This book is about two children in the early 1900's living in Egypt. Stas, a 14-year old boy and proud of his Polish heritage, feels he has to protect his young 8-year old British friend, Nell. But he is challenged when they are both kidnapped by Arabs and cross deserts, meeting cruel and heartless Gebhr, and Idris, who is torn out of wanting to take the children to the Madhi in Khartoum as slaves and pity for them. When they arrive at disease-infested Khartoum and Stas comes face-to-face with the Madhi, they again are taken by order of the Madhi to Fashoda, where the children meet the slaves Kali, really the son of the king of the Wahima tribe, and Mea. After Gebhr threatens to kill the children, Stas shoots them and the four escape on a journey with many challenges and obstacles, to go back home.
This book is definitely one of Sienkiewicz's best, and if you like adventure, it will make a great read!

I think people who read this book and see nothing but a kids story are totally missing what this book is all about! However, the plot is so strong that one can easily understand how it could be read for sheer enjoyment alone. I've been on a Sienkiewicz reading spree for a while and have to say that this is the best thing I've read by this extraordinarily talented writer. I'd have to place this as one of my favorite (perhaps THE favorite) piece of literature I've ever read.

It's true that Sienkiewicz originally concieved of this as a children's story, but it obviously grew into something well beyond that. His hero has a fully developed moral character and that takes an adult reader to appreciate. In addition as in most of Sienkiewicz's books, the hero represents the national spirit of Poland, surmounting all obstacles and surviving all dangers and threats to emerge victorious at some point in the future. Unlike most other nationalistic novels, Sienkiewicz communicates his national pride without denigrating other groups of people.

The theme is uplifting and powerful, and it's subtle execution would instantly qualify "In Desert and Wilderness" as a classic. However, Sienkiewicz's masterful plot is so tightly written that the book becomes a page turner as well. You just ENJOY reading it! The strength of the theme and the tightly written plot combine to create a flawless one-two punch few writers can manage.

In fact, I'm hard pressed to think of any other book that has a strong plot of high adventure AND 3D characters AND settings you can really picture AND an intelligent theme AND has a strong moral foundation without being preachy. In other words, "In Desert and Wilderness" is brilliant writing by a master storyteller who was at the top of his game!

Unlike other reviewers, I read this book at age 32. I happened to go on a Sienkiewicz binge. I loved it, even then. It is a wonderfully written book about two children's adventures in Africa. A tale of heroism with a romantic view of life. A good, clean, easy read for all ages. So, maybe it is an "Out of Africa" for young teenagers or older children, but above all, it is just plain good literature, worth having in your personal library for anyone at home to pick up. Best if read in the leisure of summer afternoons.

OK, I've tried to read "Quo Vadis" several times and... man, I just couldn't dig it!! The descriptions are nice enough, if you don't mind the wordy style of Victorian times, but what rubbed me wrong was how the Christians vs. pagans battle was portrayed. The Christians are dull and pretty stupid- almost intolerably goody goody, and *insipid*! The pagans are bad, but they're bad in an interesting way. Sure, they're going to hell in the end, but in the meantime, they're so dynamic and fun- and Nero can sure plan good orgies. Read the New Testament and you'll see the early Christians in there are almost anything but stupid, and certainly not dull! (I imagine St Pete himself was a pretty exciting cat to know.) I get the feeling old Henryk knew that he had to write in the 'Christians' as the heroes, but his heart wasn't really into it. He really knows how to describe a party, and all the superficiality it entails. But the Christians in this book- they're NOTHING like the truly spiritual people of my acquaintance. They come across like Victorian stage characters, posing in the accepted holy poses, having visions in the accepted style of visionaries. (Angels come out and lights abound; all the acceptable props, you know.) So, read "Quo Vadis" for the gorgeous detail and ornate dialogue, because I can't say it's not technically well done. But if you want something that gets into the heart of soul of a spiritual/religious quest, than you'd better go elsewhere.

This book reads a bit like a trashy romance novel. That is to say, it is a very easy read, the vocabulary is relatively simple, and the story gets you hooked from chapter to chapter. Not to mention it kind of _is_ a trashy romance novel. But on the other hand it does give one a nice picture of the first Christians and Rome in Nero's time. The characterization of Nero is especially funny. Not to mention it has a nice/happy ending so you feel all warm and fuzzy at the end in spite of all the nasty things that happen in between. (Hope that was not too much of a spoiler) All in all, an entertaining read, but don't expect big revelations.

There are some foreign language books, like the Odyssey, or the Three Musketeers, or perhaps Ibsen, that endure lingual translations, despite the incompetency of the translator. Quo Vadis is not one of those books. Some translations are terrible and flat, while others ring true with the lucidity of brilliant writing. The W.S. Kuniczak edition is probably the finest rendition currently available in English. However, if one is looking for a biblical work of fiction that truly inspires in English- try Ben-Hur, by Lew Wallace.

"The Little Trilogy" is three loosely related stories from the pen of Henryk Sienkiewicz, most famous for "Quo Vadis" and his Trilogy.

I discovered Sienkiewicz through "With Fire and Sword", the first book of the Trilogy, and I have been stalking his remaining books like a ravenous wolf ever since. This man constructs plots like Alexander Dumas and ranks with Tolstoy's greatest novels for sheer scope. He is, quite simply, the best writer I have ever been exposed to from a literary standpoint as well as from the sheer enjoyment I've gleaned from his novels.

"The Little Trilogy" is only a peek at what he's really capable of, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The first story is a charming example of his ability to create characters that you just fall in love with. The second story is the longest of the three and, by far, the most fully realized. It's a romance that transforms itself into a story of almost gothic tragedy. The characters grab you, and I could not put it down! The last piece is a military story that meanders a bit and lacks the characterization and tight plot structure that are Sienkiewicz's hallmarks.

Enjoyable, beautifully written, but probably essential only to Sienkiewicz groupies.

I was hoping that this book would provide details of the historical background of the trilogy, and place the literature in the context of the events it represents. Instead, the historical information is about what one would find in a typical encyclopedia article on Poland. The rest of the book consists introductions originally written for the three volumes of the trilogy in the Kuniczak translation, but no longer published with them, and some discussion on the history and problems of translating Sienkiewicz. These latter seem intended to glorify the Kuniczak translation, but I for one was not convinced by the examples provided. I read With Fire and Sword in the Curtin translation and The Deluge in the Kuniczak, and I was put off by the modernisms and obvious inserted connective material that appears in the latter.

On the other hand, it was fun to read about how Sienkiewicz produced his work, and his relationship with his contemporary translators.

Henryk Sienkiewicz's trilogy can be difficult to get through without a good grasp of Polish history, which, to be truthful, is hard to come by here in the States. I therefore recommend this guide to all those who want to really understand the books instead of just taking them for face value. I think that having this guide really involved me in the books and gave me something extra that the average reader would leave the book lacking.

I bought a group of Sienkiewicz books with the Fredonia imprint (the covers mostly look a bit like this one) and found a lot of duplication among the group. For example, this books is the same as "In Monte Carlo". I think it's just a different translator.

To avoid duplicates, buy "On the Sunny Shore", "Dust and Ashes", "Without Dogma", "Children of the Soil", "Sielanka" and of course the Trilogy and the other books published by Hippocrene. "Hania" is also good to get if you don't have Hippocrene's "The Little Trilogy" because "Hania" is a great story and is by far the best story in the "Little Trilogy".

I found "On the Sunny Shore" a good read, but it's really a novelette and a rather slight one at that. I enjoyed it, but this is my favorite author so that's not surprising. I'd recommend this one only to Sienkiewicz completists.