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Post by GRWelsh on Oct 31, 2016 9:26:39 GMT -5
Just some random thoughts to start off with:
- A long term DM for Scott and myself, Eric, put 'Pellucidar' at the center of our home-made campaign world, Alaria. Eric doesn't like when I call it Pellucidar, but the name appeared on one of his early maps (circa 1983), so I continue to use the name. Alaria's hollow core is essentially the same as Burroughs' Pellucidar, with the interior sun, dinosaurs, etc. It also has Mayan-like ziggurat temples, undead, and other stuff like the roots of the "Tree of Life" which is the source of magic on Alaria, fed by the light of the interior 'sun' which is really a gateway to the Positive Material Plane. BTW, Eric made use of this years before TSR's HOLLOW WORLD came out.
- J. Eric Holmes, who edited the first D&D Basic Set, published a sequel to the Pellucidar series titled MAHARS OF PELLUCIDAR (1976), authorized by the Burroughs estate. Holmes also wrote a sequel to MAHARS titled RED AXE OF PELLUCIDAR that either was never published or had a very limited print run because it was supposedly blocked by the Burroughs estate... I'd love to confirm what happened, and what the story was (if the Burroughs estate was unhappy with what Holmes wrote, why were they unhappy? Did they not like certain elements he introduced? Did they just think it was bad writing? Negative fan reaction? etc.).
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Post by GRWelsh on Oct 31, 2016 9:35:10 GMT -5
I like the image of the tower they climb to get into the mole machine which points down instead of up like a conventional rocket ship. I also was impressed with the concept of the gyroscope-like seating and the oxygen tanks, speedometer, depth and temperature sensors. Even though a lot of the science gets hand-waved in order to get the protagonists to the "place of wonder" this is a big improvement over "You fall asleep in a cave and teleport to Mars."
It just now occurred to me that this is like combining the concepts of the Nautilus in Jules Verne's 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA with the prehistoric "lost world" in JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. Duh.
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Post by Scott on Nov 1, 2016 21:51:08 GMT -5
I started reading it, to my kids, and was impressed by the same features you were. The upside down rocker aspect, the seats.
It's very Burroughs from the start.
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Post by Zenopus on Nov 1, 2016 22:36:18 GMT -5
- J. Eric Holmes, who edited the first D&D Basic Set, published a sequel to the Pellucidar series titled MAHARS OF PELLUCIDAR (1976), authorized by the Burroughs estate. Holmes also wrote a sequel to MAHARS titled RED AXE OF PELLUCIDAR that either was never published or had a very limited print run because it was supposedly blocked by the Burroughs estate... I'd love to confirm what happened, and what the story was (if the Burroughs estate was unhappy with what Holmes wrote, why were they unhappy? Did they not like certain elements he introduced? Did they just think it was bad writing? Negative fan reaction? etc.). This is the most detailed account of the Mahars/Red Axe publishing history that I've read: www.erblist.com/erbmania/edgardemain/bridge-holmes.htmlRed Axe has only had unauthorized printings. Some kind of limited edition was published for the ERB collectors in the early 90s. More often seen is a photocopy of the manuscript. It used to turn up on Ebay regularly, and I've heard it used to circulate at conventions before that. |
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Post by geneweigel on Nov 2, 2016 12:04:26 GMT -5
Started reading on Monday but haven't gotten back.
PS: Too busy pouring through notes on my version of Asia. Fucking Pandora's box.
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Post by GRWelsh on Nov 13, 2016 15:05:31 GMT -5
I finished this. Some thoughts... This was first published in serial form in 1914, over a hundred years ago. I like that it is brisk, which is a big contrast to the way a lot of people write today. By brisk I mean there is a lot of action and detail in a relatively short number of pages. Sort of reminds me of the difference between classic modules like G1 and T1 and B2 compared to later adventurers that are wordier but have a lot of 'filler.'
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Post by geneweigel on Nov 16, 2016 13:27:20 GMT -5
Still reading just got to Chapter 4 with the other ape men. I remembering watching the 1976 movie as a kid in the theater (double feature with BURNT OFFERINGS) and thinking there was a lot of monsters but the story has so much more. I definitely was inspired by Burroughs... a lot. DUNGEONS, DRAGONS AND BURROUGHS.  |
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Post by grodog on Nov 17, 2016 11:34:45 GMT -5
- J. Eric Holmes, who edited the first D&D Basic Set, published a sequel to the Pellucidar series titled MAHARS OF PELLUCIDAR (1976), authorized by the Burroughs estate. Holmes also wrote a sequel to MAHARS titled RED AXE OF PELLUCIDAR that either was never published or had a very limited print run because it was supposedly blocked by the Burroughs estate... I'd love to confirm what happened, and what the story was (if the Burroughs estate was unhappy with what Holmes wrote, why were they unhappy? Did they not like certain elements he introduced? Did they just think it was bad writing? Negative fan reaction? etc.). This is the most detailed account of the Mahars/Red Axe publishing history that I've read: www.erblist.com/erbmania/edgardemain/bridge-holmes.htmlRed Axe has only had unauthorized printings. Some kind of limited edition was published for the ERB collectors in the early 90s. More often seen is a photocopy of the manuscript. It used to turn up on Ebay regularly, and I've heard it used to circulate at conventions before that. I chatted with James A. Bergen Jr. when I bought his copy of Holmes' Martian Twilight, and he gave me some details about that publishing history. I'll see if I can find those notes, but I don't know that it adds much more context beyond the article Zach linked. Allan. |
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Post by Scott on Nov 30, 2016 0:24:12 GMT -5
I got sidetracked by a Stephen King book I just started paging through, and then ended up reading it all.
At the Earth's Core is classic Burroughs style. The complete lack of any grounding in science should be a negative, but it isn't. As Gary mentioned upthread, there's more of an effort than the Mars book, but it's still almost silly. But ERB just had the gift for pulp story telling. The story just pulls you along.
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Post by geneweigel on Nov 30, 2016 8:42:53 GMT -5
Older material like this is talked about more often in the halls of hardcore science because scientists live on the threshold of possibilities and vaguer is easier to project things on to.
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Post by geneweigel on Dec 6, 2016 10:42:58 GMT -5
I finally finished today. Its weird that some of the creatures in the 70's film seem like they were perhaps from other scenes then repurposed like the rhino creatures being humanoid in the movie and the gator-frog being used to replace the mega-bull & mega-tiger. I was also picturing if they remade the film today and the answer would probably be in the 2012 John Carter movie with the story-crunching "fixes". You definitely would have a loss of all the females get treated/killed nicely scenes.
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Post by GRWelsh on Dec 6, 2016 13:08:26 GMT -5
"Journey on through ages down to the Centre of the Earth,
"Past rocks of quartz and granite which gave Mother Nature birth.
"Burial ground of ancient man, his life no more is seen.
"A journey through his time unknown, I wonder where's he been?"
Chorus (echo): Wonder where he's been... wonder where he's been... wonder where he's been...
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Post by geneweigel on Dec 6, 2016 15:49:30 GMT -5
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Post by geneweigel on Dec 6, 2016 15:51:25 GMT -5
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