Full Text Review(s)
"Karr’s latest is a fictionalized account of Henry Morton Stanley’s Expedition for the Relief of Emin Pasha of 1887. Sixteen-year-old Tom Ormsby knows he’s born for adventure and spends much of his time reading penny dreadfuls. Tom can’t believe his good luck when he secures a position as a general dogsbody with the illustrious explorer Henry Morton Stanley on his latest expedition into deepest, darkest Africa. The expedition has many hardships (glaring heat, lack of food and water, attacks by angry tribes), which test even Tom’s good nature. Tom begins to wonder if he’ll ever see his beloved mother and two younger sisters again. Tom is a likeable hero whose adventures read like a dime novel. Lucky for Tom, his quick thinking and resourcefulness make him indispensable and, along with his kindness toward the African porters, save him from several near-fatal mishaps. Karr’s story has plenty of humor and gives readers a front-row seat in one of Stanley’s thrilling yet perilous expeditions."

"Karr (The Great Turkey Walk) weaves in actual historical facts as her novel takes readers into "Deepest, Darkest Africa," alongside the bombastic writer and explorer Henry Morton Stanley (who famously uttered the phrase "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"). Sixteen-year-old Tom Ormsby works in a pharmacy in 1880s London, though he dreams of a life of excitement. When he is sent to deliver medical supplies to Stanley, he finagles his way onto the man's latest expedition: a voyage into the heart of the Congo to rescue Emin Pasha, the head of Equitoria who reportedly has been besieged by Islamic Mahdist forces. When they set sail in January 1887, Tom is quickly humbled by his seasickness, his inexperience with firearms, and his first assignment—tending to the 40 donkeys on board. However, he soon proves himself: Tom's pharmaceutical knowledge makes him useful to the expedition's physician, and he convinces the 600-odd Soudanese and Zanzibari porters to get inoculated against smallpox. As the years press on, Tom is catapulted into manhood, as he defends the expedition against frequent native attacks ("Wasn't every day I shot at least five human beings.... Worst of it was, I would've picked off another five if the cannibals hadn't packed it in"), and dissent from within; Tom himself grows disenchanted with his former hero, Stanley. Karr suffuses this coming-of-age story with a wealth of historical detail and a steady stream of action, sure to captivate readers who may harbor their own dreams of adventure. "

"Born for adventure, indeed! Sixteen-year-old Tom Ormsby, bored as a clerk in a London chemists' firm, christens himself with a fancy new name--Thomas Greenville Ormsby--and wangles his way onto legendary explorer Henry Morton Stanley's 1887 mission to rescue Emin Pasha, the British Empire's anointed representative, from hostile native threats to his rule in Equatoria in the heart of darkest Africa. For a cert, to use Tom's favorite expression, one in three white men on the expedition will be dead within a year, but Tom has pluck to spare, so off he goes. By the end of his three-year journey, Tom has grown up plenty, as he witnesses Stanley's obsession with his own power and glory at the expense of all else: his indifference to human life, his insistence on the right of the white man to assert power over the African heathen, and his brutal exercise of that power. Karr immerses the reader so thoroughly in the world of the ill-fated "Relief of Emin Pasha Expedition" that we feel the same oppressive jungle heat that Tom does, and the same affection for his dark-skinned porters, the same revulsion at the groundless praises of Stanley's valor, and the same dark irony when it turns out that Emin Pasha in fact needs no relief and is only destroyed by his "rescue." This complex and many-layered story makes for a challenging read, but one that will richly reward the sophisticated and thoughtful teen reader."

"Tom Ormsby yearns to leave London for a life of adventure. Opportunity comes when he joins Henry Morton Stanley on an 1887 expedition to Africa. Disillusionment gradually sets in, however, during this bizarre journey, which is partly a military campaign and mostly an exercise in self-promotion by the egomaniacal Stanley. Throughout the years of his trek, Tom is nearly killed by wild animals and jungle diseases, befriends the Pygmies, and witnesses the repeated cruelties to the native people. He ends the expedition far wiser in the ways of imperialist adventurers. Karr never lets her exhaustive research get in the way of her ripping good yarn, narrated in Tom’s fast-moving and occasionally humorous voice. The incidents Tom describes often relate to the current problems in many parts of Africa, and this well-crafted story offers a view of history that will be unfamiliar to most young readers. — Todd Morning"

"Packing bottles and vials for a medical supplier won’t further Tom Ormsby’s career ambitions or satisfy his lust for adventure. They do, however, put the sixteen-year-old into contact with explorer Henry Morton Stanley, who is outfitting his third expedition to Africa, where he hopes to "rescue" colonial governor Emin Pasha from unverified dangers and score a victory for colonialism. When delivering a case of medicine, Tom glibly talks his way into a lowly position on Stanley’s staff, and he’s off to see the elephant. Literally. He sees a great deal more, as well—ruthless slave traders in collusion with white colonialists out to make a buck on ivory and rubber exports (well, exploitation); native guides and carriers who drop like flies under overwork, malnourishment, and despair; Pygmies astonishing in their cleverness and brotherliness; and an expedition leader whose single-minded determination is a study in both callousness and success. Plenty of authors have infiltrated historical treks and voyages with their fictional creations, but not always with Karr’s skillfulness. Tom is a winning narrator, convincingly tinged with nineteenth-century British paternalism but taking on each challenge with an open mind and learning to treat the Africans under his command with respect born of good sense and good humor rather than saintliness. Karr appends comments on the real-life members of the 1886-9 "Relief of Emin Pasha Expedition," a map, and a timeline of events in the region then known as the Congo. Pack the quinine and mosquito netting for a memorable trip."

"Sixteen-year-old London stockboy Tom Ormsby, delivering an order to famous explorer Henry Morton Stanley, manages to sign on for Stanley’s 1887 "Relief of Emin Pasha Expedition." Hired as "general dogsbody," young Tom leaves for Africa and three years of violence, disease, starvation, and hardship. He learns firsthand the imperialistic methods of murder and oppression that make Stanley a legend in his own time. Tom also receives medical training from the expedition’s Dr. Parke, learns Swahili, becomes blood brother to a pygmy king, and develops a love and appreciation for the native people under his command. One adventure follows another as Tom experiences the incredible beauty and cruelty of the great Dark Continent and its exotic inhabitants. At the end of the 1,500-mile journey, Tom tallies the cost and rejects Stanley’s philosophy, electing to return home rather than to share in the expedition’s glory.

Written by an award-winning author who did original research, the book offers a genuine picture of time and place through the eyes of its only fictional character, engaging and entertaining Tom Ormsby. The reader can share his joys and troubles, ultimately becoming enlightened about the colonial era and the underpinnings of today’s African problems. Although British colloquialisms and foreign names might be difficult for some readers, a map, a chronology, and an author’s note will help most readers to follow the sequence of events.—Laura Woodruff"