This was a very entertaining swashbuckler, a fun read with our San Diego Public Library read-aloud series. Fun to see the pulp fiction origins of this enduring character. Though how the author could have written such corny dialog is beyond me! He must have hurt his ribs laughing sometimes.

A pulpy knockoff of the [b: Scarlet Pimpernel|136116|The Scarlet Pimpernel|Emmuska Orczy|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1406764899s/136116.jpg|750426]. Not particularly well written. Its fine but if you've seen or read any version of the character then you'll find little of interest.
While many people have stolen from the Scarlet Pimpernel over the years, such as batman, there are different levels of theft. Most Batman stories for example are just taking the general concept, whereas 'The Dark-Knight Rises' steals very particular plot points (of course the rest of that movie is a remake of 'Rocky III' anyway).
This story falls into the latter category plagiarizing at least one major element from [b: The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel|31501|The League Of The Scarlet Pimpernel|Emmuska Orczy|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1168277056s/31501.jpg|1946373] right down to a particular name, now more associated with superheroes the Avengers.
Their is one spot of originality (unless its stolen from something i havn't read, which is quite possible ;) ), which is the love story. This focuses on the development of the relation between the male and female lead, in the Pimpernel they're already married and all we get to explain why Marguerite would marry such a fop is that he seemed different before the wedding :lol .

Another element which i don't think they meant to steal is the problematic morality of the story, which it shares with Pimpernel. In Pimpernel it was that he was rescuing the rich from the poor, in this its the treatment of the natives. In both cases the hero only comes down on the right side as far as is acceptable for his social position.

The only real surprise for me in this was the tone. Its actually very close to that of the Antonio Banderas film, i really assumed it would be more serious.

Fun enough i suppose but i couldn't bring myself to give it 3 stars. Perhaps more acceptable if you don't read a lot.. or watch much film.. or have anything better to be do ;) . ( )

"A book by an author with your same initials"

they are backwards, but I'm counting it.

I did enjoy this book. I love the tale of Robin Hood, so I tend to love the variations of that tale that are written. Zorro is no exception. There were a couple of things I didn't like: the constant "by the Saints!" and it was a little melodramatic for my taste, but I have to remember when it was written. It was a quick read. I would consider it light and fluffy, but fun! ( )

It seems that more often than not when I read a book from a century or two ago that it doesn’t translate well. Often, the dialogue is stilted, there’s an over reliance on universal viewpoint narration, the characters don’t come off as authentic, and it’s generally not a pleasant read. All of these points are why The Curse of Capistrano was a pleasant surprise. This novel doesn’t have any of these shortcomings. The novel moved at a good pace. The dialogue was solid, although there was an over reliance on certain sayings, such as “By the saints”, which they used about 8000 times. The character of Zorro was a fun one. There was lots of good action scenes and some clever turns of phrase. The identity of Zorro came as no surprise, since I figured it out very early on in the story.

One of the things that I found interesting is that although I had never read this particular story before, it seemed so familiar. And it occurred to me that many other books, shows, and movies have borrowed from this novel, the most notable being The Princess Bride. This is a classic action tale with a riveting conclusion that I would recommend reading.

Carl Alves – author of Two For Eternity ( )

I wasn't sure what to expect of this short novel that introduced Zorro to the world. To my surprise, it was a rousing, enjoyable read. Still very much a book of its time period, of course (the dona fainted anytime anything happened, and while Zorro fights for the natives, they are still regarded as simpletons) but also progressive in several respects. There are sword fights galore, much wit employed, and several fine chases, too. The parallel lives on Don Diego and Zorro make for fun contrast. Captain Ramon is a villain most foul who at one point presses himself on Zorro's chosen love, Senorita Lolita, and then conspires revenge upon her family. Lolita is a great heroine, willing to stand up with defiance and honor, and survives a mighty horse chase mostly on her own. I can see why this book captured the public's imagination and began the franchise that continues today. ( )