Customer Reviews

The Land That Time Forgot (Commemorative Edition)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first read "The Land That Time Forgot" five years ago, when it was still published in three separate short volumes: "The Land That Time Forgot", "The People That Time Forgot", and "Out of Time's Abyss" (all originally published in Blue Book in 1918). I enjoyed the story immensely, but I mistakenly treated it as a trilogy, or a series of novels like Burroughs's own Barsoom series, and read them separately, interspersed with other books. With the publication of this single volume "Commemorative Edition", I finally realized that Burroughs meant for the work to be published as one novel (which it was until the 1960s), and sat down to read it as such.

What a difference this makes. I now believe that "The Land That Time Forgot" is Burroughs's best work, and the definitive "lost world" tale. The three sections are semi-independent, but work as a whole in unexpected ways. In Part I, we are introduced to the Island of Caprona and the bizarre prehistoric land of Caspak hidden inside it, but only after a long submarine journey. Before the hero can solve the mystery of the strange evolutionary system of Caspak, we cut to Part II, which immediately launches us into an adventure on the other side of the Island with a new narrator. Many plot strands come to an end at the conclusion of this second section, but there are still some questions left, still some mysteries, and Part III brings it all to a great conclusion, when we finally see behind the curtains and learn the enigma of Caspak.

Burroughs's writing is simple, tough, and exciting, and Caspak provides endless excitement from all corners of pre-history and fantasy: dinosaurs, sea monsters, cavemen, giant mammals, and winged humanoids! And there are airplanes and German subs as well. But what really sets this novel apart from other, similar stories, is the evolutionary concept that rules Caspak. I will say no more...the riddle of Caspak is the best of many reasons to read this wonderful novel, presented complete for the first time in nearly half a century.

Don't forget that the free version is not the entire trilogy. The next two are "The People That Time Forgot" and "Out of Time's Abyss" (both also free). Wonderful book and beautifully written. I've seen alot of complaints about typos in the free versions but I didn't notice any. Burroughs is great at engaging the reader throughout the entire book. There was enough description to engulf you into the story but not so much that you got bored. Great and quick read.

While Burroughs was denigrated as being a "pulp" novelist for most of his literary career, he was clearly a better writer than the vast majority of genre writers who publish today, and he was also a better story teller than most. The complaint of a reviewer that Burroughs was an obsessive racist would be hilarious if it weren't so ignorantly misguided. Similarly the complaint that Burroughs had no ear for dialogue is drenched in ignorance. The dialogue of early 20th century America is not the dialogue of late 20th century England, a fact that should not need explaining, but unfortunately explication is needed for those who who lack the most rudimentary of analytical faculties. I find Hemingway to have a tin ear for dialogue because the people I grew up with didn't speak like Hemingway characters at all, but I don't criticize Hemingway for that and suspect that he accurately recorded the cadence of his fellows. Burroughs had a good feel for the common man of the early 20th century, which is one reason his books still sell.

The Land That Time Forgot is a great adventure by a very good fantasy writer. Check it out while it's still in print.

Having just read Conan Doyle's THE LOST WORLD, I perused the other books waiting for me on my father's bookshelves. I saw that he had a lot of books penned by a author whose name was familiar to me, but whose works I had never read. The first of his books that I decided to read was The Land that Time Forgot, which was collected with two other books in the same series. It took me no more than a day's time to read this wonderful book. I am rather busy during most of the day, so I merely gave up sleep in order to read this book as quickly as possible. It was similar in many ways to Conan Doyles LOST WORLD, but it differed in the aspect that it was more of a romantic adventure novel. In the lost world, the main character sets of to impress a lady friend of his, by accomplishing a heroic act, and by doing so hoping to convince her of his marriageable worth. In the Land that Time Forgot and the subsequent stories, the hero endeavors to impress his marriageable upon his love by saving her life many times over from the likes of ferocious dinosaurs, lecherous ape-like men, and of course the traitorous germans. Being written sometime between 1910 and 1920 (the date eludes me) this book is well ahead of it's time. The tale is timeless, and is not discredited in the least by advancing technology or changing philosophies. I highly recommend this book to any who enjoy Science Fiction, Fantasy, Greek Myths or any sort of adventure that challenges the courage of the human race. If you read The Land that Time Forgot and liked it, then I also recommend The Lost World (Arthur Conan Doyle), The Lost World (Michael Crichton), and the John Carter of Mars series by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

It may not be Edgar Rice Burroughs at his best but, The Land that Time Forgot is great adventure. This book contains the three Caspak novels; The Land that Time Forgot, the People that Time Forgot, and Out of Times Abyss. Three stories that chronicle the adventures of three different men on the Antarctic sub continent of Caspak; a volcanic depression that supports a diverse and dangerous prehistoric eco-system. Bowen Tyler, the hero of the first story, leads a disabled German U-boat and English survivors into the isle of Caspak where they need to fight for survival and try to find a way to back home. In the second story would-be rescuer Tom Billings crash lands in Caspak and meets the prehistoric woman Ajor. Together they fight their way back the Ajor's home territory. The final Story, and perhaps the best is about English lieutenant Bradley and his capture by the highly evolved Weiroo men. His story shows the best of Burrough's rolling adventure style complete with unbelievable coincidences and narrow escapes only to be caught again to prolong the story. So suspend your disbelief and plunge into the world of 1914, fighting the Kiaser's men, Dinosaurs, and strange cavemen. The back drop and story line more than make up for the dated romantic ideas. Not as tight and focused as Tarzan, but where else does one get submaries and dinosuars?

