Crossover” Became a Buzzword in Popular Culture, Edgar Rice Burroughs Created the Fi Rst Expansive, Fully Cohesive Literary Universe

Home , AMTOR, A Princess of Mars, Back to the Stone Age, Beyond Thirty, Dejah Thoris, Jane Porter (Tarzan)

A century before the term “crossover” became a buzzword in popular culture, Edgar Rice Burroughs created the fi rst expansive, fully cohesive literary universe. Coexisting in this vast cosmos was a pantheon of immortal heroes and heroines—Tarzan of the Apes™, Jane Porter™, John Carter®, Dejah Th oris®, Carson Napier™, and David Innes™ being only the best known among them. In Burroughs’ 80-plus novels, their epic adventures transported them to the strange and exotic worlds of Barsoom®, Amtor™, Pellucidar®, Caspak™, and Va-nah™, as well as the lost civilizations of Earth and even realms beyond the farthest star. Now the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe expands in an all-new series of canonical novels written by today’s talented authors!

TARZAN: BATTLE FOR PELLUCIDAR Th e Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe is the interconnected and cohesive literary cosmos created by the Master of Adventure and continued in new canonical works authorized by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., the corporation based in Tarzana, California, that was founded by Burroughs in 1923. Unravel the mysteries and explore the wonders of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe alongside the pantheon of heroes and heroines that inhabit it in both classic tales of adventure penned by Burroughs and brand-new epics from today’s talented authors. Tarzan® Series Barsoom® Series Tarzan of the Apes A Princess of Mars Th e Return of Tarzan Th e Gods of Mars Th e Beasts of Tarzan Th e Warlord of Mars Th e Son of Tarzan Th uvia, Maid of Mars Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar Th e Chessmen of Mars Jungle Tales of Tarzan Th e Master Mind of Mars Tarzan the Untamed A Fighting Man of Mars Tarzan the Terrible Swords of Mars Tarzan and the Golden Lion Synthetic Men of Mars Tarzan and the Ant Men Llana of Gathol Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle John Carter of Mars Tarzan and the Lost Empire Tarzan at the Earth’s Core Pellucidar® Series Tarzan the Invincible At the Earth’s Core Tarzan Triumphant Pellucidar Tarzan and the City of Gold Tanar of Pellucidar Tarzan and the Lion Man Tarzan at the Earth’s Core Tarzan and the Leopard Men Back to the Stone Age Tarzan’s Quest Land of Terror Tarzan the Magnifi cent Savage Pellucidar Tarzan and the Forbidden City Tarzan and the Foreign Legion Amtor™ Series Tarzan and the Madman Pirates of Venus Tarzan and the Castaways Lost on Venus Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins Carson of Venus Tarzan: Th e Lost Adventure(with Escape on Venus Joe R. Lansdale) Th e Wizard of Venus Caspak™ Series Th e Girl from Farris’s Th e Land Th at Time Forgot Th e Lad and the Lion Th e People Th at Time Forgot Th e Rider Out of Time’s Abyss Th e Effi ciency Expert Th e Girl from Hollywood Va-nah™ Series Jungle Girl Th e Moon Maid Beware! / Th e Scientists Revolt Th e Moon Men Pirate Blood Th e Red Hawk Beyond the Farthest Star Marcia of the Doorstep The Mucker™ Series You Lucky Girl! Th e Mucker Forgotten Tales of Love Th e Return of the Mucker and Murder Th e Oakdale Aff air The Custers™ Series Th e Eternal Savage Th e Mad King The Apache Series Th e War Chief Apache Devil Western Tales Th e Bandit of Hell’s Bend Th e Deputy Sheriff of Comanche County Historical Tales Th e Outlaw of Torn I Am a Barbarian Parallel Worlds Beyond Th irty Minidoka: 937th Earl of One Mile Series M Other Tales Th e Cave Girl Th e Monster Men Th e Man-Eater ERBUNIVERSE.COM When a mysterious force catapults inventors Jason Gridley and Victory Harben from their home in Pellucidar, separating them from each other and fl inging them across space and time, they embark on a grand tour of strange, wondrous worlds. As their search for one another leads them to the realms of Amtor, Barsoom, and other worlds even more distant and outlandish, Jason and Victory will meet heroes and heroines of unparalleled courage and ability: Carson Napier, Tarzan, John Carter, and more. With the help of their intrepid allies, Jason and Victory will uncover a plot both insidious and unthinkable—one that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of the universe… SWords of Eternity Super-Arc Carson of Venus: e Edge of All Worlds by Matt Betts Tarzan: Battle for Pellucidar by Win Scott Eckert John Carter of Mars: Gods of the Forgotten by Geary Gravel Victory Harben: Fires of Halos by Christopher Paul Carey Classic ERB UniVerse

