The Land That Time Forgot (1999) - Plot & Excerpts
Because part of me is perpetually ten years old, I will always be a sucker for "Lost World" type novels, all those stories of people winding up on remote islands or lost continents or hidden sections of the Arctic and finding a land full of extinct creatures, especially dinosaurs, who make everything better simply by being large and scaly and awesome in a way that mythological creatures so rarely are.For me, the better examples of this sub-genre of pseudo-science adventure are the ones written in the early days of the last century (or the waning days of the century before) simply because in a world that hadn't been fully explored it seemed quite plausible that one day we would come across a previously unknown continent teeming with life no one had ever imagined. And since Australia was already settled, people had to look elsewhere. I have no idea how much the authors themselves believed in their own concepts but the possibilities of the thinking of the time in context seems to add an extra weight and charm to the proceedings. Much like when everyone believed there was potentially life on Mars, that veneer of possible reality, no matter how far-fetched, tickled a sense of adventure that went a little bit beyond entertainment. These days, we have Dan Brown. You make the call.For most people, Burroughs is the guy who created Tarzan and is indirectly responsible for the movie about John Carter, although we really can't hold that against him. But like many other pulp writers, he churned out stories like a fiend. Not everything was the same decent quality but some of the stories have enough imagination and flair to lift them above the more pedestrian stuff. This is one that people tend to remember fondly, basically a novel in three parts (despite the habit of publishers at one point to split it like a trilogy, which anyone making the mistake of reading them separately will realize makes no sense) and all of them involving the same wonderful land where men get to be men, women get to be like men except when they need to be ladies, and there's plenty of creatures about lusting for combat.While it's fairly easy to dump a bunch of guys in a mysterious land filled with dinosaurs, it's not as easy as you'd think to make it interesting and even harder to make it entertainment. There's a fine line to walk between having the heroes fight an endless parade of monsters and turning the novel into a travelogue as the author checks off the places he's made up to ensure said heroes visit every single one. Splitting the novel up actually covers both bases . . . if he tried to tell it as one sustained four hundred page narrative, the pace would no doubt falter and you'd start to get dinosaur fatigue. By giving each section its own protagonist (with a lady to liven things up) and area of the land to explore, we get to essentially hit the reboot button every hundred and fifty pages or so and start fresh with a clean slate, ready to go diving into savage combat again. This allows Burroughs to vary the scenery and perils . . . by populating Caspak with several different tribes of people, all at various stages of evolutionary development, not only does he give the reader a built-in mystery but it ensures everyone isn't having the same converation over and over again.Which is good, because you wonder when everyone has time to stop and talk. As it typical with a pulp novel, the action more or less hits the ground running and never lets up, but not where you'd expect. Starting out by staking out its place in the ultra-narrow genre of WWI-submarine-mysterious island adventures, our heroes set out on a cruise before running into a pesky German U-boat (one of the interesting aspects of this, as SF-esque WWI adventures aren't super common, especially in this case where the Great War is still fresh in everyone's memories). The submarine shennanigans go on longer than you'd expect but once they hit the island the story becomes all business.Each of the parts has its own charms. The first has the submarine hijinks and a sort of fun opposites attract subplot. The narrator for the second segment is a bit more level-headed and features some explanations for the weird mystery of how the different tribes are connected. The third dispenses with first person entirely but has some eerie set-pieces (set in the city with the flying people, reminiscent of the strange creatures from Gene Wolfe's "Book of the Short Sun" series) and probably ventures the closest to the Conan the Barbarian territory before wrapping everything up with an explanation that is rooted in science at the time (i.e. it makes little sense but I give him credit for trying instead of saying "it's magical!"). The little links disguise the fact that we're basically reading three novellas and almost wallpaper over the fact that we're essentially reading the same plot three times (burly man gets lost, finds attractive woman and falls in love, fights off creatures, makes friends along the way). What distinguishes it is Burroughs strong sense of place and eye for detail, rendering a land that is lush and dangerous, flush with mystery and a chance for a man to survive on his own wits. Burroughs won't win any fancy prose awards (although the third part has some startling scenes and desciptions, including a particularly gruesome and brutal bayonet stabbing) but it's that unflagging pace that keeps you reading (if one were so inclined this is the kind of book that could be devoured) and if there's anything that attacts us to it today, it may because it triggers the faint hope that in a world that has been explored and satellite mapped to the nth degree, there may remain pockets that exist purely to be discovered, and mysteries yet to be plumbed, dark places on the rustling underside of memory, just out of reach.
