1820s California, in a bygone era of sprawling haciendas and haughty caballeros, suffers beneath the whip of oppression. Missions are pillaged, native peasants are abused, and innocent men and women are persecuted by the corrupt governor and his army. But a champion of freedom rides the highways. His identity hidden behind a mask, the laughing outlaw Zorro defies the tyrant’s might. A deadly marksman and a demon swordsman, his flashing blade strikes down those who exploit the poor and oppressed.
First published in 1919, The Mark of Zorro remains a paradigm of swashbuckling adventure and a popular novel to this day.
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"I enjoyed this book. If you've read all of the Scarlet Pimpernel series, and you want something similar, try this book. I understand that some newer editions have additions by later authors, not in the original copy, so if you want to read it the way it was originally published, you can find it on Manybooks.net, under the title "The Curse of Capistrano." "The Mark of Zorro" is its later title."
— Melissa (4 out of 5 stars)
“Narrator Armando Duran breathes life into the character of Don Diego Vega: by day an effete aristocrat, by night a dashing defender of the poor. Duran draws on his stage experience, his ethnic memory, and his joyful vigor as he tells the story of Señor Zorro’s courtship with Lolita Pulido while bloodying the noses of corrupt government officers. This adaptation of the classic story is delightful from start to climactic finish. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile“A succession of thrills from first page to last…Original…Captivating.”
— Boston Traveler" Fast-paced story of, Zorro-defender of justice(yay), Lolita-California beauty(aww), and Captain Ramon-the bad guy (boo). The original Zorro! "
— Erika, 2/6/2014" Good early American thriller writing. "
— Marko, 2/4/2014" Fun, though not as good in terms of dialogue/witticisms as the Scarlet Pimpernel. It was also painfully obvious as to who Zorro's true identity was, but still, cute fun overall. "
— Pygmy, 2/3/2014" A full-cast audio book starring Val Kilmer as Zorro, with a pretty awesome musical score as well. Definitely audiobook listening at it's best. Beware though, this recording is so FULL OF CHEESE my head almost exploded. If campy yet quality productions sound good to you, this a great three-hour audiobook to take on a long car ride. Kid appropriate, too. "
— Rob, 2/1/2014" This was well written. I wasn't paying much attention the first time I read it, so I didn't pick up on all the "Easter eggs" laid out in the story. It's a good adventure book. If you like adventure, give this a shot. "
— Sep, 1/24/2014" my favorite movie (Tyrone please with dastardly Basil) and now my favorite book. took me a while to track down a hard copy years ago but glad I did. like the movie the book is great every time you read it. now if i could just get the not so good music out of my head ... "
— Duffy, 1/22/2014" Enjoyed this, although it felt dated and much like a rehash of Orczy. The heroine was unexpectedly engaging. "
— Elise, 1/18/2014" Great unabridged reading of this fun adventure story on the Classic Tales Podcast. I really enjoyed listening. This is the only real Zorro book, which I found surprising, as there are so many movies, but this was better than the movies. "
— Brenda, 1/17/2014" This book was a lot of fun -- Batman lore takes a lot from Zorro! Very interesting read. "
— Caitlin, 1/17/2014" The original tale of Zorro, Don Diego Vega "
— Marts, 1/14/2014" I listened to the audiobook starring Val Kilmer and a great cast of readers. They brought the story alive and truly made the miles go quickly as we sped down the highway. "
— Carol, 1/11/2014Johnston McCulley (1883–1958) created his most famous character, Zorro, in 1919. He was the author of hundreds of stories, fifty novels, and numerous screenplays for film and television. He wrote sixty Zorro stories during his career.
Armando Durán has appeared in films, television, and regional theaters throughout the West Coast. For the last decade he has been a member of the resident acting company at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. In 2009 he was named by AudioFile as Best Voice in Biography and History for his narration of Che Guevara. A native Californian, he divides his time between Los Angeles and Ashland, Oregon.