Subterranean fiction
Encyclopedia
Subterranean fiction is a subgenre of adventure fiction which focuses on underground settings, sometimes at the center of the Earth
or otherwise deep below the surface. The genre is based on and has in turn influenced the Hollow Earth
theory.
The earliest works in the genre were Enlightenment
-era philosophical or allegorical works, in which the underground setting was often largely incidental. In the late 19th century, however, more pseudoscientific or proto-science-fictional
motifs gained prevalence. Common themes have included a depiction of the underground world as more primitive than the surface, either culturally, technologically or biologically, or in some combination thereof. The former cases usually see the setting used as a venue for sword-and-sorcery fiction, while the latter often features creatures extinct on the surface, such as dinosaur
s, hominids or other cryptids. A less frequent theme has the underground world much more technologically advanced than the surface one, typically either as the refugium
of a lost civilization, or (more rarely) as a base for space aliens.
Inner core
The inner core of the Earth, its innermost hottest part as detected by seismological studies, is a primarily solid ball about in radius, or about 70% that of the Moon...
or otherwise deep below the surface. The genre is based on and has in turn influenced the Hollow Earth
Hollow Earth
The Hollow Earth hypothesis proposes that the planet Earth is either entirely hollow or otherwise contains a substantial interior space. The hypothesis has been shown to be wrong by observational evidence, as well as by the modern understanding of planet formation; the scientific community has...
theory.
The earliest works in the genre were Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
-era philosophical or allegorical works, in which the underground setting was often largely incidental. In the late 19th century, however, more pseudoscientific or proto-science-fictional
Scientific romance
Scientific romance is a bygone name for what is now commonly known as science fiction. The term is most associated with early British science fiction. The earliest noteworthy use of the term scientific romance is believed to have been by Charles Howard Hinton in his 1886 collection...
motifs gained prevalence. Common themes have included a depiction of the underground world as more primitive than the surface, either culturally, technologically or biologically, or in some combination thereof. The former cases usually see the setting used as a venue for sword-and-sorcery fiction, while the latter often features creatures extinct on the surface, such as dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s, hominids or other cryptids. A less frequent theme has the underground world much more technologically advanced than the surface one, typically either as the refugium
Refugium
Refugium may refer to:* Refugium , an appendage to a marine, brackish, or freshwater fish tank that shares the same water supply...
of a lost civilization, or (more rarely) as a base for space aliens.
Literature
- In DanteDANTEDelivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
's Divine Comedy, Hell is a vast underground cavern and the narrator travels through the centre of the Earth and out the other side. - In Ludvig HolbergLudvig HolbergLudvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian double monarchy, who spent most of his adult life in Denmark. He was influenced by Humanism, the Enlightenment and the Baroque...
's 1741 novel Nicolai Klimii iter subterraneum (Niels Klim's Underground TravelsNiels Klim's Underground TravelsNiels Klim's Underground Travels, originally published in Latin as Nicolai Klimii Iter Subterraneum , is a satirical science-fiction/fantasy novel written by the Norwegian-Danish author Ludvig Holberg...
), Nicolai Klim falls through a cave while spelunking and spends several years living on both a smaller globe within and the inside of the outer shell. - Giacomo CasanovaGiacomo CasanovaGiacomo Girolamo Casanova de Seingalt was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, Histoire de ma vie , is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century...
's 1788 Icosaméron is a 5-volume, 1,800-page story of a brother and sister who fall into the Earth and discover the subterranean utopia of the Mégamicres, a race of multicolored, hermaphroditic dwarfs. - An early science-fiction work called Symzonia: A Voyage of Discovery by a "Captain Adam Seaborn" appeared in print in 1820. It obviously reflected the ideas of John Cleves Symmes, Jr.John Cleves Symmes, Jr.John Cleves Symmes, Jr. was an American army officer whose 1818 Hollow Earth theory, expounded on the lecture circuit, gained him considerable notoriety.-Biography:...
and some have claimed Symmes as the real author. Some researchers say it deliberately satirized Symmes's ideas, and think they have identified the author as an early American author named Nathaniel AmesNathaniel AmesNathaniel Ames , American almanac-maker and physician, published the first annual American almanac. He was the son of Nathaniel Ames first and the father of Nathaniel third...
(see Lang, Hans-Joachim and Benjamin Lease. "The Authorship of Symzonia: The Case for Nathanial Ames" New England Quarterly, June 1975, page 241–252). - Faddei BulgarinFaddei BulgarinFaddey Venediktovich Bulgarin , was a Polish-born Russian writer and journalist whose self-imposed mission was to popularize the authoritarian policies of Alexander I and Nicholas I.-Life and career:...
