One of the most popular and influential science fiction tales of all time, The Land That Time Forgot was first published in book form in 1924. Set ...
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Feb 02, 2012
Stephen
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In 1995, I sold a large box full of mint-condition Edgar Rice Burroughs books left over from my younger days. A coworker took it off my hands for the princely sum of $10. Looking at what's available today on eBay (where I retrieved a new copy of this title), that box might now fetch $500. Oops.
My recollection of Burroughs is that (possibly aside from the Tarzan series) he had a formula, which he used again and again: a doughty hero ventures into extraordinary circumstances, and along More...
My recollection of Burroughs is that (possibly aside from the Tarzan series) he had a formula, which he used again and again: a doughty hero ventures into extraordinary circumstances, and along More...
Feb 11, 2011
Scot
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I remember working my way through the John Carter, Warlord of Mars books by Burroughs as a kid. My dad turned me on to them—he was a big fan of Burroughs when he was a kid, himself. While cultivating a sense of respect for the gripping adventures to be found in pulp fiction, however, he also encouraged me to demand logical structure for plot development within the workings of whatever world the tale might be set in. I recall to this day his disappointment in Burroughs explaining how young Tar
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Mar 11, 2010
Mark
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I loved this book. It's like a mix between Indiana Jones, Gulliver's Travels, Jurassic Park and a mutant sort of Planet of the Apes, with some other stuff thrown in.
I don't know that I've seen either of the movies (maybe parts of the first one, when I was a kid), but I recommend reading it first, as it is significantly different, from what I've read about the movies on Wikipedia. The book is rather short (only about 40k words, which is 10k words off being a long short story).
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I don't know that I've seen either of the movies (maybe parts of the first one, when I was a kid), but I recommend reading it first, as it is significantly different, from what I've read about the movies on Wikipedia. The book is rather short (only about 40k words, which is 10k words off being a long short story).
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Jul 29, 2011
Jenee
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Edgar Rice Burroughs is amazing, he knew esactly how to write a thrilling and edge of your seat adventure story.
The book was great, wasn't too keen on the ending though.
I didn't really like how it took almost half the book to actually get to the main point. Building up a story is good but I think he went into alittle bit too much detail trying to do so. The dinosaur part I know I really shouldn't complain about because he was writing these books int he early 1900s but I am an amature paleontolog More...
The book was great, wasn't too keen on the ending though.
I didn't really like how it took almost half the book to actually get to the main point. Building up a story is good but I think he went into alittle bit too much detail trying to do so. The dinosaur part I know I really shouldn't complain about because he was writing these books int he early 1900s but I am an amature paleontolog More...
Aug 01, 2009
Caleb
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This book collects all three of Burroughs' books set on a lost island where evolution is downright wacky. He was writing before the current belief in and understanding of evolution was what it was today, but this scheme still come across as completely nutty (the people of the lost island begin life as eggs, then become tadpoles, and then slowly ascend up the animal kingdom, one life time at a time, until they reach the human evolutionary ladder, which consists of seven steps to something approac
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Dec 26, 2011
Avital
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Torpedoed by the Germans during ww1 Bowen had been stranded together w/ some of his men, Alyssa and a few imprisoned Germans on a submarine Bowen had designed and built. After experiencing many adventures at sea they finally reach an hidden continent, in which, as the name suggests, time seemed to have ceased. In this lush and prolific land there are dinosaurs, apes and other Neanderthals in different stages of evolution. How would this unconventional group if people cope with the challenges of
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Feb 24, 2009
Lizzy
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The Land That Time Forgot, once begun, cannot be put down! In three seperate parts, it chronicles the adventures of a group of people stranded on the mythical continent of Caprona (or Caspak, as it is known by the natives). It is a primitive world where prehistoric creatures still roam, full of unfathomable danger for all who inhabit it. Piece by piece, the outsiders unravel the secret of human life on Caspak, while simultaneously fighting for their lives, exploring this mysterious world, and fa
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Mar 28, 2011
Randy
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It's been a good many years since I first read this one. I just watched the 1975 version, that starred Doug McClure, and wanted to compare the two. The script was co-written by Michael Moorcock and I thought it might be more literate than other such efforts.
It was.
The ending was considerably different and a few incidents were compressed into one, one subplot eliminated, and cheesy looking dinos.
The tale of a German U-boat, with the survivors of a merchant ship they More...
It was.
The ending was considerably different and a few incidents were compressed into one, one subplot eliminated, and cheesy looking dinos.
The tale of a German U-boat, with the survivors of a merchant ship they More...
