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kristykay22's review against another edition
3.0
Edgar Rice Burroughs may be an acquired taste, but I sure think he's fun. In this adventure, our hero bores to the center of the earth only to find an entire civilization, complete with dinosaurs and scary prehistoric monsters! Luckily there is also a super beautiful lady down there...
destrier's review against another edition
3.0
I mean, you can't read Burroughs if you aren't prepared to set aside the blatant racism and misogyny, or expect something different from Tarzan in each book.
That said, I think the plot points of the Pellucidar books are rendered better and with more creativity in the Caspak (Land that Time Forgot) trilogy and found this uninspired.
That said, I think the plot points of the Pellucidar books are rendered better and with more creativity in the Caspak (Land that Time Forgot) trilogy and found this uninspired.
colinandersbrodd's review against another edition
5.0
Combining a Hollow Earth and Lost World for a different kind of pulp adventure . . .
It seems a little dated now. A Hollow Earth was still considered a somewhat serious possibility by some when this was written in 1914, and the heroes seem a bit sexist, racist, and colonialist by modern standards . . . but it is still a well-told and thrilling tale of two men who are experimenting with a prospecting vehicle, an "Iron Mole," and end up in a Hollow Earth where dinosaurs and megafauna still exist under an inner sun that never sets. They slowly learn about the societies of the inner world, called Pellucidar, which are dominated by a race of intelligent, telepathic avian dinosaurs called the Mahars. The two men resolve to free the humanity of Pellucidar from the evil Mahars . . .
It seems a little dated now. A Hollow Earth was still considered a somewhat serious possibility by some when this was written in 1914, and the heroes seem a bit sexist, racist, and colonialist by modern standards . . . but it is still a well-told and thrilling tale of two men who are experimenting with a prospecting vehicle, an "Iron Mole," and end up in a Hollow Earth where dinosaurs and megafauna still exist under an inner sun that never sets. They slowly learn about the societies of the inner world, called Pellucidar, which are dominated by a race of intelligent, telepathic avian dinosaurs called the Mahars. The two men resolve to free the humanity of Pellucidar from the evil Mahars . . .
svarten's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I notice that Edgar likes to write books where the main character is a big, strong man with muscles and where the new society/environment around him is primitive in comparison. I like the story about a world inside of the planet and hwere ecosystems are different from our own. I also found it interesting how they were unable to keep time because they don't experience night.
corybanter's review against another edition
3.0
The last time I read At the Earth's Core, I think I was thirteen or fourteen years old. So it was a lovely nostalgia trip to read it again at the age of 41. And I read it on my new e-reader, of all things, a device which would have seemed incredibly futuristic to my teenage self!
Really, it was a good read, although I am now more sensitive to some of the more cornball aspects of Burroughs' writing. The overly florid language occasionally brought a smile to my face, and...
...when Innes travels back to the earth's surface, and it takes him a day longer than it had to get to Pellucidar, I almost laughed out loud! I mean, he almost suffocated on the first journey; wouldn't he have completely run out of air on the return voyage, if it was so much longer? Oh well, those kind of details never seemed to bother ERB, and in a sense, I guess they're part of the simplistic charm of his adventure novels.
Since so many of ERB's books are public domain now, I shall probably be rereading quite a few of them, since they are available for free download to my e-reader. Not a bad way to pass the time.
Really, it was a good read, although I am now more sensitive to some of the more cornball aspects of Burroughs' writing. The overly florid language occasionally brought a smile to my face, and
...when Innes travels back to the earth's surface, and it takes him a day longer than it had to get to Pellucidar, I almost laughed out loud! I mean, he almost suffocated on the first journey; wouldn't he have completely run out of air on the return voyage, if it was so much longer? Oh well, those kind of details never seemed to bother ERB, and in a sense, I guess they're part of the simplistic charm of his adventure novels.
Since so many of ERB's books are public domain now, I shall probably be rereading quite a few of them, since they are available for free download to my e-reader. Not a bad way to pass the time.
sandman_1961's review against another edition
3.0
Entertaining pulp fiction adventure. Easy to read. Characters soemwhat 2 dimensional. Relaxation read and quick to get through. The Barsoom series is better - read that as a teen.
glowingskeleton's review against another edition
4.0
Burrough's work has a surreal, nightmarish quality that I feel is underappreciated.
momc's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
ghostmeat47's review against another edition
3.0
... or "An Imperialist white supremacist travels to the world within our world and constantly worries about what time it is".
Certainly a product of it's time. Enjoyed it, for the most part, but humorous and jarring with now 100 year plus themes. Mostly a fun romp of dinosaurs and titanic mammals always trying to eat you.
Certainly a product of it's time. Enjoyed it, for the most part, but humorous and jarring with now 100 year plus themes. Mostly a fun romp of dinosaurs and titanic mammals always trying to eat you.