's short satirical tale "Improbable Tall-Tale, or Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1825) describes three underworld countries: Ignorantia (populated by spiders), Beastland (populated by apes), and Lightonia (populated by humans, with a capital called Utopia). - Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
used the idea in his 1838 novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of NantucketThe Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of NantucketThe Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is the only complete novel written by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The work relates the tale of the young Arthur Gordon Pym, who stows away aboard a whaling ship called the Grampus...
. He also touches on it in his short stories "MS. Found in a BottleMS. Found in a Bottle"MS. Found in a Bottle" is an 1833 short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The plot follows an unnamed narrator at sea who finds himself in a series of harrowing circumstances. As he nears his own disastrous death while his ship drives ever southward, he writes an "MS.", or manuscript...
" and "The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans PfaallThe Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall"The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in the June 1835 issue of the monthly magazine Southern Literary Messenger, and intended by Poe to be a hoax....
." - Although it is often suggested that Jules VerneJules VerneJules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
used the idea of a partially hollow Earth in his 1864 novel, A Journey to the Center of the Earth, his characters actually descend only 87 miles beneath the surface where they find an underground sea occupying a cavern roughly the size of Europe. There is no indication in the novel that Verne intended to suggest that the Earth was in any way hollow, partially or otherwise. - Lewis CarrollLewis CarrollCharles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in WonderlandAlice's Adventures in WonderlandAlice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
was originally titled Alice's Adventures Under Ground. - Edward Bulwer-Lytton's 1871 novel The Coming RaceVrilVril, the Power of the Coming Race is a 1871 science fiction novel by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, originally printed as The Coming Race. Many early readers believed that its account of a superior subterranean master race and the energy-form called "Vril" was accurate, to the extent that some theosophists...
was an account of the Vril-ya, an angelic subterranean master race. - Mary Lane's MizoraMizoraMizora is an utopian novel by Mary E. Bradley Lane, first published in 1880–81, when it was serialized in the Cincinnati Commercial newspaper. It appeared in book form in 1890. Mizora is "the first portrait of an all-female, self-sufficient society," and "the first feminist technological...
(1880–81) combines the hollow-Earth theme with feminismFeminismFeminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
. - James De MilleJames De MilleJames De Mille was a professor at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, and an early Canadian popular writer who published numerous works of popular fiction from the late 1860s through the 1870s....
's novel A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper CylinderA Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper CylinderA Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder is the most popular book by James De Mille. It was serialized posthumously and anonymously in Harper's Weekly,...
, published in 1888 but written prior to the author's death in 1880, depicts a subterranean land with inverted values. - George SandGeorge SandAmantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, later Baroness Dudevant , best known by her pseudonym George Sand , was a French novelist and memoirist.-Life:...
used the idea in her 1884 novel Laura, Voyage dans le Cristal, in which giant crystals could be found in the interior of the Earth. - William R. BradshawWilliam R. BradshawWilliam Richard Bradshaw was an Irish-born American author, editor and lecturer who served as president of the New York Anti-Vivisection Society. He is known best for his science fiction-type novel The Goddess of Atvatabar.-Life:...
's science fiction novel The Goddess of Atvatabar (1892) is a utopian fantasy set within the hollow Earth. - The protofeminist utopia EtidorhpaEtidorhpaEtidorhpa, or, the end of the earth: the strange history of a mysterious being and the account of a remarkable journey is the title of a scientific allegory or science fiction novel by John Uri Lloyd, a pharmacognocist and pharmaceutical manufacturer of Cincinnati, Ohio...
(1895) by John Uri Lloyd is also set within a hollow Earth. - The concept was mentioned in Wardon Allan Curtis's 1899 short storyShort storyA short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"The Monster of Lake LaMetrieThe Monster of Lake LaMetrie"The Monster of Lake LaMetrie" is a short story by Wardon Allan Curtis. It was originally published in September 1899 in Pearson’s Magazine and collected in Michael Moorcock's anthology England Invaded.-Plot:...
." - An underground Nome Kingdom is featured in several of the Oz books by L. Frank BaumL. Frank BaumLyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
, notably the Ozma of OzOzma of OzOzma of Oz: A Record of Her Adventures with Dorothy Gale of Kansas, the Yellow Hen, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Tiktok, the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger; Besides Other Good People too Numerous to Mention Faithfully Recorded Herein published on July 30, 1907, was the third book of L....
(1907) and Tik-Tok of OzTik-Tok of OzTik-Tok of Oz is the eighth Land of Oz book written by L. Frank Baum, published on June 19, 1914. The book actually has little to do with Tik-Tok and is primarily the quest of the Shaggy Man to rescue his brother, and his resulting conflict with the Nome King.The endpapers of the first edition...
(1914). - Willis George EmersonWillis George Emerson-Title:*Winning Winds *Grey Rocks: A tale of the Middle West *Was It a Crime? "Coin at School" dissected *Buell Hampton *The Builders *The Smoky God or A Voyage to the Inner World *The Treasure of Hidden Valley...