Tarzan and the Valley of Gold by Fritz Leiber Tarzan and the Dark Heart of Time by Philip José Farmer TM

WIN SCOTT ECKERT

Includes the bonus novelette

CLASH ON CASPAK TM BY MIKE WOLFER

All rights reserved. Except as otherwise permitted by law, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher, except for brief passages quoted in a review.

Trademarks Edgar Rice Burroughs®; Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe™; Enter the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe™; ERB Universe™; Tarzan®; Tarzan of the Apes™; Jane Porter™, John Carter®, Dejah Thoris®; Barsoom®; Pellucidar®; David Innes™; Carson of Venus®; Amtor™; The Land That Time Forgot®; Caspak™; Va-nah™; The Mucker™; The Custers™; Jason Gridley™; Victory Harben™; Inspector Muldoon™; and Swords of Eternity™ owned by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. The Doodad symbol; Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe logo; Enter the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe logo; ERB Universe logo; ERB, Inc., solar system colophon; Tarzan Africa logo; Since 1912 Tarzan logo; Pellucidar logo; Victory Harben logo; and Swords of Eternity logo are trademarks of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.

ERB Universe Creative Director: Christopher Paul Carey

Special thanks to Matt Betts, Geary Gravel, Sean Lee Levin, Chuck Loridans, Janet Mann, Chris Peuler, John Allen Small, James Sullos, Jess Terrell, Cathy Wilbanks, Charlotte Wilbanks, Mike Wolfer, and Bill Wormstedt for their valuable assistance in producing this book.

Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Tarzana, California EdgarRiceBurroughs.com

QUANTUM INTERLUDE “Was It Only Yesterday?”

Easthawking Hall, Chamston-Hedding, Early April 1950

ohn!” jane clayton called from downstairs. “Have you seen Jervis?” J “I sent him to the storage cellars to inventory supplies.” With their houseguest’s departure the prior day, and Korak and Meriem in Normandy, the Lord of the Jungle and his Lady had decided it was opportune to spend some time at their African plantation. Too, he needed to plan with the Waziri leaders and his solicitors, for though native Africans had lobbied in vain for independence from colonial rule since the conclusion of the last world war, Tarzan felt the inevitable winds of change coming. And, after all, it was their land. Thus,the Greystokes’ estate in West Kenya, in the territory of Uziri, would become the Waziri plantation. In the suite he shared with Lady Jane, Tarzan opened the door of a great wardrobe, intricately carved centuries ago from hardwood by a master craftsman, and reached inside. Behind him, there came the sound of a metallic cord snapping and a blast of frigid air, as if the door to a massive walk-in ice box had burst open and been slammed shut. “Tarzan! Oh my—” The ape-man, never easily surprised, nonetheless experi- enced a jolt of uncustomary astonishment. “Victory—!” 286 quantum interlude “No-no! Don’t turn around. Please!” Theape-man halted mid-turn. “Victory, what on Earth—” The girl laughed nervously. “Ah, back on Earth? I can’t be- lieve I made it. And the right time frame this time around? I had a devil of a time convincing that wolf’s-head-helmeted grandson of Cingetorix not to lop off my head!” “Victory, you’re babbling. I’m turning around.” “No! Please, hand me a shirt. I’m, uh, stark naked.” Tarzan took a button-down shirt from a hanger and held it out to the young woman without looking. “Now?” he asked, at the rustling of cloth behind him. “Okay,” she said, and the ape-man turned to face her. His large white shirt, hanging to her knees, contrasted sharply with her smooth, umber skin. “Now, what is going on here?” Tarzan demanded. “You just left with Jason yesterday to return to Pellucidar. Where is he? Why have you returned—and how? And where are your clothes?” “Yesterday…” Victory whispered. “Yesterday…was it only yesterday? It’s been months…maybe longer.” “Victory Harben, I insist—” “Tarzan, there’s no time for that. Listen!” TheLord of the Jungle paused. “I’m listening.” “I need the emerald of Zuli!”