New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-08-21
FICTION.
Romantic 4drentures Al the Wan
from Paris to Ceylon.

JASON. a Romance. By Justus Miles Fornan
$50 Harper Bros
THE KINGDoM OF EARTH. BY Anthony Par
5Iddse illustrated ted by A B. wenzeii I2mo, PIP.
THE LADY OF THE DYNAMos. BY Adele Marie
Shaw and Carmelta Beckwith. i2mo IN $40
Henry Holt & co.
THE PATIENCE OF JOHN MoRLAND BY
& Co --'''' PIP T' doubleday Page
Hero and heroine supposed to divide
honors IN the average novel of to-day. but in one
respect the heroine is always given a certain ad
cantage Besides the beauty which she is sup
posed 10 possess as a matter Of course she is
assumed 10 have charm-and sometimes she
has 1t. The hero. however must be content with
other traits. Courage and strength may easily
be his. but he is not allowed To be charming.
Mr. Forman shows some audacity, therefore in
supplying his novel with hero who is
nothing II not person Of charm Young ste
Marie drifts about Paris with his good looks and
his cleverness, and these things alone might well
win him friends. but he has a subtler quality
which causes him to inspire an instant liking
and this almost quickly ripens into positive
anectlon. Men and women. young and old are
at his feet. He does nothing especially memoir
able. Just by being Ste. Marie he appeals to the
people he meets, and 10 the reader Still IL is
not for nothing that Mr. Forman has called his
book Jason He sends his hero upon a serious
quest and brings him face 10 face with danger
II is an odd adventure upon which ste Marie
is embarked The girl with whom he falls in love
has younger brother. who quarrels with their
wealthy old grandfather and then disappears
II is plain that IL he does not turn up before
the death OF the irascible millionaire he will be
scarcely mentioned in that individuals will OBJ
viously there IS room for the hypothesis that
Ona has
ural object Of suspicion is unamiable uncle
who hovers about the scene But OF course IL
takes everybody concerned q long time 10 STUN
BILE upon the truth and when Miss Ysenhann indi-
Gates 10 Ste. Marie that she would like him 10
do something important before announcing their
engagement he sets forth 10 discover the missing
Arthur with a seriousness little difficult for
the reader 10 share. Indeed the machinery Of
Mr. Formans plot is not in the least remarkable
and. what is more. We are the less inclined 10
syTnpathize with ste Marie's adventures mas
much as they turn upon the rescue Of 2 bow who
can be described only as little cub. Neverthe-
less. We find Jason agreeable hook for
Ste Marie is such agreeable person We are
really pleased when he escapes marrying the
woman who starts him upon his perous search.
The Kingdom OF Earth opens with the IN
PRODUCTION Of hero who essuredlv piques curl
uses is not his own and that he has no friends
She replies that these. might be forthcoming IL
he chose 10 have them do SO whereupon he
looks AZ her deliberately and says: II might find
people who would call themselves my friends
but their friendship would scarcely he likely 10
survive the discovery Of who and what | am"
Decidedly the readers interest is reused II
threatens to subside when the hero is revealed
AS the Crown Prince of Bergeland. for the
nance revolving around throne IN a petty
principality has become a bore Fortunately
however. Mr.. Anthony Partridge entering upon
the path which Stevenson and Anthony Hope
opened so long ago. has had the good sense 10
bring a new idea with him The storms that
beat upon the throne in this book do not by any
means annoy the Crown Prince Yet he has the
kindliest feelings toward his uncle. the King.
and would not for worlds allow hair of his head
10 be touched. II is paradoxical situation that
MI Partridge depicts. and in some OF its as
poets it is. in fact merely impossible But in
Zenda" stories anything is permissible so that
II makes for mystery and excitement and as
has been said. The Kingdom of Earth" at least
contains some novel elements. 1t is a sprightly
tale, and the author dscloses unusually good
Judgment in his manner OF winding it up
The young engineer is in all things your up
to-date hero. Athletic, lean limbed, audacious,
cooi ntaueu practical, an undertaken OF great
projects champion far to the castor north
south-of Suez OF triumphant civilization
his is figure quite well calculated as young
Lochinvar's 10 inspire the imagination of the
novelist. Landon West. in 'rhe Lady OF the
Dynamos." fulfils all requirements to a wish.
He is sent out I'm the employ of fantastic mill
ionaire, to create a species of earthly Paradise
Paradise with all modern conveniences hydrau-
lie power, electric lights etc--in remote dis
trict OF Ceyion named ITALIA Goya. II is a won
derful untamed tropical land teeming with
strange vegetation with mosquitoes snakes and
all the lesser host OF the jungle; and in the
midst thereof tumbles lofty cascade. which IS
man. One afternoon West is making his way
alone through the forest In the direction of the
waterfall, when he comes plump upon a damsel
| or Occidental form and visage reclining on the
sand under banana leaf awning. She is tracing
out with a pointed stick series of storage bat
teries, while she vainy struggles to figure out
voitages at ''75 r. p. M" Marjorie Ellinworth is
| tive But just she and West have come 70
be the best ehums i'm the world a certain Past OF
the young engineers finds him out in the wilder
ness. Many things. too. in connection With the
ITALIA Goya enterprise go wrong and seem to re-
/ fleet discredit upon his mana cement. Ugly ru-
mofs Of bribery and corruption are afioat A
| rival company and a brace OF smiling villains
| come near TO making havoc of everything The
49,