I wanted to like it better than I did. I read rather like a first draft - not horribly written, but lacking polish, and the fight scenes were strangely dull. As you'd expect for a work of its time, it suffers from some sexism and racism, and (weird in a story where the hero defends the downtrodden) classism. But what killed it for me was the character of Zorro.

I get that it's supposed to be somewhat humorous and all, but Zorro was too... perfect, I guess. It's not that he's a skilled horseman and sword fighter and all, it's that he's so skilled and so confident that it sucks any tension out of the story. I realize in a pulp adventure, there's no chance of the hero losing, but there should still be some sense that things might not all go his way. Maybe that's another "product of the times" problem and the idea that heroes should struggle a little and have at least some minor setbacks is a newer idea. (But then I think of The Scarlet Pimpernel or the Sherlock Holmes stories and think that either it's a specific to pulps thing or a specific to this author thing.)

That said, I can see why its a much adapted story. The basic idea is great. Oh, sure, it's basically a mashup of Robin Hood and The Scarlet Pimpernel, but that doesn't mean it's not a good idea. I just like my heroes to have to put in a little more effort and not be so clearly a million times better than the villains.

Twenty years before Batman started patrolling Gotham City at night, Señor Zorro, the "Curse of Capistrano" was protecting California. He first appeared in the serial The Curse of Capistrano by John McCulley in 1919. A year later he burst onto the silver screen, brought to life by Douglas Fairbanks. If you ever have a chance to see the film with live music, do it!

After the success of the film the book was republished in 1924 with the title of the film, The Mark of Zorro. The book came "illustrated with scenes from the photoplay" in the form of three photographs of Douglas Fairbanks: one as Don Diego Vega and two as Zorro. The book has since been republished (as you can see from the cover art) but I was lucky enough to read the 1924 version.

Let's face it, I'm not going to be able to write a dispassionate review this time. I grew up passionate about three superheroes: Zorro, Batman and Superman. Nearest and dearest to my heart is Zorro because he's the only one who's looking out for my home state.

The focus of the novel (more so than the film) is on Lolita Pulido and her search for a husband. Her three options are Captain Ramón, Don Diego Vega and Señor Zorro. What she doesn't know is that Vega and Zorro are the same man. How could she? Vega acts as if "his blood runs with water" whereas Zorro is a man of action. Vega only wears a blade as part of his formal dress while Zorro is a master swordsman and a marksman with his pistol.

The one place where the story is weakest is in Diego's motivation for risking life and limb as a bandito when he is the son of the most influential nobleman in California, one that even the Spanish appointed governor has to curry favor to. Don Diego isn't tragically orphaned by mobsters like Bruce Wayne. Fortunately though the book rarely dwells on this in lieu of the romance and the derring-do. It's only in the last chapter that Don Diego explains himself and his hinting at 10 years of study starting at the age of 15 was later expanded upon by Isabel Allende in her novel aptly called Zorro. While her novel was a nobel attempt to fill in the blanks of Don Diego's life, I think she missed the mark.

Back to my youth. I adored the TV-series of Zorro when I was a child so I wanted to read (in fact listen, via The Classic Tales) to this book. Although the premisse is the sam, there were a lot of differences between book and series. Don Diego wasn't the charming, funny character at all and the sergeant wasn't so naive and "stupid". But the story was fine and it was all about helping the poor and defenseless. In fact it was rather a kind of pageturner at the end. But of course, all ended well.

Read by many people, but starring Val Kilmer, my soon to be husband :)

This was very entertaining - the audiobook was highly enjoyable as a radio play. Highly recommended.

Masked highwaymen, impossible loves, daring swordfights and narrow escapes....just what a girl wants when she's sick in bed!

From thepickygirl.com:

El Zorro, the Curse of Capistrano, is, according to the government, a highwayman, a vicious bandit who steals from the hardworking. But the caballeros, friar, and poor know the truth. El Zorro is a hero. Defending the defenseless and meting out justice in a corrupt government is Zorro’s mission, but he does it with such aplomb, he wins the hearts of the just, including Senorita Lolita Pulido, the daughter of a man with good blood who has been disgraced by the governor.

El Zorro’s first entrance is in the local bar, where Sergeant Gonzalez has been boasting of facing down Zorro and his 20 followers. Not a word of it’s true, and Zorro slaps the sergeant across the face, humiliating him in front of all present. But Zorro takes few things more seriously than honor, and Gonzalez is not an honorable man. The soldiers are ready for blood, but Don Diego Vega’s entrance seems to calm everyone. Don Diego is a caballero, but he isn’t exactly robust. His blood and family name command respect, however. He often complains of tiredness and though he wishes to marry Senorita Lolita Pulido, he can’t summon the energy to court her. In short, he’s a bit of a joke.

The story here is classic but not complicated, and what wins the novel is the dialogue. It’s quickly apparent that Don Diego’s insipidness is a front for his true spirit, but the gullibility of those around him, who see only what they want, is really funny. Plus, el Zorro is harsh, and his insults are both humorous and stinging.

Armando Durán narrates, and he is absolutely fantastic, so much so that I happily did chores for about four hours Friday night, including cleaning out my closet, so I could have more time with The Mark of Zorro.

This book was written in 1919, and it contains a LOT of tropes that end up in superhero lore.

1. Worthless playboy/badass (Bat-man but also Iron Man).
2. The trusted servant (Bernardo, Alfred, Kato, J.A.R.V.I.S.)
3. The two person love triangle (Clark Kent-Lois Lane-Superman.)
4. The wealthy person who uses his wealth to attain peak condition (Batman.)

Basically, Zorro is "What if Batman lived in Los Angeles in the 1820s."

I liked the story, and it moved pretty briskly, like a pulp magazine story should. Unlike a lot of these stories, there isn't a ton of stupid coincidences. Early 20th Century racism and sexism is there, but it isn't too offensive. The romance actually worked very nicely.

I listened to the Librivox audiobook of this book during a round trip to Michigan. The reading was good, but the reader used technology to differentiate between the different voices which was distracting. I would have preferred that he just read the story.

This ridiculous nonsense is one of my truest and greatest delights. Everyone is so wildly over the top all the time, Zorro most of all. The extent to which Zorro comes into a room and then leaves, then Don Diego comes into a room and then leaves, and then Zorro comes into a room and then leaves, etc. nears Bugs Bunny levels of pageantry. Diego de la Vega must be counted among the greatest and most embarrassing dramatic morons of any age.