's science-fiction novel The Smoky GodThe Smoky GodThe Smoky God, or A Voyage Journey to the Inner Earth is a novel of 1908 by Willis George Emerson, which is presented as a true account of a Norwegian sailor named Olaf Jansen, and explains how Jansen's sloop sailed through an entrance to the Earth's interior at the North Pole...
(1908) recounts the adventures of one Olaf Jansen who traveled into the interior and found an advanced civilization. - Edgar Rice BurroughsEdgar Rice BurroughsEdgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
wrote adventure stories (beginning with At the Earth's CoreAt the Earth's Core (novel)At the Earth's Core is a 1914 science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first in his series about the fictional "hollow earth" land of Pellucidar. It first appeared as a four-part serial in All-Story Weekly from April 4–25, 1914. It was first published in book form in hardcover by A. C...
in 1914) set in the inner world of PellucidarPellucidarPellucidar is a fictional Hollow Earth milieu invented by Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs for a series of action adventure stories. In a notable crossover event between Burroughs' series, there is a Tarzan story in which the Ape Man travels into Pellucidar.The stories initially involve the...
including, at one point, a visit from his character TarzanTarzanTarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
. Burroughs's Pellucidar has oceans on the outer surface corresponding to continents on the inner surface and vice versa. - The Russian geologist Vladimir ObruchevVladimir ObruchevVladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev was a Russian and Soviet geologist who specialized in the study of Siberia and Central Asia. He was also one of the first Russian science fiction authors.- Scientific research :...
uses the concept of the hollow Earth in his 1915 scientific novel Plutonia to take the reader through various geological epochs. - A deliberately tunneled-out Earth occurs in Charles R. TannerCharles R. TannerCharles R. Tanner was an American science fiction and fantasy author who wrote in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Tanner's first short story was "The Color of Space," published in Science Wonder Stories in 1930...
1930's SF short storyShort storyA short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"Tumithak of the Corridors". - C. S. LewisC. S. LewisClive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
's 1953 novel The Silver ChairThe Silver ChairThe Silver Chair is part of The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels written by C. S. Lewis. It was the fourth book published and is the sixth book chronologically. It is the first book published in the series in which the Pevensie children do not appear. The main characters are...
, part of the Chronicles of Narnia, takes place partly in UnderlandUnderland (Narnia)The Underland is a fictional location in the children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Described by Lewis as lying beneath the land of Narnia, Underland appears mainly in The Silver Chair, where Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole travel under the ground to reach it in their...
, a subterranean kingdom plotting to conquer NarniaNarnia (country)In C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series of novels, Narnia is the country around which the books revolve. It is one of several lands in the Narnian world.-Geography:...
. At one point, the Lady of the Green KirtleLady of the Green KirtleThe Lady of the Green Kirtle, also called Queen of Underland and Queen of the Deep Realm, is the main villain in The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis. She is sometimes called briefly the Green Lady , and she is known also as the Emerald Witch; neither name, however, appears in Lewis's text...
attempts to brainwash the protagonists into believing that the world above ground does not exist. - The Third Eye (1956) by Tuesday Lobsang RampaLobsang RampaCyril Henry Hoskin , more popularly known as Tuesday Lobsang Rampa, was a writer who claimed to have been a lama in Tibet before spending the second part of his life in the body of a British man. Hoskin described himself as the "host" of Tuesday Lobsang Rampa...
mentions contact with advanced beings living in the center of the Earth. - The End of the Tunnel (aka The Cave of Cornelius) (1959), by Paul Capon. Four boys in England get trapped in a cave by a landslide, and by following the cave, they encounter a forgotten civilization.
- City of the First Time (1975), by G.J. Barrett. British survivors of an atomic holocaust venture downward into the earth through a series of caves and encounter two other races, survivals of previous extinctions.
- A hollow Earth featured in the children's "Choose Your Own AdventureChoose Your Own AdventureChoose Your Own Adventure is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actions and the plot's outcome. The series was based on a...
" novel The Underground Kingdom (1983). - The history of the Hollow Earth theory is explored in Umberto EcoUmberto EcoUmberto Eco Knight Grand Cross is an Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose , an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory...
's 1988 novel Foucault's PendulumFoucault's PendulumFoucault's Pendulum is a novel by Italian writer and philosopher Umberto Eco. It was first published in 1988; the translation into English by William Weaver appeared a year later....
, alongside a wide range of other pseudo-scientific and conspiracy theories. - Rudy RuckerRudy RuckerRudolf von Bitter Rucker is an American mathematician, computer scientist, science fiction author, and philosopher, and is one of the founders of the cyberpunk literary movement. The author of both fiction and non-fiction, he is best known for the novels in the Ware Tetralogy, the first two of...
