Description
By: John Buchan (1875-1940)
In “Prester John” by John Buchan, readers are taken on a thrilling adventure through the exotic landscapes of South Africa. The novel follows the story of a young Scottish man named David Crawfurd, who travels to South Africa to start a new life as a storekeeper. However, his plans are disrupted when he becomes entangled in a web of intrigue involving a mysterious missionary named John Laputa and the mythical figure of Prester John.
Buchan’s vivid descriptions of the African landscape and his fast-paced narrative keep readers eagerly turning the pages as David uncovers dark secrets and faces dangerous challenges. The novel is filled with suspense, unexpected twists, and gripping action scenes that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
While the novel is set in a different time period and may contain some outdated language and cultural attitudes, it still remains a gripping and entertaining read. Buchan’s storytelling prowess shines through in “Prester John,” making it a compelling adventure story that will appeal to fans of historical fiction and suspenseful thrillers.
Book Description:
This classic adventure novel by the author of Greenmantle and The Thirty-Nine Steps relates the first-person exploits of young David Crawfurd before the age of twenty.<br/
As a boy growing up on the coast of Scotland, minister’s son Davie and two friends were pursued with murderous intent along the cliffs one night by John Laputa, a visiting black African preacher, whom they had witnessed performing un-Christian rites round a campfire on the beach.<br/
A few years later, when his father’s death forces Davie to quit college and join the tribe of wandering Scots, our hero finds himself in South Africa, assistant shopkeeper in a seemingly sleepy back-veldt store. There he re-encounters Laputa, now charismatic leader of an incipient native uprising, secretly preaching the incendiary creed of “Africa for the Africans,” and proclaiming himself heir to the mantle of Prester John, a legendary 15th-century Christian king of Ethiopia.<br/
Can young Davie possibly penetrate the megalomaniac’s mountain stronghold, foil the insurrection, prevent a massacre of white settlers, and make off with the rebels’ war-chest of gold and diamonds?<br/
It’s going to take some doing – and not a little derring-do!
