The Mark of Zorro

By: McCulley, Johnston

While mild-mannered Don Diego Vega seeks a bride, cloaked crusader Se or Zorro (Spanish for "Mr. Fox") rides the dangerous highway of Mexican California armed with a sword, whip, and pistol-righting wrongs, defending the weak, and punishing injustice.The story is set in Reina de Los Angeles, a town in southern California circa 1800 when California was still a part of Mexico, and when Mexico was controlled by Spain. The Los Angeles of this time is populated by four societies that must coexist, but that coexistence is out of balance.The oldest and weakest group is the "natives" who live in the pueblo. Next come the clergy, the friales who first planted the orchards and who live in the missions. Then, the gentry, who live as dons and do as on feudal estates, or haciendas. Finally, the land is ruled by the strongest of these powers, an unjust governor in San Francisco de Asis. He controls the army under whose rule the natives are abused, the friales mistreated, and the gentry disrespected. This is the story of a young man of "good blood" who decides he must restore balance to this frontier society.Johnston McCulley wrote stories of Zorro for forty years. This, his first Zorro story, was originally serialized in a magazine as The Curse of Capistrano. Se or Zorro went on to leave a deep impression on popular culture, and has appeared in the work of many other authors and artists, in many media, ever since.One reason the character of Zorro endures is that he carries on a tradition of daring and heroic figures, both literary and historic, who precede him. Best known perhaps are the medieval Robin Hood of English folklore whose "merry men" are reminiscent of Zorro's "avengers," and the Scarlet Pimpernel of revolutionary France. Lesser known is the real-life figure William Lamport, the "Irish Zorro," whose statue still stands in Mexico City.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GR2KDST3
• ISBN13: 9791043138027
• Release Date: March 2026
• Publisher: Les Prairies Numeriques
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

You have seen the movies; now read the book.

In the 1820s in Los Angeles, the Governor and his supporters made life hard on the Caballeros, natives, and monks; even high-born women felt his wrath. Only one brave soul stands up against injustice. That is Zorro the fox. Can he turn the tide and wake the Caballeros, who just want to drink and party, to their true calling as defenders of the people? Or will he eventually get caught and brought to the Governor's justice as the scoundrel that he is? To spice things up, there is the young Lolita Pulido who has torn three ways between Don Diego Vega, Capitán Juan Ramon, and Zorro. It is said that once a Pulido gives her heart, she can never love another. Johnston McCulley authored this story as a series originally titled "The Curse of Capistrano," and as you read it, you can see where he left a few cliffhangers between chapters. This story will be wrapped up enough that you will not have to buy the next book unless you want to. The wording and descriptions are excellent. And he seems to have lived at the time. Not that I have anything against reading, but it was a lot of fun listening to the MP3 unabridged version read by Armando Duran. He did an excellent job of separating the characters; however, I wonder where he got the accent. My first introduction to Zorro was not the acclaimed (1920) Douglas Fairbanks version, but the Walt Disney version with Guy Williams as Zorro (1957-1962). One of the most impressive versions is Zorro, the Gay Blade (2001). We named our cat Esteban after a character in that movie version.