Bunduki
Encyclopedia
James Allenvale 'Bunduki' Gunn is the title character in J. T. Edson's novel Bunduki and the series of novels and short stories that followed. He was adopted by Tarzan
and Jane Porter
at the age of two, after his parents were murdered by rebels during the Mau Mau Uprising
. Bunduki is married to Tarzan's great-granddaughter Dawn.
Bunduki's birth father was a descendant of Sir Henry Curtis who explored Africa with Allan Quatermain
. His mother—Allison Dawn 'Tex' Gunn—was the granddaughter of Texan Mark Counter. Bunduki's parents served with Dawn's parents in 'Group Thirteen', a Special Missions Organization of the Secret Intelligence Service
during World War II.
and Lady Meriem
) and Lady Hazel Drummond-Clayton. Through Korak, Dawn is also the grandniece of Capt. Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond
.
Dawn is a graduate of the Roedean School
, and an expert in martial arts, wilderness survival, athletics, gymnastics, swimming, and fencing. Like her husband, she is unaging and immune to tropical diseases and parasitic infections, thanks to a treatment received courtesy of her great-grandfather Tarzan. In the 1970s she was transported along with her mate to the planet Zillikian by aliens known as 'Suppliers'. She uses a Ben Pearson
Marauder Take-Down hunting bow and a Randall Model 1
fighting knife.
planet (i.e. located at the L3 Lagrange point which is opposite the Sun in the same orbit as Earth). The planet is very similar to Earth in climate and wildlife, albeit without the industrialization of Humans that Earth has.
and Philip José Farmer
for the biographical connections between Edson's Bunduki & Dawn, Burroughs' Tarzan characters, and Farmer's Wold Newton family
.
Sometime after 1976, ERB Inc. withdrew Edson's permission to use the Tarzan name in future volumes and as a result, the fourth novel and the short stories do not mention Tarzan or Jane by name.
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
and Jane Porter
Jane Porter
Jane Porter was a Scottish historical novelist and dramatist.-Life and work:Jane Porter was an avid reader. Said to rise at four in the morning in order to read and write, she read the whole of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene while still a child...
at the age of two, after his parents were murdered by rebels during the Mau Mau Uprising
Mau Mau Uprising
The Mau Mau Uprising was a military conflict that took place in Kenya between 1952 and 1960...
. Bunduki is married to Tarzan's great-granddaughter Dawn.
Bunduki's birth father was a descendant of Sir Henry Curtis who explored Africa with Allan Quatermain
Allan Quatermain
Allan Quatermain is the protagonist of H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel King Solomon's Mines and its various prequels and sequels. Allan Quatermain was also the title of a book in this sequence.- History :...
. His mother—Allison Dawn 'Tex' Gunn—was the granddaughter of Texan Mark Counter. Bunduki's parents served with Dawn's parents in 'Group Thirteen', a Special Missions Organization of the Secret Intelligence Service
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
during World War II.
Dawn
Dawn Drummond-Clayton is the daughter of Sir John Armond Drummond-Clayton (himself the son of KorakKorak
Korak [long "O"] is the ape name of John 'Jack' Clayton, the son of Tarzan and Jane.-History:Jack first appeared in the original Tarzan novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs. He was introduced as an infant in the non-Tarzan novel The Eternal Lover , in which the Ape Man and his family played supporting...
and Lady Meriem
Meriem, wife of Korak
Meriem is a minor character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Tarzan novels, and the heroine of the fourth, The Son of Tarzan. Born Jeanne Jacot, the daughter of French general Armand Jacot, she is taken captive by Arabs as a child who give her the name Meriem. She is later rescued from her...
) and Lady Hazel Drummond-Clayton. Through Korak, Dawn is also the grandniece of Capt. Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond
Bulldog Drummond
Bulldog Drummond is a British fictional character, created by "Sapper", a pseudonym of Herman Cyril McNeile , and the hero of a series of novels published from 1920 to 1954.- Drummond :...
.
Dawn is a graduate of the Roedean School
Roedean School
-Roedeanians in fiction:* Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward * Dawn Drummond-Clayton * Emily James...
, and an expert in martial arts, wilderness survival, athletics, gymnastics, swimming, and fencing. Like her husband, she is unaging and immune to tropical diseases and parasitic infections, thanks to a treatment received courtesy of her great-grandfather Tarzan. In the 1970s she was transported along with her mate to the planet Zillikian by aliens known as 'Suppliers'. She uses a Ben Pearson
Ben Pearson (bowyer)
Ben Pearson was an archer, bowyer, and fletcher from Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He is most notable for starting the first company in the United states to mass-produce archery sets and equipment. In 1972, he was among the first inducted into the Archery Hall of Fame.-History:Ben Pearson made his first...
Marauder Take-Down hunting bow and a Randall Model 1
Randall Made Knives
Randall Made Knives, usually referred to as Randall, is an American manufacturer specializing in custom handcrafted knives founded by Walter Doane "Bo" Randall, Jr. The factory and showroom is located in Orlando, Florida. Randall offers 28 models of knives for different applications, each...
fighting knife.
Zillikian
Zillikian is a counter-EarthCounter-Earth
The Counter-Earth is a hypothetical body of the Solar system first hypothesized by the presocratic philosopher Philolaus to support his non-geocentric cosmology, in which all objects in the universe revolve around a Central Fire...
planet (i.e. located at the L3 Lagrange point which is opposite the Sun in the same orbit as Earth). The planet is very similar to Earth in climate and wildlife, albeit without the industrialization of Humans that Earth has.
Book series
All of Edson's Bunduki stories were published in England by Corgi Books:- Amazons of Zillikian (unpublished)
- Short story prequels (set on Earth)
- "The Mchawi's Powers" –
- "Death to Simba Nyeuse" –
- "Accident – or Murder?" –
- "A Good Time Was Had by All" –
Publication
The first three novels were published with permission from both Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.
Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. is an American company founded in 1923 by author Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is based in Tarzana, California. The company holds the rights to the literary works of Burroughs that are still protected by copyright .Burroughs was one of the first artists to...
and Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his award-winning science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories....
for the biographical connections between Edson's Bunduki & Dawn, Burroughs' Tarzan characters, and Farmer's Wold Newton family
Wold Newton family
The Wold Newton family is a literary concept derived from a form of crossover fiction developed by the science fiction writer Philip José Farmer...
.
Sometime after 1976, ERB Inc. withdrew Edson's permission to use the Tarzan name in future volumes and as a result, the fourth novel and the short stories do not mention Tarzan or Jane by name.
See also
- Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord GreystokeTarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord GreystokeTarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke is a fictional biography by Philip José Farmer. It presents the life story of Edgar Rice Burroughs' literary hero Tarzan as if he were a real person....
- Tarzan (book series)Tarzan (book series)Tarzan is a series of twenty-four adventure novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, followed by four novels either co-written by Burroughs, or officially authorized by his estate...