Giant gorilla people, lizard men, epic battles, adventure, sci-fi and dinosaurs! What else could you ask for in an adventure novel? Rice does a wonderful job of truly expanding the imagination with this novel. Though it is quite short, it is packed from beginning to end with fun filled adventure.

Short Summary: David and Perry work at a mine. Perry has invented a new machine which he calls "The Mole" that is supposed to dig deep tunnels... David and Perry get in the machine to try it out and end up in a new world. Apparently the earth is hollow and there are all KINDS of things walking around on the inside of the earth's crust. From giant bears, to monkey people, to the gorgeous Dian (her name actually is Dian the Beautiful). They end up fighting ferocious beasts, trying to rescue Dian, discovering hidden temples, fighting more beasts, being taken captive as slaves, and eventually starting a war.

The characters are not the most well developed I have read, however if I mentally compare this to modern YA books (which it is) they are about standard. The focus in this book is more on the action and the amazement of the creatures and beings that David encounters. The entire book is told from David's point of view, which is good because although he is smart... he starts out the book only around 18 years old, so he's naïve enough to get himself into all kinds of adventures but brave enough to find a way out of them. This is one of those fun filled tale where a man from a modern time finds himself in a primitive age where evolution hasn't followed the same plan. This was similar to "Journey to the Center of the Earth" read it - then hand it to your 10 year old. (Be sure to explain to him NOT to dig his attempts at reaching the Earth's core in the front yard). Highly recommended for just a fun read.

Having already created two highly memorable science fiction heroes in Tarzan and John Carter, Edgar Rice Burroughs begins his third major series with David Innes. With friend Abner Perry, they dive their "mole", or burroughing machine, straight through the earth's surface where they discover the savage land of Pellucidar. Here, where dinosaurs still exist and mankind is enslaved by the reptilian Mahars, David and his friend are forced to face unknown perils and survive in a hostile environment.

"At the Earth's Core" is another highly entertaining science fiction novel from ERB. Even though his format is formulaic, you're always assured of fast paced adventure in his novels. Not as groundbreaking as Tarzan or as strong as John Carter, The Pellucidar series is still a worthy addition to Burroughs body of work, and it gets an extra star for the nostalgia of being a personal childhood favorite.