The Eternal Savage

Rating:
Summary: ERB tries a bit of O. Henry twist in this early pulp yarn
Review: "The Eternal Savage" is an interesting off shoot by Edgar Rice Burroughs of his most famous creation, Tarzan. "The Eternal Savage" was originally published in two parts, "The Eternal Lover" in "All-Story Weekly" and "Sweetheart Primeval" in "All-Story Cavalier Weekly." "Nu of the Neocene" was ERB's original working title for the first part of the story, which does have John Clayton (Tarzan), his wife Jane, and infant son Jack as part of the story, but do not try to make it fit into the chronology of the Tarzan series because Jack's age is going to mess things up when it comes to being of age during World War I.

Nu, son of Nu, is a troglodyte who is out hunting a sabre tooth tiger in order to prove himself as being worthy of Nat-ul, the daughter of Tha. But during an earthquake Nu is buried alive in a cave and then a hundred thousands years pass. At that point, Victoria Custer and her brother Barney are visiting Lord and Lady Greystoke at their African estate, where they are enjoying a big game hunt. Victoria has a fear of earthquakes, even if she sees signs of one that happened a long time ago. She has also been having dreams of a strong manly figure that has captured her imagination. She is about to accept a proposal of marriage from William Curtiss, who has traveled halfway around the world to propose, when there is an earthquake and she faints. Of course, the earthquakes opens up the sealed cave and Nu comes walking out to find things have change (the monkeys do not know his tribe). At this point the only other thing you need to know to have a good idea of where this one is going is that Victoria looks exactly like Nat-ul.

Actually, what will come to mind when you read "The Eternal Savage" is going to be the O. Henry type-twist that ERB springs on his readers halfway through "The Eternal Savage." At that point the title will actually start to make sense to you. The twist is what elevates this pulp fiction yarn to at least average potboiler status. You have to keep in mind that this is still early Burroughs and that he is still trying to find a way of getting beyond his basic primal male going after the civilized female plotline. It is in his science fiction series, especially the John Carter Martian novels, that ERB is his most imaginative, but there is a touch of that here. "The Eternal Savage" is a minor Burroughs novel, but worth a look at for his fans.

Rating:
Summary: ERB tries a bit of O. Henry twist in this early pulp yarn
Review: "The Eternal Savage" is an interesting off shoot by Edgar Rice Burroughs of his most famous creation, Tarzan. "The Eternal Savage" was originally published in two parts, "The Eternal Lover" in "All-Story Weekly" and "Sweetheart Primeval" in "All-Story Cavalier Weekly." "Nu of the Neocene" was ERB's original working title for the first part of the story, which does have John Clayton (Tarzan), his wife Jane, and infant son Jack as part of the story, but do not try to make it fit into the chronology of the Tarzan series because Jack's age is going to mess things up when it comes to being of age during World War I.

Nu, son of Nu, is a troglodyte who is out hunting a sabre tooth tiger in order to prove himself as being worthy of Nat-ul, the daughter of Tha. But during an earthquake Nu is buried alive in a cave and then a hundred thousands years pass. At that point, Victoria Custer and her brother Barney are visiting Lord and Lady Greystoke at their African estate, where they are enjoying a big game hunt. Victoria has a fear of earthquakes, even if she sees signs of one that happened a long time ago. She has also been having dreams of a strong manly figure that has captured her imagination. She is about to accept a proposal of marriage from William Curtiss, who has traveled halfway around the world to propose, when there is an earthquake and she faints. Of course, the earthquakes opens up the sealed cave and Nu comes walking out to find things have change (the monkeys do not know his tribe). At this point the only other thing you need to know to have a good idea of where this one is going is that Victoria looks exactly like Nat-ul.

Actually, what will come to mind when you read "The Eternal Savage" is going to be the O. Henry type-twist that ERB springs on his readers halfway through "The Eternal Savage." At that point the title will actually start to make sense to you. The twist is what elevates this pulp fiction yarn to at least average potboiler status. You have to keep in mind that this is still early Burroughs and that he is still trying to find a way of getting beyond his basic primal male going after the civilized female plotline. It is in his science fiction series, especially the John Carter Martian novels, that ERB is his most imaginative, but there is a touch of that here. "The Eternal Savage" is a minor Burroughs novel, but worth a look at for his fans.