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Beyond Thirty · Chapters

Chapters explained

Chapter companions for Beyond Thirty by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

  1. Chapter 1

    I

    Lieutenant Jefferson Turck, a young officer in the Pan-American navy, introduces his fascination with the lost history of Europe and the two-century-old isolation of the Western Hemisphere. He recounts the cessation of transoceanic intercourse, the rise of the Pan-American Federation, and the strict prohibition against crossing 30° W or 175° W. Turck describes his command of the aging aero-submarine Coldwater, which suffers a catastrophic failure of its gravitation-screen generators while patrolling near the forbidden boundary, forcing the ship to drift toward 30°.

  2. Chapter 2

    II

    After being abandoned by the Coldwater, Lieutenant Turck and his men decide to sail east beyond the forbidden line of thirty degrees. They land on the coast of Devon, England, where they find no signs of civilization, only overgrown ruins and evidence of a past battle. Turck resolves to continue to London.

  3. Chapter 3

    III

    The crew lands on the Isle of Wight and encounters the Grubittens, a primitive tribe with no knowledge of the outside world. They then explore the mainland, facing repeated tiger attacks and discovering that England has reverted to a savage wilderness. After a close call with a tiger that kills a deer and nearly kills Delcarte, they are forced to flee by boat, concluding that the tigers have overrun the land and likely wiped out the human population.

  4. Chapter 4

    IV

    The narrator is bound and imprisoned by Buckingham after being captured by the primitive tribe. He reflects on his fall from anticipation of a civilized London to captivity among savages. He meets a child named Mary, who is Victory's sister, and asks her to fetch the queen. He is later taken to the 'Camp of the Lions' and tied to a crumbling arch as a sacrifice, left to face a lion. The chapter also describes the primitive lifestyle of the tribe, the queen's disdain for Buckingham, and the narrator's observations of their culture.

  5. Chapter 5

    V

    The narrator and Victory explore the ruins of London, discovering remnants of its former glory, including a well-preserved public building with historic paintings. They encounter a pride of lions occupying the throne room of England, leading to a desperate fight and escape up a narrow staircase into a small chamber.

  6. Chapter 6

    VI

    The party holds a council to decide their next move. The narrator assumes command, overruling Snider's desire to return to Pan-America, and decides to cross the Channel to explore the continent. Victory and Thirty-six join the crossing. During the journey, Victory questions the nature of civilization and barbarism. After a lion attack, Victory saves the narrator's life. They continue up the Rhine, finding no signs of civilization, while tensions grow between the narrator, Snider, and Victory.

  7. Chapter 7

    VII

    After Snider deserts with the launch and Victory, the crew discovers the launch drifting empty with Snider dead from a knife wound, clutching a strand of Victory's hair. They bury Snider and search for Victory along the river, finding only remnants of her campfire. While deliberating their next move, the narrator is captured by uniformed Black soldiers.

  8. Chapter 8

    VIII

    The narrator, now a prisoner of the black Abyssinian forces, describes his journey to the frontier city of New Gondar (built on the ruins of Berlin) and his observations of the massive military mobilization against 'yellow men' from the east. He recounts his enslavement, his transfer to Colonel Belik's service, and his growing understanding of the Abyssinian empire under Menelek XIV, including its conquest of Europe and the ongoing conflict with eastern forces.

  9. Chapter 9

    IX

    The narrator recounts his audience with the Chinese emperor, his marriage to Victory at the imperial court, and the subsequent rescue of Delcarte and Taylor. He reflects on his changed status from traitor to hero and his plans to reclaim England for Victory. The chapter also includes a tense scene in Menelek's palace where Victory is taken as a slave, and the narrator hides in a corridor, awaiting an opportunity to rescue her.

Beyond Thirty — Chapters Explained