's novel The Hollow Earth appeared in 1990, and features Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe in popular cultureEdgar Allan Poe has appeared in popular culture as a character in books, comics, film, and other media. Besides his works, the legend of Poe himself has fascinated people for generations. His appearances in popular culture often envision him as a sort of "mad genius" or "tormented artist,"...
and his ideas. Rucker claims in an afterword to have transcribed the novel from a manuscript in the University of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
library; the call number given is that of a copy of Symzonia. - The novel Indiana Jones and the Hollow Earth by Max McCoy (1997) expands on the legend of an advanced civilization in the Earth's interior.
- The short story "Black as the Pit, From Pole to Pole" by Howard WaldropHoward WaldropHoward Waldrop is a science fiction author who works primarily in short fiction.Waldrop's stories combine elements such as alternate history, American popular culture, the American South, old movies , classical mythology, and rock 'n' roll music. His style is sometimes obscure or elliptical...
and Steven UtleySteven UtleySteven Utley is an American writer. He has written poems, humorous essays and other non-fiction, and worked on comic books and cartoons, but is best known for his science fiction stories.-Biography:...
continues the journey of FrankensteinFrankensteinFrankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
's creature through a hollow Earth. - In Jeff Long's 1999 novel The DescentThe Descent (novel)The Descent is a 1999 science-fiction/horror novel by American author Jeff Long.-Introduction:The novel follows events surrounding the discovery and exploration of a vast labyrinth of tunnels and passages stretching throughout the sub-surface of the entire world, inhabited by several species of...
and its 2007 sequel Deeper, a vast labyrinth of tunnels and passages underlying the Earth is inhabited by a brutal species of once-civilized but now degenerate hominid, Homo Hadalis. - The 2000 novel AbductionAbduction (novel)-Synopsis:A team of researchers in a remote region of the Atlantic become trapped inside an ancient undersea volcano when their submersible is inexplicably drawn in. They discover a technologically advanced world of genetically engineered, physically near-perfect humans living comfortably in an...
by Robin CookRobin Cook (novelist)Dr. Robin Cook is an American physician and novelist who writes about medicine and topics affecting public health....
includes the concept of a third world under the sea called "Interterra." - Underland (2002) by Mick FarrenMick FarrenMichael Anthony 'Mick' Farren is an English journalist, author and singer associated with counterculture and the UK Underground.-Music:...
has the vampire hero Victor RenquistVictor RenquistVictor Renquist is a fictional vampire created by Mick Farren. He has appeared in a series of books known as 'the Renquist Quartet'.-Profile:...
travelling to a hollow Earth populated by Nazi scientists, subjugated proto-scientific lizard people, and a fungus addicted race of sub-vampires. - Against the DayAgainst the DayAgainst the Day is a novel by Thomas Pynchon. The narrative takes place between the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and the time immediately following World War I and features more than a hundred characters spread across the United States, Europe, Mexico, Central Asia, and "one or two places not strictly...
(2006) by Thomas PynchonThomas PynchonThomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American novelist. For his most praised novel, Gravity's Rainbow, Pynchon received the National Book Award, and is regularly cited as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature...
makes extensive mention of the Earth's interior as a place to be explored, positing inner-Earth seas. Pynchon's Mason & DixonMason & DixonMason & Dixon is a postmodernist novel by American author Thomas Pynchon published in 1997. It centers on the collaboration of the historical Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in their astronomical and surveying exploits in Cape Colony, Saint Helena, Great Britain and along the Mason-Dixon line in...
also uses the idea of a Hollow Earth as the planet's final holdout for magic against the calculations of the surface's most eminent men of science. - In Geraldine McCaughreanGeraldine McCaughreanGeraldine McCaughrean is a British children's novelist.The youngest of three children, McCaughrean studied teaching but did not like it, and found her true vocation in writing. She claims that what makes her love writing is the desire to escape from an unsatisfactory world...
's The White DarknessThe White DarknessThe White Darkness is a novel by Geraldine McCaughrean, published in 2007 by HarperTeen. It won the 2008 Michael L. Printz Award from the American Library Association....
(2007), the characters undertake a journey to find a hole into the hollow Earth. - John HodgmanJohn HodgmanJohn Kellogg Hodgman is an American author, actor, and humorist. In addition to his published written works, such as The Areas of My Expertise, More Information Than You Require, and That Is All, he is known for his personification of a PC in contrast to Justin Long's personification of a Mac in...
