I first encountered Zorro as a character in an old movie my parents liked. Since then, I've sought out the stories when I could. When I discovered a number of them as radio plays through Audible, I had to pick them up.

This is the book that introduced the character of Zorro in 1919, originally titled, "The Curse of Capistrano." Johnston McCulley changed some aspects of the character since this first publication, but the sense of adventure and heroism is all there. As is the character's thirst for fairness and justice, and the corrupt government he inevitably has to fight against.

The Mark of Zorro covers a period of time during which Zorro has been an established force in California, well-known but mistrusted. His evasion of capture is more due to his cunning and the ineptitude of the local law enforcement than because anyone would shelter him.

The story is fairly simple: the authorities would like to capture Zorro, and will stoop to almost anything to do so. He would like to stay free, and to keep his friends out of it, which is easier said than done. Meanwhile, his alter ego, Diego de la Vega, is attempting to court Lolita Pulido, who falls in love with Zorro.

The story is very much a product of its time. A married woman rhapsodizes about the rewarding life of a housewife, and a father encourages a suitor to pester his daughter who's uninterested, because women are fickle and change their minds a lot. (It is to the character's credit that he trusts the woman to know her mind, and graciously accepts her refusal.) The story is an adventure, and it's about guy things, so women are relegated to wives and daughters and damsels, though Lolita gets to show off some skill with riding and swordfighting.

The performance I listened to has the story narrated by the tavern barkeep, which saves the characters the awkward task of narrating their actions for the listeners' benefit. However, it has the drawback that the barkeep doesn't know everything, and so, if I hadn't known Zorro's secret identity from the lore, I'd be puzzled, and maybe a little frustrated.

Val Kilmer voices Diego/Zorro, and, while he has a fine, gravelly, heroic-sounding voice, that he doesn't even attempt an accent makes him stand out more than a little. He intersperses several Spanish words into his dialogue, and his pronunciation is cringe-worthy, even for non-Spanish-speaking me.

Highlights of the cast include Armin Shimmerman as the barkeep and Ruth Livier as the spirited Lolita. Most of the rest of the cast did a good job with their narration, and they all sounded different enough that I didn't have difficulty keeping track of who was speaking.

This swashbuckling tale has humor and heart.

Zorro is a caballero, a highwayman, a champion of the downtrodden, a friend of the oppressed, and a king of dramatic entrances. He’s Robin Hood and the Scarlet Pimpernel, he’s proto-Batman. No one can outsmart the Fox! I grew up obsessed with reruns of Disney’s Zorro, and I’m delighted to find the original tale just as thrilling, romantic, and fun.

I have been a fan of Zorro since I was a young child watching The Zorro series when Disney Channel first aired.

I have watched every TV series and movie version I could get my hands on but it took 40 years to get my hands on the primary story.

I love the story. But I listened to an open source audiobook and hated the narrator. His reading is what caused me to not give a higher rating

This ridiculous nonsense is one of my truest and greatest delights. Everyone is so wildly over the top all the time, Zorro most of all. The extent to which Zorro comes into a room and then leaves, then Don Diego comes into a room and then leaves, and then Zorro comes into a room and then leaves, etc. nears Bugs Bunny levels of pageantry. Diego de la Vega must be counted among the greatest and most embarrassing dramatic morons of any age.

I've always had an affinity for Zorro, having grown up not far from San Juan Capistrano, where it is set. I used to love reruns of the 1950s TV series. But sometimes the source material does not stand up to scrutiny and makes you glad for clever screenwriters who make the movies surpass the books. I rather expected that The Mark of Zorro would fall into that category, especially when I learned that the original story was serialized pulp fiction penned in 1919. But The Mark of Zorro turned out to be an exciting, well-plotted adventure with a hint of a social conscience. Great fun! I've downloaded it to my Kindle so I can have it handy when the mood strikes.

One of my all-time favorites. Johnston McCulley perfectly captured the swashbuckling elegance of the character he sought to create, while also crafting a story rich with a desire for justice over oppression. This outline of a hero that is a gentleman, who seeks remorse rather than revenge, is what makes Zorro so compelling. Couple this with a light tome that does not fear to stray into the dark, as well as a memorable cast of characters and it becomes easy to get sucked in. I should mention this book shows it's age in some moments but that is to be expected given it was written in 1919. With that said, the message of equality, the condemnation of racism, classism, and authoritarianism is clear and relevant as ever. ¡Viva Zorro!

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.

Still great.