As part of my interest in older media, I somewhat recently started watching the old Zorro TV show from the 1950s with Guy Williams as the main character. It’s a little campy here and there, but I’m really enjoying it and will write up a blog post once I finish all of it.
Anyways, today I’m talking about the book The Mark of Zorro by Jonston McCulley, which – I think – is where the character was created. It started life as a serial, which is also interesting, as some of the elements definitely remind me of other serial fiction, particularly the way certain plot points and beats tend to repeat themselves.
As a super quick primer, the general gist of any Zorro media that I’ve seen is that by day Don Diego Vega is a self-absorbed aristocrat who cares only for his books and idle fancies. He’s very wealthy, but also something of a laughing stock who fails to adhere to the unspoken codes of caballero life. However, by night, he puts on a mask and becomes Zorro, who rides around the countryside bringing justice to villains.
The soldiers stationed around parts of Spanish-controlled California try to capture him, but Zorro is as cunning as he is daring, and they never manage to get him into custody. Meanwhile, several of them enjoy an amicable with Don Diego, who pays for their wine while listening to their stories about how they’ve most recently been bested by Zorro.
The book was quite good, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I was particularly intrigued by the way that Don Diego’s alter-ego wasn’t immediately shown to the reader, as the television shows and movies that I’ve seen immediately make it clear that he’s Zorro. In this book, it’s strongly hinted the Diego is Zorro, but never made explicit until the end. That’s an interesting element, since Diego’s ruminations and thoughts aren’t a factor in the book the way they are in the show. It kind of bleeds away some of the tension, but the extra narrative space also gives Zorro a more powerful and menacing feeling.
Like many serials/pulps of the time, it’s pretty simple plot-wise, and the villains aren’t particularly memorable. Zorro’s antics can be a little confusing in some places (like when he “escapes” into the night, only to immediately reappear and put himself back in danger a few minutes later), but for the most part they’re just good old fashioned action hero type things.
It’s a fun book, and short enough that it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
I highly recommend if you’re interested in swashbuckling adventure type stories.