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skinnercolin221's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars for McCulley creating the original superhero. DC and Marvel took so many of their major concepts from here. That alone makes it worth the read!
iam_griff's review against another edition
4.0
Meal mush & goat's milk! I've always enjoyed the classic pulp heroes of yesteryear: Lone Ranger, the Shadow, Robin Hood & the Phantom. These classic champions of the oppressed as they fight against tyranny of the status quo. This story is the classic beginning of the legendary Fox & his campaign to bring justice to Southern California.
I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys the classics of a simpler time & a man's word was his bond.
I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys the classics of a simpler time & a man's word was his bond.
isauldur's review against another edition
3.0
DNF this one. It's a light adventure with a masked vigilante as the likable rogue, and despite being 100 years old, it reads like a modern story. However, the plot never quite grabbed me and there were a few elements that are never explained: how long has Zorro been around? Why did the Pulido family lose favor with the governor?
I'll maybe come back and finish it at some point, but for now, I'm giving up. Adios!
I'll maybe come back and finish it at some point, but for now, I'm giving up. Adios!
anadantas's review against another edition
5.0
Acho que o que eu mais gostei no Zorro foi que por ser um negócio focado na ação, ele é bem leve de descrição, de ambientação, e essa economia de detalhe na verdade é benéfica.
Tipo, a obra foi escrita em 1919, poderia ser super machista e super retrógrada, ponto você pega uma Jane Austin e a única vez que menciona ciganos é de um jeito racista, pega as irmãs brontë e é a mesma coisa. "Ele conheceu uma mulher caribenha, e ela era insira insultos racistas"
Mas daí você vai ver no Zorro e ele fala dos índios, e nunca é de um jeito ruim. Nunca é como um trapaceiro, ou como um ladrão, ou como um selvagem violento. Eles são só pessoas que estão lá porque é a Califórnia de 1800 e qualquer coisa e tem missões Jesuítas e indígenas e é isso aí
Até a menina, ela é um pouco simplificada na questão de querer um cara aventureiro e se apaixonar pelo Zorro, mas até aí todo mundo no livro é meio simplificado, acho que só seis personagens têm nome kkkk
Então tirando esse pequeno exagero a menina é uma personagem com agência, ela tem desejos, ela tem conflitos, ela tem uma cena de ação!
Fiquei muito positivamente impressionada.
Tipo, a obra foi escrita em 1919, poderia ser super machista e super retrógrada, ponto você pega uma Jane Austin e a única vez que menciona ciganos é de um jeito racista, pega as irmãs brontë e é a mesma coisa. "Ele conheceu uma mulher caribenha, e ela era insira insultos racistas"
Mas daí você vai ver no Zorro e ele fala dos índios, e nunca é de um jeito ruim. Nunca é como um trapaceiro, ou como um ladrão, ou como um selvagem violento. Eles são só pessoas que estão lá porque é a Califórnia de 1800 e qualquer coisa e tem missões Jesuítas e indígenas e é isso aí
Até a menina, ela é um pouco simplificada na questão de querer um cara aventureiro e se apaixonar pelo Zorro, mas até aí todo mundo no livro é meio simplificado, acho que só seis personagens têm nome kkkk
Então tirando esse pequeno exagero a menina é uma personagem com agência, ela tem desejos, ela tem conflitos, ela tem uma cena de ação!
Fiquei muito positivamente impressionada.
alex_blackveil's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I read Zorro after watching many movie adaptations of it and I have to say that all of them were more of fanfictions than adaptations, hahaha!
As about the book:
It was an adventurous book that made me laugh a lot and made me feel nostalgic for some reason. After work, it was quite relaxing and I would gladly read it again.
Diego made me laugh a lot—and I have to say that these tubulent times now remain as such and even more so than in his era—as did Sergeant Gonzales with his meal mush and goat's milk!
Generally:
You'll find funny (probably) that the most accurate adaptations, as about the characters, are actually a couple of cartoons I watched as a kid, while the setting and situation was closer to the live action adaptation!
As about the book:
It was an adventurous book that made me laugh a lot and made me feel nostalgic for some reason. After work, it was quite relaxing and I would gladly read it again.
Diego made me laugh a lot—and I have to say that these tubulent times now remain as such and even more so than in his era—as did Sergeant Gonzales with his meal mush and goat's milk!
Generally:
You'll find funny (probably) that the most accurate adaptations, as about the characters, are actually a couple of cartoons I watched as a kid, while the setting and situation was closer to the live action adaptation!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Racial slurs
stephriggs25's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
keej2525's review against another edition
4.0
An oldie, but goodie. A fun read, if not silly at some points, but that’s comic heroes in general. Zorro will always be a classic character.
lmdb's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
mo3rgan's review against another edition
2.0
For a swashbuckling adventure story, this book sure moves slowly.
I didn’t expect The Mark of Zorro to have any sort of depth, so I was perfectly satisfied with the one-dimensional characters and straight-forward plot. I would have given this book three or four stars if it had had better pacing and better fight scenes. Most of the confrontations simply end with Zorro pointing a gun at someone, and then running away. It seems like the author went out of his way to avoid writing sword-fighting scenes.
This book is almost all talk, and a lot of the talk is repetitive. Half of the book consists of reinforcing each character’s one trait and one goal. There are probably five scenes with different paraphrasings of the same conversation between Don Diego and Señorita Lolita.
I have mixed feelings about Zorro’s secret identity being used as a surprise at the end of the book. Reading this in 2021, it seems painfully obvious who Zorro is. Naturally, I had the advantage of already knowing the name of his secret identity; I also had the benefit of knowing about the hundreds of masked superheroes who came after Zorro. Maybe readers in 1919, being unfamiliar with superhero tropes, had difficulty guessing who Zorro was. Reading it today, I just find it silly how much the book builds it up as a shocking reveal.
I didn’t expect The Mark of Zorro to have any sort of depth, so I was perfectly satisfied with the one-dimensional characters and straight-forward plot. I would have given this book three or four stars if it had had better pacing and better fight scenes. Most of the confrontations simply end with Zorro pointing a gun at someone, and then running away. It seems like the author went out of his way to avoid writing sword-fighting scenes.
This book is almost all talk, and a lot of the talk is repetitive. Half of the book consists of reinforcing each character’s one trait and one goal. There are probably five scenes with different paraphrasings of the same conversation between Don Diego and Señorita Lolita.
I have mixed feelings about Zorro’s secret identity being used as a surprise at the end of the book. Reading this in 2021, it seems painfully obvious who Zorro is. Naturally, I had the advantage of already knowing the name of his secret identity; I also had the benefit of knowing about the hundreds of masked superheroes who came after Zorro. Maybe readers in 1919, being unfamiliar with superhero tropes, had difficulty guessing who Zorro was. Reading it today, I just find it silly how much the book builds it up as a shocking reveal.
5onin's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0