Coming Up in 2011 #1: Tarzan: The Legacy of Greystoke by Andy Briggs

There are some really cool looking boy-friendly books scheduled for publication during 2011. Along with the next-in-series books that I have been looking forward to by the likes of M.G. Harris, Darren Shan, Andrew Lane and so on (hey... if you read the blog you will already know which series I love), there are also some very exciting looking first in series or stand-alone books on the horizon. And so I approached a few of the authors of these books and asked them if they would be interested in writing a short (100 word max) 'big-up' for their new book, and some of these authors actually replied, and their pitches will appear on The Book Zone over the next week or so.

First up in Andy Briggs, author of the Hero.com/Villain.net series that I reviewed back in December. 2012 sees the centennial anniversary of the publication of Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and as part of the run-up to this milestone Andy has been writing a new series of Tarzan books, the first of which, Tarzan: the Legacy of Greystoke, is due to be published in June 2011. In Andy's own words:


A Legend reborn.

What lies in the depths of the jungle? Escaping a dark secret, Robbie Canler joins an illegal logging team in the Congo jungle.

Now they're under siege from a sinister force. When the daughter of the camp's boss, Jane Porter, goes missing they assume bloodthirsty rebel soldiers have kidnapped her. Robbie sets out on a rescue mission - unaware he is being watched... Are the rumours of a feral man raised by wild apes true? If so, can the mysterious untamed savage be trusted to help them?

I grew up watching Ron Ely as Tarzan, and then the reruns of the old black and white films starring Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe so when Andy mentioned this to me in an email a few months ago I got very excited about this new series. Tarzan is such an iconic character that he deserves a new lease of life with a new generation of readers.

Interestingly, Andy also tells me that all those involved with the new series will be teaming up with EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) who are running a YEAR OF THE APE campaign (http://www.apecampaign.org/) - a donation from each book purchased will go towards this campaign to save the endangered apes and will be a key feature of all activity surrounding the book.

As yet I am sorry to say that there is no cover art for the book, but I hope to be able to bring that to you at some point in the coming months. In the meantime though, there is a great official Tarzan Centenary Logo which Andy has kindly sent me to post on The Book Zone.

My thanks go to Andy for sending me his 'big-up' for Tarzan: the Legacy of Greystoke, the first of what I am sure will become a very popular series of books.