Ever tried to conduct a hostage rescue in a valley full of carnivorous triceratops? Because that's basically the tactical situation Burroughs drops us into here. I picked this one up during a long surveillance sit in Austin—nothing happening on the street, just me, a lukewarm thermos of coffee, and Ranger sleeping in the back seat. I needed something loud enough to keep me awake but straightforward enough that I wouldn't miss anything if I had to scope a target.
Tracking Jane Through Jurassic Park
Let's cut the fluff. Tarzan thinks his wife Jane is dead. Killed by Germans in WWI. (Spoiler: The intel was bad.) That whole setup comes from Tarzan the Untamed, where Burroughs puts him through the emotional wringer before this mission even starts. He finds out she's alive and tracks her to Pal-ul-don—a hidden valley where the terrain analysis is a nightmare. You've got "Gryfs"—think triceratops, but they eat meat and have bad attitudes.
It's pulp fiction. Pure and simple.
I've seen plenty of reviews complaining about the realism. Look, if you're analyzing the biology of a carnivorous dinosaur in a Tarzan book, you're missing the point. It's about the drive. The mission. Tarzan is relentless. I respect that. He moves through the jungle like an operator who knows exactly what he's doing. The violence is surprisingly sharp for an old book, too. Burroughs doesn't shy away from the brutality of nature—or man. Reminded me of moving through unfamiliar territory without a map. You react, you survive, you move on.
Jenkins on the Comms
Now, about the narrator, Don W. Jenkins. I checked the forums before downloading, and a lot of folks were saying he's too monotone. That he lacks "theatrical flair."
Here's my take: He sounds like a briefing officer. I've heard him do the same steady delivery in Green Rust—it's just his style.
Jenkins isn't doing funny voices or trying to win an Oscar. He's reading the text clearly, with decent enunciation. Is it a bit dry? Yeah. It's a LibriVox recording, not a Hollywood production. But I prefer this over narrators who whisper-scream every action scene. Jenkins is steady. Reliable.
One caveat—you have to crank the speed up. I listened at 1.35x. At 1.0x, it felt like a briefing that could've been an email. Speed it up, and his cadence actually works for the old-school writing style.
Does the Intel Hold Up?
Is it perfect? No. The book was written in 1921. There are cultural attitudes here that—let's just say—don't fly today. You have to listen with that context in mind. If you've got thin skin about that stuff, abort mission now.
But if you want a raw adventure where a guy fights a dinosaur to save his wife? It works. It's got that gritty, relentless pacing that modern thrillers try so hard to copy. Ranger woke up a few times during the Gryf attacks, so the action scenes must have translated well enough.
Mission Debrief
Solid time-killer for long drives, stakeouts, or any situation where you need action without complexity. Skip it if dated attitudes are a dealbreaker or you need polished production value. But if you want old-school pulp with teeth? Green light.