The Caspak Trilogy is a series of books written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, author of the Tarzan adventures. Edgar Rice Burroughs has written books with prehistoric animals before, like in his Pellucidar series, but this is a trilogy that goes for a lost world angle. The first book in the series is The Land That Time Forgot. During World War I, a German U-Boat sinks an American ship, and a man named Bowen J. Tyler finds himself with a woman named Lys La Rue and his dog, Nobs. They are rescued by a ship, but sunk again by the same U-boat. The surviving crew manage to capture the U-boat and work towards getting back home. However, they get lost and end up at a continent called Caprona (which was named after a fictitious explorer who discovered it). They enter into the continent to find themselves in a prehistoric world filled with dinosaurs and ancient mammals. The natives of this place call the land Caspak, and the people of the U-boat try to set up a colony. However, the German prisoners mutiny and leave the Americans and British on Caspak while they leave. To make matters worse, Lys is abducted and Bowen has to find her while braving the dangers of a primeval world.The sequel, The People That Time Forgot, takes place some time after Bowen's manuscript is found. A rescue party heads to Caprona/Caspak to try and rescue Bowen, Lys, and the survivors. Leading this expedition is Tom Billings, who is an old friend of Bowen's. Tom flies a plane over Caspak, but is brought down by a pterosaur. He rescues a native girl, Ajor, from a prehistoric cat. After being attacked by some ape-men, Tom decides to take Ajor back to her people, the Galu. While traveling, Tom learns that in Caspak, people obtain status through a type of evolutionary progression, with the Galu being the highest form of evolutionary people. Tom learns of a plan to try and conquer the Galu by people who had not reached that stage yet, but are not willing to wait, and must try to stop them before they destroy Ajor's people.The final book in the Caspak Trilogy, Out Of Time's Abyss, concludes the story of Caspak and the people who discovered its secrets. In this story, an expedition that left Fort Dinosaur is returning to its home. This company, led by Bradley, are constantly being visited by a winged human. Bradley is abducted by this human, which is known as a Wieroo, and taken to the Wieroo civilization. He also meets a native girl (who is also a Galu like Ajor) named Co-Tan, who is being held by the Wieroo because she is a cos-ata-lo, or someone who was born a Galu. According to legend, the people who can make cos-ata-lo are meant to become Caspak's rulers. The Weiroo are all male, so they abduct Galu women to try and get female Wieroo, but with no luck. Bradley rescues Co-Tan and escapes from the Wieroo. While falling in love with Co-Tan, Bradley must undergo a deadly journey with lots of twists and surprises to return her to her people.I am a huge fan of dinosaurs and like to read stories that feature them. However, I think that these stories push things a little too far with the idea of an evolution that takes a lifetime instead of millions of years. The Wieroo are also just plain weird to me. I did enjoy the stories as a whole and wish that Edgar Rice Burroughs did take the time to create more stories in Caspak. I would recommend these stories to anyone who's a fan of prehistory.
What do You think about The Land That Time Forgot (1999)?
