The Beasts of Tarzan
Free public-domain edition — preview in your browser, no account required for the first chapter.
Preview free · sign up to save progress, download to your shelf, and sync with the apps
Already have an account? Sign in
This classic adventure novel offers a thrilling blend of survival, jungle warfare, and moral clarity, showcasing Tarzan's unique ability to command nature while fighting for his family.
Edition details
Book Summary
After his arch-enemy Nikolas Rokoff kidnaps his wife and infant son, Tarzan is marooned on a jungle island. He must harness his primal instincts to command wild beasts—including an ape named Akut and a panther named Sheeta—to survive and pursue Rokoff across Africa, culminating in a dramatic rescue and confrontation.
The story begins with Tarzan learning that Rokoff has escaped prison and kidnapped his son, Jack. Lured aboard the steamer Kincaid, Tarzan is stripped and marooned on a jungle island, while his wife Jane is captured. On the island, Tarzan reconnects with his jungle self, befriending a tribe of apes and rescuing Sheeta the panther. He trains them as allies, later joined by the warrior Mugambi. Together, they sail to the mainland and track Rokoff up the Ugambi River. Tarzan is captured and nearly killed in a dance of death, but Sheeta saves him. Meanwhile, Jane escapes with a baby she believes is not her own, only to be recaptured. Tarzan pursues, and after a series of confrontations, Rokoff is killed by Sheeta. The party reunites on the Kincaid, but Paulvitch plants a bomb, destroying the ship. They are stranded on Jungle Island, where Tarzan builds a skiff and rescues Jane from mutineers. The novel ends with Tarzan learning the dead child was not his son, giving him hope for his family's future.
Reading guide
Go deeper in The Beasts of Tarzan
Character guides, themes, chapter companions — plus Character Web, narrative arc, and theme heatmap teasers that unlock fully beside the text in BetterReads.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
Tarzan
Tarzan moves between two worlds—the London drawing rooms where he is John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, and the African wilds where he ruled as King of the Apes. When Nikolas Rokoff escapes a French prison, Tarzan's instinct tells him the Russian will strike not at him but at his wife and infant son, and that dread pulls him away from civilization's safety. His struggle to protect what he loves while navigating a world that no longer plays by jungle rules drives the novel's central hunt.
Jane Clayton
Jane Clayton has survived the African wild once and built a life of safety in London beside the man she loves. But her husband's past is not finished with them, and the very enemies he thought imprisoned now move freely, targeting her and her child as the surest way to wound him. Her courage and resourcefulness under threat make her far more than a passive hostage in the ordeal ahead.
Nikolas Rokoff
Rokoff has spent years trying to kill Tarzan and failed every time; now, freed by French incompetence, he has learned that striking at the man directly is futile. His plan is crueler—kidnap the wife and son, and make Tarzan watch helplessly from a distance. He is patient, theatrical in his cruelty, and convinced that this time the ape-man's savage instincts will not save him.
Alexander Paulvitch
Paulvitch is Rokoff's trusted lieutenant in the kidnapping plot, the man who follows instructions while his partner handles the bold strokes. He is practical where Rokoff is theatrical, and his willingness to disappear into the background makes him useful—and dangerous. His role in the early chapters sets the machinery of the abduction in motion and establishes just how far the conspirators will go.
Mugambi
Mugambi begins as a man terrified of Sheeta the panther, watching in disbelief as Tarzan slaps the great cat into submission with his bare hands. That awe becomes devotion, and he becomes the ape-man's steadfast companion through canoe voyages, jungle hunts, and the long search for Tarzan's kidnapped family. His courage is not the fearless kind—it is the kind that acts despite fear, which makes him invaluable.
Sven Anderssen
Anderssen is a practical man of the sea who finds himself entangled in the kidnapping plot and must choose, repeatedly, between decency and self-preservation. His wavering allegiance makes him unpredictable—a man who might help or betray depending on which way the wind blows. That moral shakiness gives the story a thread of uncertainty about who can be trusted in the jungle.
Civilization vs. Wilderness
Tarzan oscillates between his identity as an English lord and his primal jungle self, often shedding the trappings of civilization to survive and dominate through raw instinct and physical prowess.
Revenge and Retribution
Nikolas Rokoff's elaborate plot to kidnap Tarzan's wife and son and maroon him on an island drives the narrative, showcasing how vengeance motivates cruelty and the pursuit of justice.
Family and Paternal Love
Tarzan's relentless quest to rescue his infant son and wife from Rokoff underscores the theme of familial bonds, as he endures immense suffering and danger to protect them.
Mastery Over Nature
Tarzan commands and communicates with wild beasts—apes, a panther, and other jungle creatures—using them as allies, reflecting his unique ability to dominate and cooperate with the natural world.
Reading tools
BetterReads is more than a book page—e-reader, AI beside the text, audiobooks, and native apps in one system.