Queen Sheba's Ring

H. Rider Haggard, the master who gave us King Solomon's Mines, returns to the dark heart of Africa with another tale of lost kingdoms and deadly desires. Three men cross the desert: an aging archaeologist hunting for wonders, a doctor racing to save his kidnapped son, and a young captain fleeing a love affair that broke him. They are drawn into the court of Maqueda, Daughter of Kings, ruler of the Abati, who promises to help the doctor if the strangers will destroy the sacred idol of a rival tribe. But the idol is no trinket - it is a second sphinx, carved from a mountain, guarded by fanatics and ancient curses. The Abati are weak and treacherous, the desert is merciless, and every ally may be a betrayer. Yet none of these dangers compares to the beautiful woman who is death to love. This is old-school adventure at its purest: exotic, propulsive, with a mystery that holds the secrets of a forgotten empire.