This story takes place between the capture of King Kong on Skull Island and his eventual arrival in New York City. The logistics of that transport are always glossed over in all the movies, but here we see just how much of a struggle it can be to keep such a behemoth alive and unhurt throughout that voyage. What we now know, though, thanks to this story, is that the ship stopped off for supplies near Tarzan’s home in Africa and Kong had a side adventure with the Lord of the Jungle.
I really enjoyed the overall story and as much as I like Kong, I felt the first section was a little too long. Tarzan isn’t even mentioned until after the first 100 pages and doesn’t make an appearance until after the 250-page mark. It's all Kong up to that point, which is why, I suppose, he gets top billing in the title. The details of the ship's journey with Kong on board is filled with so many feeding-time-at-the-zoo sorts of scenes that I started to worry they’d never make it to Africa.
But that criticism aside, I loved the story, especially how Tarzan first reacted to such a creature invading his protected lands. Their battles are truly of epic proportion. The resolution and how Tarzan ultimately deals with the threat and humanely treats Kong is excellent storytelling. Murray really captures ERB’s style here and also manages to drop in a few Easter eggs from prior Tarzan adventure novels.
A worthwhile read for Kong lovers or Tarzan enthusiasts alike.
So glad I found this review. I must read this story. I didn't know it existed. The 1933 'King Kong' is my favorite film, and Tarzan is one of my sentimental favorite heroic icons (my late dad and I used to watch the Johnny Weissmuller films together--good memories. I've read many of the ERB books.) I've often wished the Kong film would have given us more details about how they made the trip from the island to Manhattan. Great to hear someone filled in the gaps and added Tarzan into the mix. Thanks for the review. This seems like a must-read.
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