This is the Omnibus Version of Edgar Rice Burrough's (ERB) Caspakian Novels. Included here are:The Land That Time ForgotThe People That Time ForgotOut of Time's AbyssThese are three novels of adventure told in a classic style similar to that of Jack London, Arthur Conan Doyle and H.G. Wells. This is a style of early in the last century and more like the century before it. It's a story that is narrated to us, rather than painted so that we can experience it. And it's full of adventure, love, courage, wickendess, danger, and...dinosaurs! The tale:Set in the early stages of World War One, The Great War, where German U-boats terrorize the seas our hero Bowen Tyler, who happens to be a ship-builder's son and an expert in avionics, gets his transport torpedoed out from under him while on his way to join the war effort as part of an Ambulance Corps. With him is his trusty Airdale, trained in search and rescue, Hobbs (and Hobbs is so COOL! too...but I digress...parenthetically). After plunging into the frigid North Atlantic, Bowen manages to pull himself onto a boat and in a very, reverse Titanic (the movie) moment, snatches the slight, rich and very pretty Lysse from the jaws of death. The pair is rescued by a British Flagged Ocean Going Tugboat which is then set upon by the same dastardly German Submarine. From there, we are treated to fun plot that involves espionage deciet, combat, as Tyler and the Tug's crew battle the submarine, take it over then thanks to some trickery, find themselves hopelessly lost in the southern most reaches of the globe. In a desparate attempt to find food, water and oil (for the desiels) they traverse a trick half submerged cavern and find themselves in a lost world of wonder, where the normal rules of evolution, birth, rebirth and life no longer seem to hold sway. A land where dinosaurs and other beasts roam thick jungles and native tribes of pre-historic and bronze age humans struggle to stay alive long enough to advance to the next level of human hiearchy. Treachery, danger, love it's all in the air. The Second book takes up where the first leaves off with Tom Billings, Bowen's long time friend who gets his hands on Tyler's Journal in a bottle and sets out to find him. He's just like Bowen and sets off to find his long lost buddy...yes, this is what Bromance can do to you. Along the way he meets a beautiful Native girl, a savage and a barbarian and romance ensues. Billings has to overcome his own predjudice and misguided beliefs while battling the savage tribesmen and, he's still looking for Tyler. The Third book, my favorite, features a roughneck British Seaman from Book one, who set out on an exploratory mission from the fort that Tyler and sub/tug crew built. Along the way he was set upon by winged demons...well that's what some of them thought,anyway...and even when just hoping to find some fish and chips and petrol to get the sub back to a neutral port had an adventure find him and sweep him away... again, there's love in the air. All three stories are linked by Caspak and take us on three different adventures in this marvelous, creative fantasy world dreamed up by Burroughs. In the narrative tradition that books of the era had been written in, the focus is on the three major characters, Bowen, Bradley, and Tom, with a strong supporting role for their lady loves. It could be argued that Burroughts likely took those parts of pulp fiction books that he liked and re-invented them in his own vision for this. There are parts of "The Lost World" By Doyle, similar "love stories" as found in Jack London's "Star Rover" and, even simalarities to his first Novel-series Barsoom (Mars). Yet, as told here it's all remarkably new and different. ERB likely had no intention of writing a Socially conscious tale like the Green-story in Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, nor is it likely he tried to write a phlisophically conscious story like Jack London's "To Build a Fire" and "Star Rover". In fact, he probably just wrote it as he "felt it" with what he believed was a practical mind applying practical thinking to a fantastic situation (full of wonderful adventure). Yet, planned or not, within the folds is a story of hope for tolerance and a lesson that what makes us different as Human-beings is only flesh and bone, and skin, while what makes us Human's the same is far more spiritual in nature and more important. It's the story of the white man and the Native American Indian where two of his brawny new-worlders forget fall in love with Caspakian Princesses... savages. It's a story of class vs. class a barroness and a simple american cowboy (if a rich one). And through it, the fantastic river where evolution is disected before our eyes and, at the heart of it we find that all Human's are the same inside, even if we were hatched from an egg. Yet, a man who had as practical an outlook on life, who lived as a cowboy, and an Indian fighter, struggled with Eastern Schools and notions of propper behavior and a love of the outdoors likley did not think of all those things. He just day dreamed then wrote the dreams down... and what wonderfully fun dreams they were.These stories are full of adventure, and excitement, love and treachery, courage and cowardice. There is some violence but anyone age could enjoy these stories. Certainly Young Adults and old curmudeons who still have a little boy hiding somewhere in their hearts.
—The Pirate Ghost (Formerly known as the Curmudgeon)
I downloaded this book onto my iPhone via the iBooks app (because there is a boatload of stuff that is free on there, and that's my favorite price). Anyway. GREAT book, incredible story, and very fast/enthralling.I hadn't realized what a compelling writer Burroughs was; I found this book in my favorite way (which is to just have one sorta 'fall' on you). I opened it and could not put it down. Scenario takes place in the ocean, mid-WWI activity. Without divulging too much of the story, group of folks gets shipwrecked on an island 'time forgot.' Very good book.
—Jsmith1000
A mixed bag, good ideas but the usual problems of poor writing, repeating plot points, strong female characters left with little or nothing to do and of course many coincidences and lucky escapes. The three sections are told from three different points of view.The first part is half 'Hunt for Red October' and then the dinosaurs come in. It also has a pretty good female character.The second part a standard princess and warrior storyline. There's some interest as the hero struggles between his affection and his natural racism but its still the weakest section.The third section 'Out of Time's Abyss' is by far the best, giving the final details to the strange evolution of life on Caspak which is both weirder, grosser and cooler than i expected. Its also far more horror based than the first two parts.
—Wreade1872
