A JOURNEY TO THE WORLD UNDERGROUND BY NICHOLAS KLIMIUS (1741) – This novel was written by Danish author Ludvig Holberg and became a European sensation. Like Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Holberg’s work in this book had satirical political meaning and though the issues and social criticism no longer apply to the modern-day world, the fundamental story structure still holds up on its own.
The tale begins in 1665 as Nicholas Klimius, freshly graduated from the University of Copenhagen, is doing natural science research in the mountains of Norway. At one point, his colleagues on the expedition lower him by rope into a cavernous hole in the ground so he can explore it.
The rope breaks, and Nicholas falls so far that his colleagues assume he was killed. Actually, Klimius fell down into the often-theorized Hollow Earth. In this case with an interior sun and small worlds in orbit around it.
The atmosphere in this subterranean realm provides nourishment and moisture, eliminating the need to eat and drink. After days of being trapped in an orbit of his own around the interior sun, Nicholas gets attacked by a griffin. The resulting battle pushes our main character out of orbit and he lands softly on a small planetoid he learns is called Nazar. Continue reading
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