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Jul 22, 2009
Don
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In Land Before Time, Burroughs concocts a fabulous microworld, located somewhere in the South Pacific, called Caspak. On this mountainous island live winged, humanlike creatures, dinosaurs, ferocious beasts of prey, Neanderthals, "wild ape-men," and monstrous reptiles; they terrorize each other, to say nothing of the mixed crew of World War I-era adventurers who inadvertently land on a Caspakian beach and fight their way across the island, dining on Plesiosaurus steaks and having a gra
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Sep 01, 2011
Stephen King recommended. From King's forward to Night Shift regarding Edgar Rice Burroughs and this book: "...no one's candidate for Great World Writer, but a man who understood story values completely. On page one of The Land That Time Forgot, the narrator finds a manuscript in a bottle; the rest of the novel is the presentation of that manuscript. The narrator says, "Read one page, and I will be forgotten." It's a pledge that Burroughs makes good on - many writers with talen
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Nov 27, 2011
Sonia
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This is the very first book I have read of Burroughs and I am sorry I waited this long to read it. The Land that Time Forgot is a wonderful adventure. Chock full of courage and excitement, it kept me going on to find out more of the fate of the people in it. On a side bar, the love story was amazing. As the two lovers danced around each other, they were in love and as they say "love conquers all".
A wonderful tale of old adventure. Full of ship wrecked sailors, brave men and f More...
A wonderful tale of old adventure. Full of ship wrecked sailors, brave men and f More...
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Feb 05, 2012
Doug
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Holy Adventure, Batman! I had no idea that this book would include a thrilling featurette exposition to whet the appetite! I honestly thought I had received a hacked version of this book by about page 80. The primary antagonists in this tale don't have scales or walnut-sized brains. Though they are what we've come to know as that old chestnut, the go-to bad guys des jour....
Brilliant energy and thrilling story. I feel like Burroughs forgot what his main focus was, because the forgotten land More...
Brilliant energy and thrilling story. I feel like Burroughs forgot what his main focus was, because the forgotten land More...
Mar 02, 2011
Jsmith1000
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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 t More...
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 t More...
Jan 27, 2012
Nathan
rated it: 
Typical Burroughs - Noble hero that basically has all the answers; finds and falls in love with his ideal woman; and, despite extreme circumstances, maintains his sense of decorum through the adversity. Having read so many of his books (and don't get me wrong, despite just one star, I love them all as escaping simple pleasures), it gives me time to reflect on part of what Burroughs is doing. I think this story is Burroughs way (other than selling books) of supporting science, and, in particul
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Dec 30, 2011
John
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At first I thought I had begun to read the wrong book as the first few chapters center around a U-boat. I was starting to think that I was in for a sea journey but then the crew arrives on the island. They encounter and survive exchanges with 'cavemen' and prehistoric creatures. Modern technology helps with this and I had to wonder if the author was making connections to 'manifest destiny'. The is also a love interest and overall a pretty cool read once put into the context of the time that it w
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Jan 10, 2011
wally
rated it:
Spoilers below.
The land that time forgot. This is an entertaining story and if you can get past the monkey-gods spinning their wheels…two or three times at the beginning, a 5-star tale, a message in a bottle, or in the case here, in a thermos.
This guy, bowen by name—though you don’t learn that until late in the story, is the I-narrator, telling the tale of his boat being destroyed by a german u-boat, though his crew—and a dame of course—manage to overcome the “boches” More...
The land that time forgot. This is an entertaining story and if you can get past the monkey-gods spinning their wheels…two or three times at the beginning, a 5-star tale, a message in a bottle, or in the case here, in a thermos.
This guy, bowen by name—though you don’t learn that until late in the story, is the I-narrator, telling the tale of his boat being destroyed by a german u-boat, though his crew—and a dame of course—manage to overcome the “boches” More...
Jan 14, 2012
AndrewP
rated it:
The most amazing thing that struck me about this book was how close the 1977 movie of the same name followed the story.
It does seem a little dated, but overall this one holds up very well and does not show it's serialized pulp book origin. There are one or two cliffhangers at the end of chapters, but not to the extent of some others from this period. As I came by all 3 of the Caspak trilogy, and they are all very short, I will be reading the other 2 in the near future.
It does seem a little dated, but overall this one holds up very well and does not show it's serialized pulp book origin. There are one or two cliffhangers at the end of chapters, but not to the extent of some others from this period. As I came by all 3 of the Caspak trilogy, and they are all very short, I will be reading the other 2 in the near future.