's 2008 book More Information Than You RequireMore Information Than You RequireMore Information Than You Require is a 2008 satirical almanac by John Hodgman. It is the follow-up to Hodgman's 2005 book The Areas of My Expertise. It was released October 21, 2008...
says the hollow interior of the Earth as the home of the subterranean Molemen. In the center of this Hollow Earth is a small, red sun. - The Underland ChroniclesThe Underland ChroniclesThe Underland Chronicles is a five-part series of fantasy novels by Suzanne Collins, first published between 2003 and 2007. It tells the story of a boy named Gregor and his adventures in a land called the "Underland", hidden under New York City...
by Suzanne CollinsSuzanne CollinsSuzanne Collins is an American television writer and novelist.-Early life:Suzanne Collins is the daughter of an Air Force officer. She graduated from the Alabama School of Fine Arts and earned her M.F.A. from New York University in Dramatic Writing....
tells the story of a war between the humans and the ratsRATSRATS may refer to:* RATS , Regression Analysis of Time Series, a statistical package* Rough Auditing Tool for Security, a computer program...
in a location under New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
called the Underland. - The Battle of the LabyrinthThe Battle of the LabyrinthThe Battle of the Labyrinth is a 2008 fantasy-adventure novel based on Greek mythology; it is the fourth novel in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan...
, the fourth book in Rick RiordanRick RiordanRichard Russell "Rick" Riordan, Jr. is an American author best known for writing the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. He also wrote the Tres Navarre mystery series for adults and helped to edit Demigods and Monsters, a collection of essays on the topic of his Percy Jackson series...
's Percy Jackson and the OlympiansPercy Jackson and the OlympiansPercy Jackson & the Olympians is a pentalogy of adventure and fantasy fiction books authored by Rick Riordan. The series consists of five books, as well as spin-off titles such as The Demigod Files and Demigods and Monsters. Set in the United States, the books are predominantly based on Greek...
series, revolves around the protagonists' attempts to navigate the Labyrinth, a confusing, supernatural maze under the United States. - Eoin ColferEoin ColferEoin Colfer is an Irish author. He is most famous as the author of the Artemis Fowl series, but he has also written other successful books. His novels have been compared to the works of J. K. Rowling...
's series of Artemis FowlArtemis FowlArtemis Fowl may refer to:* Artemis Fowl , a series of novels by Eoin Colfer** Artemis Fowl , the first book in the series** Artemis Fowl II, main character of the series** Artemis Fowl I, father of Artemis Fowl II...
books focus on crimes committed by or against the Fairy-folk who live beneath the earth's crust in a technologically advanced society. - TunnelsTunnels (novel)Tunnels is a subterranean fiction novel by British authors Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams released by Chicken House in 2007. The story follows Will Burrows, a 14-year-old archaeologist, who stumbles upon an underground civilization called The Colony...
, the first book by Roderick GordonRoderick GordonRoderick Gordon is the author of Tunnels, a bestselling children's book and the first book in the Tunnels series by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams.-Biography:Born in November 1960, Roderick grew up in Highgate, North London...
and Brian Williams. The story is about a boy named Will who loves to dig, but one day, he discovers an underground world called the Colony. - "The Dark Elf Trilogy", by R.A. Salvatore was the first of the Forgotten RealmsForgotten RealmsThe Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
books to describe the underground world of the Dark Elves called The UnderdarkUnderdarkThe Underdark is a fictional setting which has appeared in Dungeons & Dragons role-playing campaigns and Dungeons & Dragons-based fiction books, including the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore...
. This greatly helped popularize underground settings in fantasy RPGs.
Comics
- A Scrooge McDuckScrooge McDuckScrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Scrooge is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a red or blue frock coat, top hat, pince-nez glasses, and spats...
comic book story by Carl BarksCarl BarksCarl Barks was an American Disney Studio illustrator and comic book creator, who invented Duckburg and many of its inhabitants, such as Scrooge McDuck , Gladstone Gander , the Beagle Boys , The Junior Woodchucks , Gyro Gearloose , Cornelius Coot , Flintheart Glomgold , John D...
called Land Beneath the Ground!Land Beneath the Ground!Land Beneath the Ground! is a Scrooge McDuck comic strip story that appeared in 1956 in the comic book Uncle Scrooge, written by Carl Barks.-Plot:...
(1956) describes an underground world populated by humanoid creatures who create earthquakes. - The comics series Les Terres Creuses by Belgian comics writers Luc and François SchuitenFrançois SchuitenBaron François Schuiten is a Belgian comic book artist. He is best known for drawing the series Les Cités Obscures.-Biography:François Schuiten was born in Brussels, Belgium in 1956....
features several hollow-Earth settings. - Trade paperback #1 B.P.R.D.: Hollow Earth and Other StoriesB.P.R.D.: Hollow Earth and Other StoriesB.P.R.D.: Hollow Earth and Other Stories is the first trade paperback collection in the B.P.R.D. series created by Mike Mignola which collects the first three-issue mini-series along with various other back-up features.-Hollow Earth:The first B.P.R.D...
of the comic book series Bureau of Paranormal Research and DefenceBPRDBPRD may mean:* Bureau of Police Research and Development, the premier Indian police modernising agency of India.* Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, a fictional organization in the comic book work of Mike Mignola....
by Mike Mignola, creator of HellboyHellboyHellboy is a comic book superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 , and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossovers...
