Zorro Rides Again by D.J. Arneson

Zorro Rides Again Reviews

• 
  Marybeth

  Having just finished this book, I can honestly say that I don't quite know what to think of it. On the one hand, it's a rousing Zorro adventure that's been somewhat sanitized for the young adult reading population of the late 1980's. Considering the types of ya books I read in a lit course this past semester, the rather heavy-handed justification of Zorro taking the life of someone else seems unnecessary and naive. Naturally Zorro only raises his sword against the evil and unjust, as he always has, but there was one section where it was actually pointed out that he was in danger before he fought back. The writing style is simplistic and stilted, as if the original wording has been dumbed-down to make it more understandable to adolescents. On the other hand, the timeline and characters are confusing, making it difficult to integrate this story into what I already know of the Zorro canon.
  
  Since this book is supposed to be an adaptation of the original story by Johnston McCulley, the creator of Zorro, I'd be interested to know if the words are his or if this book should more properly be labeled "based on." I haven't been able to find McCulley's story to compare the two, but "Zorro Rides Again" is the third title in the lexicon, following "The Further Adventures of Zorro," and yet this story feels like it should be placed much later in the series. No one knows who Zorro really is, despite Don Diego's revelation of his secret identity at the end of "The Curse of Capistrano" (now more commonly called "The Mark of Zorro"). His love interest, Lolita Pulido, has been reduced to a wailing, clingy female stereotype, when McCulley's original character was a strong, independent young woman who fought alongside Zorro at the dramatic climax of the first story. The blustering bully Sargeant Gonzalez, who was hell-bent on capturing Zorro, has become bumbling lovable Sargeant Garcia, Zorro's friend and protector straight out of the 1950s Disney series.
  
  As I said, I'm not quite sure what to think of this book. If you're a diehard Zorro fan, you'll probably like it as long as you can forget what you know about the original story.
• 
  Faith

  That was a thrill!
  I have watched the old Zorro movies and some of the TV shows, and loved the plotlines.
  In every story, it tells the tale of Don Diego de la Vega- a Spanish gentleman- who, when needed, takes up the mask and cloak of Zorro, and rides upon his majestic black horse Tornado to bring justice to the land. Senorita Lolita is the betrothed of Don Diego, but knows not that he and Zorro are one in the same man. She is often rescued by him, and in turn hides him from his enemies, and sometimes is so struck by his valor and courage that she forgets about Diego for a moment. Of course, Don Diego is never disturbed by this, for he IS Zorro, and he tries hard not to laugh. ;D
  
  In Zorro Rides Again, chaos ensues when a masked rider who calls himself Zorro, but acts not in the least like him- whips an old friar, a widow woman, and a pirate who turned over a new leaf who is Zorro's friend.
  Zorro is not violent, he seeks to write wrongs, not commit them.
  When Don Diego finds this out, he is incensed, and seeks to find the criminal and to clear his- up till now- guileless name.
  Some of the townspeople believe that Zorro really did become evil, but his closest friends who know him too well to think this of him try to help him and hide him when Diego dons the mask again.
  Everything is made right, as always when the real Zorro is around, and the wrongdoers punished, with a Z lightly cut into them as a bonus- Zorro's famous mark of justice.
• 
  Alice

  I'm a fan of Zorro, having watched some of the movies when I was younger. I recently read Isabel Allende's take on the legend, and felt I should go back to the pulpy source material. This is only based on McCully's original stories, and it's all the cheesy adventure one might expect.
  
  The story comes in years after Zorro has gone into retirement, for no reason explained in the text. Someone is posing as the hero and doing cruel things, so he has to return to the masked vigilante life to clear his name.
  
  A number of characters return: Don Diego de la Vega, of course, and his alter ego, Zorro. There's Friar Felipe, love interest Lolita Pulido, and Sargeant Gonzalez, and of course the faithful but mute Bernardo, whose hand signals are depicted in the radio edition by woodwind instruments.
  
  The story introduces Captain Rocha, the Governor's nephew and leader of a movement to discredit Zorro in the eyes of the adoring townsfolk.
  
  Despite his long absence and the nasty rumors about his recent behavior, Zorro is still a much-loved figure in his hometown, and lots of allies are willing to stick their necks out to protect him. Most take him at his word that he's innocent, though a trial by combat is needed to prove his word, in one case.
  
  I listened to a radio play dramatization, so the dialogue was spoken by actors. In an action format, that means that sometimes people have to narrate what they're doing, or bystanders have to keep the listener updated. Sometimes, it sounded a little silly, but it worked, in the long run.
  
  Overall, this was a fluffy, entertaining couple of hours. I wanted a silly, pulpy tale before diving into my next book, and that's exactly what I got. I have another radio adaptation of a Zorro story, and I plan on listening to it soon.
• 
  Kat

  I did get a certain kick out of listening to this while driving what remains of El Camino Real, but unfortunately that's the best thing this book had going for it.