Oct 14, 2011
Lindsey
rated it:
This was alright, it didn't really hold my attention that well, but I think I'm a bit sick of this style. I just read The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne not too long ago, and I think this just reminded me of it too much. Shipwrecked in weird place, yadda yadda yadda. It was well written, though and you do like the characters, so give it a try if you're in the mood, but don't go out of your way to read it.
Feb 10, 2012
Kristy
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I was really looking forward to reading this one, because I'm an Edgar Rice Burroughs fan due to both the Barsoom and Tarzan series. This one wasn't at all what I was expecting though. The survival scenes were cool; the idea of being in a world that shouldn't even exist and having to come face to face with ferocious extinct animals is a great storyline. But along with this, there's a theme of evolution during the last 2/3rds of the book, which I didn't agree with. All of the apes/people on the f
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Jul 08, 2011
Lori
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Saw this sitting on my husband's to-read pile (made up of all the books I've read that I think are his style) and realized I somehow hadn't put my review up. I read it on our recent vacation.
It's been on our shelf for a while -- bought at a library sale for said husband, actually. Took it on the trip for him and ran out of what I'd brought for myself pretty quickly. I'm glad this one made the cut.
We're rewatching Lost (to prepare for next spring's final season), and it wa More...
It's been on our shelf for a while -- bought at a library sale for said husband, actually. Took it on the trip for him and ran out of what I'd brought for myself pretty quickly. I'm glad this one made the cut.
We're rewatching Lost (to prepare for next spring's final season), and it wa More...
Dec 10, 2011
Travis
rated it:
Fun, very quick read. A story about being attacked by U-Boats, taking over said U-Boat, spy vs. spy kind of plot line, then stumbling into a lost world and fighting for survival. Great philosophy about how inconsequential any one person's life is on the scale of the universe. Simple linear plot line kept moving.
Oct 26, 2011
Gregory
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A fun read, but not as good as the LOST WORLD by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The characters seemed flat and cartoonish. It is difficult to feel heartedly for cartoons. However, the overall story arch is classic adventure tale and can be a delightful journey. Two movies are available on Netflix for your personal viewing.
Feb 09, 2012
Bruce
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Maybe this is what is meant by a dime novel. If you want to read something from the lost world genre then "The Lost World" or "King Solomon's Mines," are much better in my opinion. I finished it because it is short and I was listening to the audio version. But really it didn't have much going for it by the end.
May 23, 2011
Artur
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Pura aventura no estilo clássico de Edgar Rice Burroughs passada numa ilha desconhecida à beira-antártida cujos penhascos escondem uma terra de mistérios habita por fauna pré-história e estranhas tribos humanóides. Um clássico literário que nos mergulha em tempos primevos.
Jan 27, 2010
Tom
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I downloaded this as an ebook, and I didn't know how old this book was, when I read it. 1918? I had no idea that submarines were even around then. (I have since learned a little more about the invention and early history of the submarine -- pretty cool!)
Fun story. 1918?!?
Fun story. 1918?!?
Dec 20, 2011
Dianna
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Listened to this on the road. It's a fun adventure story with lots of parallels to others. I'm not well versed in this type of literature so I can't say whether it ground breaking or derivative, but it's not unique now. Still: enjoyable.
Nov 06, 2009
Chompa
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I love Edgar Rice Burroughs, but had somehow never read this book. I have to say it was utterly fantastic and completely engrossing.
If you have enjoyed the Tarzan or Barsoom novels by Burroughs and haven't tried this - It's great.
If you have enjoyed the Tarzan or Barsoom novels by Burroughs and haven't tried this - It's great.
Mar 23, 2008
Danna
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"There were all sorts and conditions of horrible things; huge, hideous, grotesque monsters...I had perhaps the fraction of a second longer to live when I heard an angry growl behind us mingle with a cry of pain and rage from the giant..." Classic pulp fiction! What Land of the Lost aspired to be! Hilariously fun!!! Like an action-adventure popcorn movie! <Insert similar X-treme! style book-jacket phrase here.> Mine is the 1924 Grosset & Dunlap edition, stained and worn with
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Mar 09, 2010
Tonya
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Audiobook from LibriVox. (LibriVox provides free audiobooks from the public domain. http://librivox.org)
Classic adventure pulp from the man who gave us Tarzan. A highly entertaining escape from the work day. :)
Classic adventure pulp from the man who gave us Tarzan. A highly entertaining escape from the work day. :)
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Oct 11, 2011
Jen
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Not really my cup of tea. For one thing the romance was completely superficial and annoyed the heck out of me. However, I can see why Burroughs was such a popular adventure writer and why this is considered a classic.