, contains the short story Hollow Earth, where the team journeys into great caverns inside the Earth inhabited by Hyperborean people and fantastic machines. - One adventure of Alan MooreAlan MooreAlan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
's Pulp-style hero Tom StrongTom StrongTom Strong is a comic book created by writer Alan Moore and artist Chris Sprouse initially published bi-monthly by America's Best Comics, an imprint of DC Comics' Wildstorm division.-Background:Tom Strong, the title character, is a "science hero"...
involved a gateway into the Hollow Earth in the Arctic where Nazis had fled after World War Two only to be devoured by its inhabitants. Much of the story is spent discussing many of the varying Hollow Earth concepts mentioned above. (Tom Strong's Terrific Tales #1) - In the 1970s, comic-book artist Mike GrellMike GrellMike Grell is a comic book writer and artist, known for his work on books such as Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Jon Sable Freelance.-Early life:...
produced the comic-book WarlordWarlord (comics)The Warlord is a sword and sorcery comic book published by DC Comics. The series and titular character debuted in 1st Issue Special #8 , and was created by Mike Grell.-Publication history:...
, about a pilot who finds himself in SkartarisSkartarisSkartaris is a fictional Hollow Earth fantasy setting created by Mike Grell for the sword and sorcery comic book Warlord, published by DC Comics. Skartaris debuted in 1st Issue Special #8 , where the character Travis Morgan, a US Air Force pilot, discovers a passage into this world through the...
, a sword-and-sorcerySword and sorcerySword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...
world reached through an opening at the North Pole. First believed to be the hollow interior of the Earth, Skartaris was later revealed to be a parallel dimension. - The Marvel UniverseMarvel UniverseThe Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
features several underground empires ruled by villains like the Mole ManMole ManThe Mole Man is a comic book supervillain that exists in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. He first appeared in Fantastic Four #1, and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
or Tyranus. - The webcomicWebcomicWebcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
Overcompensating referenced Hollow Earth theories in an August 2006 strip.
Film
- The 19351935 in film-Events:*Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .*Seven year old Shirley Temple wins a special Academy Award.*The Bantu Educational Kinema Experiment started in order to educate the Bantu peoples.-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:...
serial The Phantom EmpireThe Phantom EmpireThe Phantom Empire, starring Gene Autry the Singing Cowboy, was a 12-chapter 1935 Mascot serial that combined the western, musical, and science fiction genres. The first episode is 30 mins, the rest about 20 minutes...
combines a westernWestern (genre)The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
musicalMusical theatreMusical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with subterranean plot elements loosely adapted from Bulwer-Lytton's The Coming Race. - The 19561956 in filmThe year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
film The Mole PeopleThe Mole People-Plot:The film begins with a narration by Dr. Frank Baxter, an English professor at the University of Southern California, explaining the premise of the movie and its basis in reality...
has an introduction by Frank C. BaxterFrank C. BaxterFrancis Condie Baxter was an American TV personality and educator. He was a professor of English at the University of Southern California. Baxter hosted Telephone Time in 1957 and 1958 when ABC picked up the program and ended the tenure of John Nesbitt...
("Dr. Research") explaining the history of Hollow Earth theories. - The 19591959 in filmThe year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with Ben-Hur winning a record 11 Academy Awards.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters....
film Journey to the Center of the EarthJourney to the Center of the Earth (1959 film)Journey to the Center of the Earth is a 1959 adventure film adapted by Charles Brackett from the novel by Jules Verne. It stars Pat Boone, James Mason, Arlene Dahl, Peter Ronson, Diane Baker, Thayer David and Alan Napier...
is probably the most well known adaptation of Verne's novel. - The 19731973 in filmThe year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
film Godzilla vs. MegalonGodzilla vs. Megalonis a 1973 Japanese science fiction kaiju film directed and co-written by Jun Fukuda with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. It was the thirteenth film in the Godzilla franchise...
involves the seatopians. - The 19761976 in filmThe year 1976 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*March 22 - Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film...
film At the Earth's CoreAt the Earth's Core (film)At the Earth's Core is a 1976 science fiction film produced by Britain's Amicus Productions. It was directed by Kevin Connor and starred Peter Cushing, Caroline Munro, Philippa Herring and Doug McClure. It was filmed in Technicolor...
is based on Burroughs' novel. - The 19841984 in film-Events:* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.* Tri-Star Pictures, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film....
film What Waits BelowWhat Waits BelowWhat Waits Below is a British science-fiction adventure film released in 1984. Directed by Don Sharp, produced by the Adams Apple Film Company, the film runs for 88 minutes and starred Robert Powell, Timothy Bottoms, and Lisa Blount...
depicts the discovery of a lost race of albino-skinned beings. - The 20042004 in filmThe year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
Japanese horror film Marebito, directed by Takashi ShimizuTakashi ShimizuTakashi Shimizu is a Japanese film director, best known for the Ju-on series of horror films.-Filmography:...
