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tstevens3's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Sexism
nwhyte's review against another edition
2.0
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3424586.html
One of Burroughs’ Pellucidar novels, published in 1944. Our hero goes on an Odyssey-style voyage in the world hidden beneath our own where he has already resided for many years. He escapes from strange cultures where women and non-white men are in charge, because he is smarter. He is gallant towards his own womenfolk, even though they are indistinguishable as characters. In the end, he returns to the safe haven of white male supremacy and order is restored. It's a racist mess.
One of Burroughs’ Pellucidar novels, published in 1944. Our hero goes on an Odyssey-style voyage in the world hidden beneath our own where he has already resided for many years. He escapes from strange cultures where women and non-white men are in charge, because he is smarter. He is gallant towards his own womenfolk, even though they are indistinguishable as characters. In the end, he returns to the safe haven of white male supremacy and order is restored. It's a racist mess.
triscuit807's review against another edition
3.0
2.5-3 stars. I remember reading one/some of the Pellucidar books when I was a teen; Burroughs was one of my dad's favorite authors so we had some of them. I found them exciting reading. Well, I've grown up a lot since then. FWIW I still find them very imaginative; the different peoples/cultures and animals of Pellucidar are fantastically varied. But and it's a big BUT: these books have not aged well especially for this SJW. Pellucidar's humans are Stone Age (or less in some cases) peoples. The protagonist David Innes is a man born to the 20th century and, not only is he modern, but he knows all about The White Man's Burden. Of course the Suvi and Sari peoples are the most heroic (after Innes himself), others fair less well. All groups seem to keep slaves; notably the Ruvans who are black/colored and have some white slaves (from the mainland) will not mate with them (ew, ick) - which fits the time period of Burroughs' writing. There are some good parts: the rescue of the mastodon calf and friendship with its family, the description of the giant ants, and the description of the Floating Islands. What I can take away from the writing style: Burroughs is a storyteller and he tells stories well, but they may be stories that make you uncomfortable. I read this for my 2020 Reading Challenge (Lit Life "guilty pleasure") and the 2020 Hugo nominations (Retro Best Novel 1944).
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