head deeper into the jungles of the Sundarbans, they soon find their own lives at risk: a deadly new foe has been watching their every move, a foe that threatens all of British India. Tremal-Naik encounters the young woman, whose name is Ada, again in a temple in the jungle, and he's caught by fever, as his never-trembling heart is caught by love for her, right at the time when she seems to be facing her doom. Ada is there captured by thugs, worshipers of the goddess Kali.

Characters

  • Tremal-Naik: The tiger hunter.
  • Kammamuri: Tremal-Naik's friend and ever-loyal servant
  • Aghur Another of Tremal-Naik's servants
  • Ada Corishant: The Priestess of the Eastern Temple
  • Suyodhana: The leader of the Thugs of the Kali cult, also known as The Son of the Sacred Waters of the Ganges
  • Captain Macpherson: Ada's father. Enemy of the thugs
  • Bharata A sepoy soldier serving under Captain Macpherson
  • Manciadi
  • Negapatnan
  • Vindhya
  • Nagor
  • Nimpor
  • Hider
  • Film versions

    There have been several big screen adaptations of the novel including The Mystery of The Black Jungle filmed in 1953 starring Lex Barker. The sequel, The Black Devils of Kali came out the subsequent year. It was later remade in 1965 as The Mystery of Thug Island. In the 1990s it returned to the small screen in Italy as I misteri della jungla nera, a popular miniseries. Actor Kabir Bedi, who has portrayed popular Salgari characters Sandokan and The Black Corsair appeared as Tremal-Naik's loyal servant Kammamuri.

    References

    The Mystery of the Black Jungle Wikipedia