Hey, everyone. Last night I spent some time reading Lost On Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs. This is the second novel in the great Sci-Fi series. In it is a classic example of the author's genius for compelling fiction. The hero, Carson Napier, has been captured by a group of Thorists. The evil-doers take him to their city and it is their intent to kill him, but to do so with flair and as much mental torture as possible.
The Thorists take him into a room with no windows and seven doors. There is a table, a chair and a couch, with no other furnishings. On the table are seven types of food and seven drinks. Above the table is a rope hanging, with a hangman's noose at its end.
His captors inform Carson that of the seven foods, six are poisoned. Of the seven drinks, six are poisoned. Horrible death in some form lurks behind six of the seven doors. If he can find the right door he will be set free. They leave him there and as they close the door, the light goes out. He walks quickly toward the door through which they left, knowing it is the only one that leads to life. Alas, the room itself is spinning slowly in the darkness, so he knows not what door is the desired one.
Weary, he decides to frustrate his captors by merely taking a nap on the couch. He finds, to his dismay, that both the couch and the chair have sharp spikes that forbid their use for sleeping. Undaunted, he lies on the floor and goes to sleep. When he awakes, the light is on and the room is full of snakes.
This type of fabrication sets the standard for adventure writers. Can you feel the desire to know what happened? Of course! What a great writer Burroughs was! His like will not pass our way again.
On my next post, I'll tell you what happened to Carson in the fabled room of seven doors, so beware of spoilers.
From the author's green retreat, I'm CE Wills.
The Thorists take him into a room with no windows and seven doors. There is a table, a chair and a couch, with no other furnishings. On the table are seven types of food and seven drinks. Above the table is a rope hanging, with a hangman's noose at its end.
His captors inform Carson that of the seven foods, six are poisoned. Of the seven drinks, six are poisoned. Horrible death in some form lurks behind six of the seven doors. If he can find the right door he will be set free. They leave him there and as they close the door, the light goes out. He walks quickly toward the door through which they left, knowing it is the only one that leads to life. Alas, the room itself is spinning slowly in the darkness, so he knows not what door is the desired one.
Weary, he decides to frustrate his captors by merely taking a nap on the couch. He finds, to his dismay, that both the couch and the chair have sharp spikes that forbid their use for sleeping. Undaunted, he lies on the floor and goes to sleep. When he awakes, the light is on and the room is full of snakes.
This type of fabrication sets the standard for adventure writers. Can you feel the desire to know what happened? Of course! What a great writer Burroughs was! His like will not pass our way again.
On my next post, I'll tell you what happened to Carson in the fabled room of seven doors, so beware of spoilers.
From the author's green retreat, I'm CE Wills.
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