The Land That Time Forgot - Edgar Rice Burroughs

Published by Librivox. Originally published 1918.
Audiobook released 22-08-2008 by LibriVox. Narrated by Ralph Snelson.

Over a few days of fluey-ness and needing a rest for my eyes, I rediscovered my Librivox app. Librivox is an audiobook app, but the twist is that all books are public domain ones, and are read by volunteer narrators, meaning that they are available free to the reader. It does mean that not all recordings are equal, but if you find the right narrator, it is a great way to listen to something that you wouldn't necessarily buy.

Edgar Rice Burroughs is most well-known for writing the Tarzan books, as well as John Carter of Mars, but The Land That Time Forgot is another that at least had name recognition attached to it. Really, Burroughs is a "pulp" writer, crafting entertaining and vaguely cinematic stories that flow fairly well, without being super deep in any way.

Just what you need for recovering from a flu.

Land That Time Forgot takes place during World War One, and the early parts of the narrative involve the sinking of two ships, battles with (and the capture of) a German u-boat (submarine), and mild intrigue as our hero, Bowen Tyler, seeks to discern whether his love interest, Lys la Rue, really does care for him or is actually secretly working with the Germans to sabotage their survival. This wartime setting remains the focus of the narrative for quite a portion of the story as a whole, but eventually it all leads to Bowen and his crew arriving in their German submarine at the island of Caspak, where both ancient and modern beasts thrive together, and adventure awaits.

Caspak's unique claim to fame, which is hinted at without outright being stated, is that the inhabitants of the island seem to evolve during their lifespan, with the "less evolved" creatures being further to the south (which in Caspakian speech is referred to as "towards the beginning"). As Bowen explores Caspak and heads north, he arrives at more and more "evolved" groups of primitive humans, even having one of the "more evolved" females show interest in him (though he remains loyal to Lys). Like with many similar pulp novels, the adventure is all important, and Bowen occasionally makes odd choices just so that the plot can advance. The story also ends in a place that is both a resolution and a cliffhanger, leaving the door open to a sequel (in fact, three Caspak novels were written and are apparently often grouped together as one).

Straightforward, ridiculous, and fun.

As for the audiobook element, Ralph Snelson is obviously an amateur narrator (his German accents sound far more Swedish than anything) but also brings a nice grandfatherly vibe to the storytelling than works for what is required. Easy to listen to, and a perfectly fine way to get into the book.

Completed 25 May 2021.



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