Beyond the Farthest Star: Restored Edition

By: Edgar Rice Burroughs

Narrated by: Ben Dooley

Never-Before-Published Restored Edition

In 1940, as the world hurtled into the darkness of global conflict, Edgar Rice Burroughs turned his legendary writing talents toward an interstellar tale of wonder and adventure set on a war-racked planet - one whose star was so distant that it was invisible to the Earth's most powerful telescopes. Featuring a protagonist who is transported to the planet Poloda by means reminiscent of John Carter's projection to Mars, Beyond the Farthest Star is set in a wholly unique solar system in which all the planets are aligned in the same orbit and connected by means of an atmosphere tube that allows for potential travel between worlds via airplane.

What has been unknown to listeners is that the 1941 Blue Book magazine publication comprising Part I of Beyond the Farthest Star was heavily edited, with a substantial number of line edits on almost every page and several lengthy and meaningful passages - some more than a page long - excised throughout. That altered and abridged text was used as the basis for all editions of the novel — until now. We are pleased to announce that we have gone back to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ original typescript from our archives in Tarzana, California, and restored the author's preferred text of the novel in Beyond the Farthest Star: Restored Edition. Now, for the first time, enjoy this classic science fiction adventure in the way that Edgar Rice Burroughs intended!

A Planet in Peril

When Nazi warplanes blast an American fighter pilot out of the sky, he awakens not in the expected afterlife but on a far-flung planet - one of 11 interconnected worlds hurtling around a strangely constructed star system. On Poloda, he earns a new name - Tangor, one who came from nothing - and a new home among the brave people of Unis, a nation locked in perpetual war against the brutish, totalitarian Kapars. But when news comes of a powerful invention that could turn the tides of the conflict, Tangor must undertake a daring undercover mission behind enemy lines. There, in vile Kapara, he will not only risk life and limb, but also brand himself as a traitor in the eyes of his newfound friends, as he continues his fight for freedom beyond the farthest star!

©2021 Edgar Rice Burroughs (P)2021 Oasis Audio

ERB Story done right!

As a lifelong ERB Uber fan I loved the fantastic back story to this mature work. Nice quick bit of biography in the intro. Well worth the listen.

Great Narration and Pacing

Ben Dooley is superb. This particular story, while good, does not have the same twinkle and optimism of ERB's Tarzan and John Carter. But, seen in another light, the brief, clipped descriptions and expositions (however morbid and stark) convey a visceral tale of generational war and inhumanity.

A new world to explore

Beyond The Farthest Star has been a Edgar Rice Burroughs book that had, for some reason, eluded me for decades. Luckily, I stumbled upon this restored edition. I am glad I did.

While this does have Burroughs' style and sense of adventure, it also shows a more mature author. One who clearly understands that going to war is not something glorious, but incredibly tragic, even though sometimes necessary. The book is actually two novellas. The first chronicling the hero's arrival on this new world and the second is more of a spy story. The first reads as very much Burroughs, minus the usual love story. One could visualize the author writing this as the storm clouds of World War 2 gathered. Burroughs had made pretty clear in other novels that war was a horrible thing and this story reflected his fears of another such conflict. The second story, written later, takes on the, then very popular spy genre. For the period that this was written, I personally feel like it was a very much above average effort in that genre. All the while, the paranoia and human cost in lives is still front and center. Also in this second story, we see the beginning of a Burroughs standard, the hero finding love on an alien world. Unfortunately, the author was unable to expand on this before his passing. One can only wonder of what might have been.

Recommended for fans of ERB and pulp adventure. Don't let it elude you as it did me for so long.

This is great!

This is great! It was my favorite ERB when I was a young person and reading all of the ERB.

Ben Dooley’s performance adds to my pleasure as I revisit these YA pleasures, this time in my 60s. His readings of the works of ERB are much much better than having movies made of them.

Please, Ben Dooley, please continue your work of recording the ERB titles. I bought and am listening to Tarzan and the Leopard Men. I intend to buy all of your future readings of ERB titles. I am becoming tempted by the readings of non-ERB Tarzan novels just to see how they are, and to enjoy your performances.

Great!

In my opinion this is better than John Carter. A good example of Science Fiction.