The story in one page
In 1916, Bowen Tyler Jr. survives a U-boat attack and seizes the vessel that sank his ship. The mixed crew of British and German captives endures mutinies and sabotaged navigation equipment, eventually drifting into a warm Antarctic current. They discover Caspak, a lost world walled off by immense cliffs, accessible only through a subterranean river. Inside, evolution is not a history but a living geography where pterosaurs hunt above and primal creatures roam below. As the crew attempts to refine oil for a getaway, betrayal strands Tyler and his companion, Lys, in a lethal wilderness where they must adapt or perish.
Who's who
- Bowen J. Tyler, Jr.
An American who leads the survivors and chronicles their journey.
- Lys La Rue
A survivor who endures prehistoric pursuit before marrying Tyler in Caspak.
- Baron von Schoenvorts
The German commander whose shifting loyalties and technical skill dominate the voyage.
- Caspak
A lost continent where biological evolution occurs in a single lifetime.
- Nobs
Tyler's loyal Airedale terrier who survives the prehistoric encounters.
What it's really about
- Biological Evolution
- Life progresses physically toward the north of the continent.
- Wartime Hostility
- Nationalist grudges persist even in the face of extinction.
Why it's memorable
- A giant lizard with bat-like wings attacking a submarine periscope in a tropical river.
- A thermos bottle containing a manuscript bobbing in the waves off Cape Farewell.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
After being abandoned by the Germans and surviving a three-day pursuit by a primitive man, Lys and Tyler reunite on a cliffside ledge where they marry and accept their life in Caspak as permanent.
For your book club
- The logistical absurdity of maintaining a submarine in a prehistoric jungle.
- Burroughs' unique theory of individual evolution rather than generational change.