Tarzan at the Earth’s Core – Edgar Rice Burroughs (1930)
In this audacious crossover between two of Edgar Rice Burroughs‘ most beloved series, Tarzan ventures into the prehistoric world of Pellucidar at the heart of the hollow Earth. The novel begins when Tarzan joins the Pellucidarian expedition led by Jason Gridley (a hero from Burroughs’ Pellucidar books) to rescue the missing explorer David Innes, who has been captured by the reptilian Mahars.
Using the experimental airship *O-220*, Tarzan and Gridley descend through the polar opening into Pellucidar, where time stands still and dinosaurs roam. Tarzan adapts swiftly to this savage paradise, befriending the cave-dwelling humans of Pellucidar and their allies, including the mighty Gorok and the fierce warrior woman Jana. The group battles pterodactyls, sabertooths, and the psychic Mahars, whose telepathic dominance threatens all of Pellucidar’s free tribes.
Burroughs revels in the spectacle of Tarzan facing off against primeval beasts and alien intellects alike, culminating in a siege of the Mahars’ city. The novel’s climax sees Tarzan improvising tactics unheard of in Pellucidar—jungle ambushes and psychological warfare—to outwit the reptilian overlords.
“Where the king of the jungle meets the dawn of time—and rewrites history.”
