At the Earth's Core (Bison Frontiers of Imagination) [Paperback]

Edgar Rice Burroughs (Author), Gregory A. Benford (Introduction), Phillip R. Burger (Afterword)

Book Description

Series: Bison Frontiers of Imagination | Publication Date: March 1, 2000

Five hundred miles beneath the earth’s surface lies a fantastic, timeless world of eternal daylight, prehistoric beasts, and primeval peoples—Pellucidar. Pellucidar is a world within our world, a place where the horizon curves upward and merges with the sky. Here time stands still, for Pellucidar is illuminated by a miniature sun that never sets but hovers motionless in the sky. Scattered throughout the savage, prehistoric wilderness are communities of distrustful humans and the cities of the reptilian, highly evolved Mahars. David Innes and Abner Perry break through into this mysterious inner world. Their discovery of Pellucidar and the ensuing struggle to unite the human communities and overthrow the Mahars is a top-notch, thrilling tale of conquest, deceit, and wonder.

This commemorative edition features an introduction by Gregory A. Benford and an afterword on the science of At the Earth’s Core by Phillip R. Burger. Also included are a map of Pellucidar, a glossary of terms and names by Scott Tracy Griffin, a contemporary review, and the classic J. Allen St. John illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Since first appearing in All-Story Weekly magazine in 1914, Burroughs's tale of a secret prehistoric world still in existence has remained popular both in print and as fodder for numerous films. This commemorative edition offers the full text along with a map of the fictional land of Pellucidar, illustrations, a glossary, and both a new introduction and an afterword on the science used in the story. This may be a little corny by today's standards, but it's still fun.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Students of early science fiction will welcome the University of Nebraska Press''s series Bison Frontiers of Imagination."—Times Literary Supplement

(Times Literary Supplement )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 309 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books; Cmv edition (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803261748
• ISBN-13: 978-0803261747
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #523,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enter David Innes, September 9, 2003

By 

... "vilbs" (Montreal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At the Earth's Core (Bison Frontiers of Imagination) (Paperback)

Having already created two highly memorable science fiction heroes in Tarzan and John Carter, Edgar Rice Burroughs begins his third major series with David Innes. With friend Abner Perry, they dive their "mole", or burroughing machine, straight through the earth's surface where they discover the savage land of Pellucidar. Here, where dinosaurs still exist and mankind is enslaved by the reptilian Mahars, David and his friend are forced to face unknown perils and survive in a hostile environment (and of course, win the beautiful lady).

"At the Earth's Core" is another highly entertaining science fiction novel from ERB. Even though his format is formulaic, you're always assured of fast paced adventure in his novels. Not as groundbreaking as Tarzan or as strong as John Carter, The Pellucidar series is still a worthy addition to Burroughs body of work, and it gets an extra star for the nostalgia of being a personal childhood favorite.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An unexpected engaging experience!, January 26, 2005

By 

M J Heilbron Jr. "Dr. Mo" (Long Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: At the Earth's Core (Bison Frontiers of Imagination) (Paperback)

A terrific adventure novel that will immerse you in a world with simple, descriptive language and rollicking action sequences, "At The Earth's Core" is an early Edgar Rice Burroughs tale, the first of several books that take place in the land of Pellucidar.
Yes, Pellucidar lies in the center of the earth. Jules Verne's take on what lies beneath differs greatly; this one less "sci-fi" and more fun...like "Jurassic Park" fun.
I think the audience most likely to be enthralled here, is the one comprised of pre-teenage boys...yet anyone who loves a a good story well told will become a fan as well.
This is a tough book to stop reading...it's one of those that you want to see "what happens next." So much so I've already ordered as many other Pellucidar books as I could find...
A synopsis is unnecessary...it's already been nicely done here at the Review site. Just know that, in a fashion that reminds me of "The Princess Bride", the "mushy" parts dovetail nicely with the "adventure" parts. The relationship between Innes and Dian is interesting, non-stereotypical, and surprisingly modern.
I was already a fan of ERB's Tarzan books.
It seems I've added another series to my "must read/own" list.
I'm afraid to read "A Princess of Mars" (the Mars series)...or perhaps I should say my bank account is.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE OTHER JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, May 4, 2000

By 

Joseph A. Aycock (rome, georgia USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: At the Earth's Core (Pellucidar Series, Book 1)(Library Edition) (Audio Cassette)

DAVID INNES AND ABNER PERRY SET OUT TO TEST THE MECHANICAL MOLE, A SORT OF SUBMARINE FOR DRY LAND, AND END UP IN THE FABULOUS WORLD OF PELUCIDAR, A JURASSIC PARK ON A WORLDWIDE SCALE. DON'T JUDGE THE BOOK BY THE AWFUL MOVIE VERSION WITH DOUG MACLURE. THIS IS A FIRST RATE ACTION ADVENTURE WRITTEN BY THE ABSOLUTE MASTER OF OTHERWORLDLY ADVENTURES. REMEMBER, THIS ONE WAS WRITTEN BEFORE WORLD WAR 1. EVERYONE ELSE COPIED MR. BURROUGHS. THIS IS THE ORIGONAL! READ IT AND ENJOY ADVENTURE THAT, LIKE FINE WINW, ONLY GETS BETTER WITH AGE.