, references the Hollow Earth hypothesis. - The 20082008 in filmThis is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
film Journey to the Center of the EarthJourney to the Center of the Earth (2008 film)Journey to the Center of the Earth is an American 2008 3D adventure film starring Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, and Anita Briem...
, as well as the similar film Journey to Middle Earth. - The 20092009 in filmThe year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note...
film Ice Age: Dawn of the DinosaursIce Age: Dawn of the DinosaursIce Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, also known as Ice Age 3, is a 2009 3-D computer animated film. It is the third installment of the Ice Age series, produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox...
features an underground world where dinosaurs have survived into the Holocene.
TV
- In the Tiny Toon AdventuresTiny Toon AdventuresSteven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures, usually referred to as Tiny Toon Adventures or simply Tiny Toons, is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. It began production as a result of Warner Bros....
episode "Journey to the Center of Acme Acres", a series of earthquakeEarthquakeAn earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s shake up the city, causing PluckyPlucky DuckPlucky Allen Duck is a cartoon character from the Warner Bros. animated television series Tiny Toon Adventures. He is also the titular character in Gary A. Lewis's Plucky Duck in the Summer Job. He is arguably the third main character on the show after Buster and Babs. Plucky is voiced by Joe...
and HamtonHamton J. PigHamton J. Pig is a cartoon character from the Warner Bros. animated television series Tiny Toon Adventures. He is arguably the fourth main character on the show. Hamton is voiced by Don Messick. Hamton is a young male pig with blue overalls. He attends Acme Looniversity and lives in Acme...
to fall into a crater in the ground. They fall for hours before finally reaching the center, which is hollow. - The Spider RidersSpider Ridersis a series of science fiction novels first published in December 2004, published by Newmarket Press written by Tedd Anasti, Patsy Cameron-Anasti and Stephen D. Sullivan . The stories became the basis of the animated television series produced by Cookie Jar Entertainment of Canada and Bee Train of...
series of books and anime take place in an "Inner World" inhabited by humans and intelligent insects. - The anime series Gurren Lagaan is initially set in an underground civilization.
- The Transformers: CybertronTransformers: CybertronTransformers: Cybertron, known in Japan originally as , is the 2005-2007 Transformers toy line and animated series, another co-production between Hasbro and Takara...
cartoon series features a character, Professor Lucy Suzuki, who believes in the Hollow Earth Theory. - The Japanese anime Gaiking: Legend of Daiku-Maryu has the protagonists spend much of their time in a hollow Earth called Darius, home of an empire of humanoids that are currently amassing a force to invade and conquer the surface world.
- The French cartoon Les Mondes Engloutis (known in English as Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the SeaSpartakus and the Sun Beneath the SeaNote: In some cases the names of characters, places, and things were changed for the English version. The original name appears in parentheses....
) involves protagonists descending through a maze of underground caves into a subterranean world of different space and time, inhabited by various peoples. - Sanctuary has a Season 3 storyline that deals with Helen Magnus and her team finding and visiting Hollow Earth.
Games
- The video game Final Fantasy IVFinal Fantasy IVis a role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1991 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game was originally released for the Super Famicom in Japan and has since then been rereleased for many other platforms with varying modifications. An enhanced remake with 3D graphics...
for the Super Nintendo Entertainment SystemSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
(Released as "Final Fantasy II" in the United States) features a subterranean world that is inhabited by dwarves. - The video game TerranigmaTerranigmaTerranigma, known as in Japan, is a 1995 action role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed by Quintet. It was published by Enix in Japan before Nintendo localized the game and released an English version in Europe and Australia. The game was never officially released...
for the Super Nintendo Entertainment SystemSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
features both a hollow and normal Earth. - A pulp roleplaying game, Hollow Earth ExpeditionHollow Earth ExpeditionHollow Earth Expedition is a pulp 1930s role-playing game set in the fictitious Hollow Earth, published by Exile Game Studio. The game has been nominated for several Origins and ENnie awards since its release in 2006....
. - The Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
role-playing game's MystaraMystaraMystara is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game. Although it has officially been dropped from production by its creators, many fans continue to develop and evolve this fantasy setting jointly, continuing its original theme of group development.-Development:It...
campaign setting included a Hollow World expansion, featured in the Hollow World Campaign SetHollow World Campaign SetThe Hollow World Campaign Set is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:Hollow World is a campaign setting boxed set describing a vast new territory, the hollow inside of the Known World, mapped on four large sheets...
