World Beneath Ice. John Russell Fearn
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THE GOLDEN AMAZON SAGA
1. World Beneath Ice
2. Lord of Atlantis
3. Triangle of Power
4. The Amethyst City
5. Daughter of the Amazon
6. Quorne Returns
7. The Central Intelligence
8. The Cosmic Crusaders
9. Parasite Planet
10. World Out of Step
11. The Shadow People
12. Kingpin Planet
13. World in Reverse
14. Dwellers in Darkness
15. World in Duplicate
16. Lords of Creation
17. Duel with Colossus
18. Standstill Planet
19. Ghost World
20. Earth Divided
21. Chameleon Planet (with Philip Harbottle)
OTHER BORGO PRESS BOOKS BY JOHN RUSSELL FEARN
1,000-Year Voyage: A Science Fiction Novel
Anjani the Mighty: A Lost Race Novel (Anjani #2)
Black Maria, M.A.: A Classic Crime Novel (Black Maria #1)
The Crimson Rambler: A Crime Novel
Don’t Touch Me: A Crime Novel
Dynasty of the Small: Classic Science Fiction Stories
The Empty Coffins: A Mystery of Horror
The Fourth Door: A Mystery Novel
From Afar: A Science Fiction Mystery
Fugitive of Time: A Classic Science Fiction Novel
The G-Bomb: A Science Fiction Novel
The Genial Dinosaur (Herbert the Dinosaur #2)
The Gold of Akada: A Jungle Adventure Novel (Anjani #1)
Here and Now: A Science Fiction Novel
Into the Unknown: A Science Fiction Tale
Last Conflict: Classic Science Fiction Stories
Legacy from Sirius: A Classic Science Fiction Novel
The Man from Hell: Classic Science Fiction Stories
The Man Who Was Not: A Crime Novel
Manton’s World: A Classic Science Fiction Novel
Moon Magic: A Novel of Romance (as Elizabeth Rutland)
The Murdered Schoolgirl: A Classic Crime Novel (Black Maria #2)
One Remained Seated: A Classic Crime Novel (Black Maria #3)
One Way Out: A Crime Novel (with Philip Harbottle)
Pattern of Murder: A Classic Crime Novel
Reflected Glory: A Dr. Castle Classic Crime Novel
Robbery Without Violence: Two Science Fiction Crime Stories
Rule of the Brains: Classic Science Fiction Stories
Shattering Glass: A Crime Novel
The Silvered Cage: A Scientific Murder Mystery
Slaves of Ijax: A Science Fiction Novel
Something from Mercury: Classic Science Fiction Stories
The Space Warp: A Science Fiction Novel
A Thing of the Past (Herbert the Dinosaur #1)
Thy Arm Alone: A Classic Crime Novel (Black Maria #4)
The Time Trap: A Science Fiction Novel
Vision Sinister: A Scientific Detective Thriller
Voice of the Conqueror: A Classic Science Fiction Novel
What Happened to Hammond? A Scientific Mystery
Within That Room!: A Classic Crime Novel
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Copyright © 1949 by John Russell Fearn
Copyright © 2012 by Philip Harbottle
Originally published as Conquest of the Amazon
Published by Wildside Press LLC
www.wildsidebooks.com
DEDICATION
To the memory of Ronald E. Graham
INTRODUCTION
THE GOLDEN AMAZON
by Philip Harbottle
In November 1948, British author John Russell Fearn wrote a short history of his “Golden Amazon” series of novels, of which there had then been six titles published to date:
“In The Golden Amazon, the first novel about her, published by World’s Work in April, 1944, she was a baby lost in the Blitz, operated upon by a super-surgeon.
He changed her glandular structure, which—at maturity—would mean she would have more than human strength, abnormally brilliant intelligence, and an almost sexless outlook on life. The surgeon’s idea was that she would lead the world to eternal peace; but he miscalculated, and her incredible knowledge of science practically led her to destroy the world by her finding of atomic power (prior, be it noted, to the actual discovery of the atomic bomb). In this novel she also discovered synthesis, including how to make an exact image of herself, and by this means she escaped punishment as the world, seeing her die, assumed she was done for. Actually, it was her synthetic image which died. This paved the way for The Golden Amazon Returns.
The Golden Amazon, however, attracted the attention of the Toronto Star Weekly when it was submitted to them, and they published it also, in the March 25, 1945 issue as the novel of the week. Since that time every adventure of the Amazon has been published first by them, and the British version by World’s Work. But World’s Work, unfortunately had more paper trouble than the Toronto Star, which explains why the latter had published the sixth adventure by the time the second book was being issued.
With The Golden Amazon Returns, which concerned itself with V-2 attack and atomic power, as it well might be in the future, the superwoman seemed to settle down into a routine job; namely, the advancement of Earth’s scientific culture on the one hand, and the routing of menaces, physical and scientific, on the other. She changed her tactics also—realizing she was biting off too much in trying to rule the world, she instead decided to fight on the side of the law. She became a kind of super female Robin Hood with scientific trimmings, outwitting every kind of public menace, from shady financiers to master-scientists.
With this novel came the beginnings of space travel, which were carried a stage further in The Golden Amazon’s Triumph, wherein the conquest of Venus was attempted, to a great extent successfully. Much business was left unfinished, however, and a Venusian menace returned in The Amazon’s Diamond Quest, said menace being effectually routed this time. In fact, it was not the main plot; this consisted of the discovery of a cavern of pure diamonds (created by volcanic action), which the Amazon had to protect from thieves both Venusian and Earthly. In her travels she routed the Chameleon Men of Venus—who could assume any form at will—which made her job difficult—and turned over the diamond cavern to the Earth authorities.
Now that Venus is safely in the bag and a Space Line established (not by the Amazon, who is a lone wolf, but by her friends of the early days), the Amazon can apparently relax somewhat. But she finds that the menace of the earlier stories, Carl Mueller, had a daughter who, now grown up, proves as big a nuisance as her father. So in The Amazon Strikes