The Last Hero

The last hero is Henry Morton Stanley, the world's most celebrated explorer, summoned one final time into the service of the British Empire, now in the twilight of its imperial power. His mission: to rescue the mysterious Emin Pasha, the empire's valued ally, from the savage, dervish legions that have recently defeated England at Khartoum.

Historical adventure in the grand style, this is a richly fictionalized account of what was possibly explorer Stanley's greatest exploit: the military rescue of Emin Pasha, mysterious and beleaguered governor of Britain's only province in central Africa to resist the Mahdi and his dervish hordes after the fall of Khartoum in 1885. Thirsting to avenge the death of General Gordon and to restore its imperial honor, Britain chooses Stanley as the obvious, indeed the only man for the job. The wily, ruthless and indomitable Stanley eschews the easiest route of access and chooses the most arduous: through 5000 miles of uncharted Congo, having made a secret deal with King Leopold of the Belgians. Held together, though only just, by Stanley's iron will, the expedition survives disease, desertion, hunger, hostile natives and the treachery of the notorious Arab slaver Tippoo-Tib, not to mention the hazards of the great river it must navigate. The story is as much that of Stanley's chief lieutenants as of the great explorer and Emin Pasha; and Forbath ( The River Congo ) has a knowledge of the region that helps to give his narrative, with its exciting climax and ironic finale, an impressive authenticity. Major ad/promo.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The great explorer, Henry Morton Stanley, finder of Livingston, returns once more to the dark continent of Africa. It is 1887 and Stanley is determined to rescue Emin Pasha, leader of the last organized Egyptian force left in the Sudan, before he too, like Gordon at Khartoum, falls into the hands of the hellish dervishes. Forbath gives us a magnificent Stanley, egotistical and autocratic but blessed with an iron resolution, who will not let anything or anyone deter him. Equally glorious is Africa itself, awesome in its beauty, admirable even as it offers danger after danger to Stanley's men. Forbath has taken an intriguing piece of history and fashioned an epic adventure. Highly recommended. Lydia Burruel Johnson, Mesa P.L., Ariz.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.