. - In Mage: The AscensionMage: The AscensionMage: The Ascension is a role-playing game based in the World of Darkness, and was published by White Wolf Game Studio. The characters portrayed in the game are referred to as mages, and are capable of feats of magic...
, the Hollow Earth exists as an alternate reality, but virtually all ways of accessing without magic have ceased to exist in the modern age because people no longer believe the Earth could be hollow. - In Aion: Tower of Eternity, the world of Atreia used to be a hollow planet with the Tower inside it, connecting the northern and southern hemispheres together, providing light and heat to the creatures living inside of the planet.
Music
- Japanese psychedelic rock band Far East Family Band named their 1975 debut album Chikyu Kudo Setsu, (Hollow Earth Theory), although the official English title was The Cave Down to Earth. The album's sleeve notes refer to familiar stories of entrances at the north and south poles, and of an ancient civilisation dwelling inside the Earth with connections to UFOs.
- The band Bal-SagothBal-SagothBal-Sagoth is a symphonic black metal band from Yorkshire, England, formed in 1993.Originally formed as an epic/symphonic black metal band with strong death metal elements, vocalist/lyricist Byron Roberts took the name 'Bal-Sagoth' from the Robert E. Howard short story "The Gods of Bal-Sagoth"...
has, on their album The Chthonic ChroniclesThe Chthonic ChroniclesThe Chthonic Chronicles is Bal-Sagoth's sixth album, the first in five years since 2001's Atlantis Ascendant. It is rumoured to be their last album; their first album's introduction song is called "Hatheg-Kla" and the final song on The Chthonic Chronicles is called "Return to Hatheg-Kla", perhaps...
(2006), a song about the hollow Earth called "Invocations Beyond the Outer-World Night". - Sunn O)))Sunn O)))Sunn O))) is an American doom metal band known for its synthesis of diverse genres including drone, ambient, noise, and black metal. Supported by a varying cast of collaborators, the band has two core members: Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson .-History:Sunn O))) is named after the Sunn...
on their album Monoliths & DimensionsMonoliths & DimensionsMonoliths & Dimensions is the seventh studio album by the avant-garde drone doom band Sunn O))). The album was created and recorded over a period of two years and features the collaborations of composer Eyvind Kang, Australian guitar player Oren Ambarchi, Hungarian vocalist Attila Csihar, Dylan...
has a song called Aghartha.
Other celestial bodies
Subsurface fiction may also be set on other planetary bodies:- The most common example of a hollow body other than Earth has historically been a hollow MoonHollow moonThe Hollow Moon theory is a pseudoscientific hypothesis proposing that Earth's Moon is either wholly hollow or otherwise contains a substantial interior space...
. A breathable interior atmosphere allowed various SF writers to postulate lunar life (including intelligent life) in spite of scientific observations of the uninhabitability of the Lunar surface. The sub-genre largely died out following the actual Moon landings. - The console Strategy/RPG series Super Robot WarsSuper Robot Warsis a series of tactical role-playing video games produced by Banpresto, which is now a Japanese division of Namco Bandai. The main feature of the franchise is having a story that crosses over several popular mecha anime, manga and video games, allowing characters and mecha from different titles to...
features a Hollow Earth world named LaGais. - The role-playing video gameRole-playing video gameRole-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
Septerra CoreSepterra CoreSepterra Core: Legacy of the Creator is a computer role-playing game developed by Valkyrie Studios and published by Monolith Productions. The game takes an unusual approach at the genre, by using elements most commonly associated with console video games, such as the Final Fantasy series...
takes place on an eponymous world with seven separate layers, similar to the theory of Edmund Halley. - The PC Adventure game Torin's PassageTorin's PassageTorin's Passage is a graphic adventure game developed and released by Sierra On-Line, designed by Al Lowe. The game holds the distinction of being a family friendly game by Lowe, designer of the adult-oriented Leisure Suit Larry series of games....
features a depiction of the hollow fictional planet Strata, similar to the one described by Edmund Halley. - The planet NabooNabooNaboo is a fictitious planet in the fictional Star Wars universe with a mostly green terrain and which is the homeworld of two societies: the Gungans who dwell in underwater cities and the humans who live in colonies on the surface...
in Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
has a "hollow core," but it is filled with waterWaterWater is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
. - In the Star Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky", there is a hollow, artificially created, planet-shaped spaceship whose inhabitants falsely believe that they are living on the surface of a planet.
External links
- Subterranea Miscellania
- Stories of a Hollow Earth - article by Peter Fitting on subterranean fiction, including comprehensive links to public domain copies of works - published in The Public Domain Review, 2011.