Zane Grey in the South Seas
When this book was published in 1977 it was listed as the "last" novel. Since then those of us who love Zane Grey know other books have been released and who is to say when the "last" one will be printed. But this book is as good as any Zane Grey 'western' ever published since his death in 1939, in their "original" form by Harpers. Indeed, Zane Grey could have made a good living by writing about the South Seas and the ocean as he did by writing about the South West. True, at the time this book was presented for publication before he died, it was quite risque and daring for the Zane Grey image but hardly more so than other writers of the day. There are typical ZG characters in typical ZG settings, but his descriptive presentation is well worth the book all by itself. Zane Grey was unparalleled when it came to research into a subject and to being faithful to the time and place of the story. Yes, some of the language is dated; and yes, his characters do act in often outrageous ways; but they had to do so to carry the book to its proper conclusion. The Reef Girl is well worth reading.
