Emilio Salgari

Emilio Salgari (born Verona, August 21 1862, died Torino, April 25 1911), was a writer of action adventure swashbucklers and a pioneer of science fiction in Italy.

The Sandokan Series

Sandokan "The Tiger of Malaysia" is Emilio Salgari's most enduring creation. Orphaned when the British murdered his family and stole his throne, Sandokan gathered a legion of pirates and took to the sea to attain his vengeance. Under the command of Sandokan and his loyal friend Yanez de Gomera, the Tigers of Mompracem fight for the defense of tiny native kingdoms against the colonial powers of the Dutch and British empires.

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The first Sandokan adventure appeared in serial form in the La Nuova Arena in 1883, and was published as Le tigri di Mompracem in 1900. The tale proved so popular, the characters so intriguing, that it spawned a legion of sequels, pitting Sandokan and Yanez against a variety of enemies: Rajah James Brooke, Governor of Sarawak, better known as The Exterminator for the merciless way he hunted down pirates; the Thugs of the Kali cult in the Indian Sunderbands, and a variety of petty dictators and colonial powers. Salgari's pen transformed the bloodthirsty pirate into a noble warrior, a kind of Malay Robin Hood, imbuing his characters with a strong sense of idealism, passion, and loyalty.

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• Sandokan: The Tigers of Mompracem (ISBN 0595291333) is at present the only title translated into English.

Book Description

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The Tigers of Mompracem are a band of rebel pirates fighting against the colonial power of the Dutch and British empires. They are lead by Sandokan, the indomitable Tiger of Malaysia, and his loyal friend Yanez de Gomera, a Portuguese wanderer and adventurer. After twelve years of spilling blood and spreading terror throughout Malaysia, Sandokan has reached the height of his power, but when the pirate learns of the existence of the Pearl of Labuan, his fortunes begin to change?

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Travel, adventure, romance, capture, rescue, betrayal, battles on land, battles at sea, hurricanes, an exotic Malaysian backdrop, and an irony loving sidekick are but a few of the elements that have made this novel a classic.

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• Read the first two chapters.

Titles in the series

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• The Mystery of the Black Jungle (I Misteri della Jungla Nera) (1895)
• The Tigers of Mompracem (Le Tigri di Mompracem) (1900)
• The Pirates of Malaysia (I Pirati della Malesia) (1896)
• The Two Tigers (Le due Tigri) (1904)
• King of the Sea (Il Re del Mare) (1906)
• Quest for a Throne (Alla conquista di un impero) (1907)
• Sandokan Fights Back (Sandokan alla riscossa) (1907)
• Return to Mompracem (La riconquista del Mompracem) (1908)
• The False Brahman (Il Bramino dell'Assam) (1911)
• An Empire Crumbles (La caduta di un impero) (1911)
• Yanez' Revenge (La rivincita di Yanez) (1913)

The last two tiles were published posthumously.

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