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At the Earth's Core
At the Earth's Core
"Edgar Rice Burroughs' inner world evokes fantastic images of a world without time and a landscape like no other. He was not the first to utilize a hollow earth to tell a a story, but his is the best and most completely realized of all the inner world tales."--erblist.com
Book Excerpt
thin a tiny oasis. Close by was an Arab douar of some eight or ten tents.
I had come down from the north to hunt lion. My party consisted of a dozen children of the desert--I was the only "white" man. As we approached the little clump of verdure I saw the man come from his tent and with hand-shaded eyes peer intently at us. At sight of me he advanced rapidly to meet us.
"A white man!" he cried. "May the good Lord be praised! I have been watching you for hours, hoping against hope that THIS time there would be a white man. Tell me the date. What year is it?"
And when I had told him he staggered as though he had been struck full in the face, so that he was compelled to grasp my stirrup leather for support.
"It cannot be!" he cried after a moment. "It cannot be! Tell me that you are mistaken, or that you are but joking."
"I am telling you the truth, my friend," I replied. "Why should I deceive a stranger, or attempt to, in so simple a matter as the date?"
For some time h
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4.3
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I loved this slice of escapism from ERB. It took me a while to get into the flow of the story but soon I was whisked away to another fantastic world which Edgar Rice Burroughs does so well. Take a chance with this book you won't be disappointed.
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A little dated by comparison to more modern sci-fi/fantasy. However, makes for a good read and this style of book is about suspended credulity. Looking forward to reading the sequel.
09/09/2011
As an ERB fan (primarily from the "Mars" and Tarzan books), I have to say I was a bit disappointed with this one, especially since I'd wanted to read it for some time.
The setup - feuding Stone Age civilizations at the Earth's core - is certainly interesting, but I found that the characters other than the narrator are rather one-dimensional and uninteresting. The plot has more of a pulp feel to it and seems driven more by chance than anything else.
ERB does this sort of thing much better in his other series, where the characters are more memorable and the plot twists and turns seem more coherent and logical, if sometimes just as fantastic.
Still might be worth a read, although ERB fans expecting more might be disappointed and those being introduced to his work won't see him at his best.
The setup - feuding Stone Age civilizations at the Earth's core - is certainly interesting, but I found that the characters other than the narrator are rather one-dimensional and uninteresting. The plot has more of a pulp feel to it and seems driven more by chance than anything else.
ERB does this sort of thing much better in his other series, where the characters are more memorable and the plot twists and turns seem more coherent and logical, if sometimes just as fantastic.
Still might be worth a read, although ERB fans expecting more might be disappointed and those being introduced to his work won't see him at his best.
05/01/2011
AT THE EARTH'S CORE begins as a fun "hollow Earth" adventure but its episodic nature becomes tedious. And, as soon as the book's hero meets Dian the Beautiful, the romance aspect of this "scientific romance" takes over and most of the hero's subsequent actions are designed to reunite him with Dian. Burroughs included some surprisingly grisly descriptions, however, like the hypnotism scene in the Mahar temple.
01/03/2008
Wow, is this book ever exciting and adventurous! A real page turner. If you like monsters, and prehistoric creatures, adventure, escapes, chases, etc, this book is a must read in any form. It starts strong and stays strong to the end. Now I am off to read the sequel "Pellucidar".
11/16/2006
This book is fun and easy reading. It is pretty suspenseful, like another reviewer mentioned.
There are some pretty interesting and deep concepts to contemplate, amid the adventure and sci-fi action.
There are some pretty interesting and deep concepts to contemplate, amid the adventure and sci-fi action.
04/20/2006
It has been a very long time, since college that I have read books written in old English. It was very refreshing to start with one so wonderful as this and has made me a fan of Burroughs for life. I actually found myself on the edge of my seat reading it. It is a great classic. Excellent reading.
04/05/2006