Official Blurb
Originally published in the May, 1960 issue of Amazing Science Fiction Stories. Jack Odin has returned to the world of Opal, the world inside our own world, only to find it in ruins. Many of his friends are gone, the world is flooded, and the woman he swore to protect has been taken by Grim Hagen to the stars. Jack must save her, but the difficulties are great and his allies are few.
My Review
It took me a while to realise what was going on in this story. It starts with a man decending by ropes to the the inside of the earth to reach this land called Opal. That threw me because I thought I was getting into a sci fi novel. As it turns out I was.
The book reads like a sequel, not a part-two type sequel but rather a story where the characters have a history and shared events that I know nothing about. It is a story in and of itself.
After descending to the bowels of the earth the story takes a jaunt out into space and becomes the science fiction story I thought I had downloaded. It is not a high tech type of sci fi, but has a rather Barsoomian feel. The space ships throw nuke's at each other and burning rays but every one goes about armed with a sword and uses it too!
The reader has a nice voice and releates the story at a good pace and uses a smattering of voices to brighten the story and characters.
Over all a good story that started a little odd for a sci fi novel but the end result was as good and as much fun as any of the John Carter-Burroughs novels.
Reading 2/3
Production 2/3
Story 2/3
Total Score 6/9
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