Burroughs's unique system of evolution, presented in "The Land That Time Forgot" trilogy, is as fascinating as it is improbable. In these novels he manages to combine shipwreck, World War I, Jurassic Park, three rather unconvincing love stories, and a murder cult without even seeming to break a sweat. There's plenty of action for anyone, and although the plot doesn't really pull one along too well (hence the three stars), it's always fun trying to figure out what he'll come up with next. Very un-politically correct; one of my favorite places is in the second novel "The People That Time Forgot," when the hero discovers that he's beginning to entertain softer feelings for what would be known back home in California as--gasp--a squaw! Times really do change. These novels are not as good as "Tarzan of the Apes," but the conceit of a lost continent with strange beasts and people remains a good one, and the three novels, bound together in this edition, make a coherent and enjoyable whole. And after reading them, you can go rent the movies, as I'm planning to!

Just a quick note on this commemerative edition- it actually contains all three novels in the trilogy- The Land That Time Forgot, The People That Time Forgot, and the long out-of-print and hard to find Out of Time's Abyss. This is one of the most imaginative and exciting Burroughs tales, and is highly recommended.

In The Land That Time Forgot, Edgar Rice Burroughs provides the definitive Lost World tale. In the lost continent of Caspak, Burroughs provides holdovers from Earth's primal history together with a frightening vision of what may succeed us. By the time ERB wrote this, the world had been exposed to H Rider Haggard, Arthur Conan Doyle, and others who had shown us their visions of a lost world. Here, though, ERB gives us an interesting conceit tying all the denizens of Caspak together in a strange way. Terms like "batu," "cor-sva-jo," "cos-ata-lo," and "cos-ata-lu" are introduced bewilderingly to the reader, who then follows the breadcrumbs along with the heroes to see where they lead. The result is deeply intriguing, giving this tale an unusual twist I've never read in any other lost world tale, not even those of the wonderful A Merritt. Of course there are love stories, travails, and action aplenty as any Burroughs fan can expect also in this brilliant tale. Kudos to Bison Books for bringing us all the tales of Caspak together. This is one of ERB's finest works, and it is simply brilliant.

One of the most iconic figures in all of fiction is Tarzan, who was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs over a century ago. Although Tarzan may be his most famous character, Burrough's produced many other tales, including a Mars series and a Venus Series. He also wrote a trilogy of novellas that collectively are known as The Land That Time Forgot which takes the reader to a savage world of dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts.

The Land That Time Forgot fits into a rather specialized genre called Lost World fiction which was especially big in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and featured characters finding lost kingdoms deep in the mountains, under the sea, in the jungle and elsewhere. Other notable works in this field include Hilton's Lost Horizon and Haggard's She. As is often the case in these books, we get the tale secondhand; the author supposed found a lost manuscript and he is just passing on the story. Burroughs starts with this device but later in the trilogy abandons it.

The trilogy opens with the story also called The Land That Time Forgot. During World War I, a shipful of Americans and Englishmen are beset by a German U-boat. Through luck and pluck, they seize the U-boat even as their own ship goes down. The narrator, Bowen Tyler, is able to operate the submarine, but they are unable to find a friendly port since none of the Allied vessels are willing to accept an apparently hostile sub. Wandering through the ocean, they eventually wind up in the South Pacific where they come upon a lost island walled by great mountains. There is access, however, through an underwater tunnel, and soon the characters are in the land of Caspak.

Caspak is a strange land where the usual laws of biology don't apply. Creatures can evolve within their lifetime, particularly humans, who for the most part must work their way us the evolutionary ladder (which, according to Burroughs, has humanity as its peak). There are carnivores everywhere, especially giant reptiles and mammals which are a constant threat to Tyler and the others.

In the second story, The People That Time Forgot, the story shifts to Tom Billings, a friend of Tyler's who goes on a rescue mission for his lost friend. The third novella focuses on John Bradley, a member of the original group who had become separated from his fellows. Each story further develops the land of Caspak and the strange societies within.

While using the trappings of science fiction, this really isn't sci-fi but rather adventure fiction. Burroughs isn't really interested in science in his stories beyond the vague amount necessary to give plausibility. Burroughs also has some rather antiquated views regarding women and other races (of course, he was writing in another era); because of this, it may not be a good read for young kids, even if this views are somewhat toned down in this book. By modern standards, Burroughs probably would not even be considered a good writer: his characters are rather shallow and his narrative is filled with coincidences and ludicrous last-minute rescues.

Despite its flaws (or maybe even because of them), the story works. This is a fun read and a delight from beginning to end. In addition to entertainment value, science fiction fans can enjoy the historical worth of this story as well; Burroughs had an influence on many authors in the science fiction and fantasy fields. Burroughs had no pretensions of writing great literature; instead, he just wanted to tell good stories, and with The Land That Time Forgot, he succeeds.

This book is comprised of three interrelated 140 page novellas. All three novellas are about the island of Caspak, where dinosaurs, cavemen and other prehistoric beings still exist. Part I stars Bowen Tyler, and tells how he and a group of other people ended up in Caspek. Part II stars Tom Billings, who goes to Caspek to rescue Bowen Tyler after he reads Tyler's manuscript, which was printed as Part I. Part III tells what happened to John Bradley, who went missing in Part I. The three novellas work very well together as one novel. The mysteries of Caspek are introduced in the first part and are finally solved in the last part. Along the way, the three heroes have exciting adventures and find their true loves (it wouldn't be a Burroughs story if the hero didn't meet the girl of his dreams). This is a very enjoyable read, especially if you like old time pulp fiction.