Polaris of the Snows: The Classic Science Fantasy

Polaris Janess #1

by Charles B. Stilson

Tarzan's Only True Rival! From the pages of the magazine that gave birth to Tarzan of the Apes comes Charles B. Stilson's immortal classic, Polaris of the Snows, a magnificent adventure of a boy raised in the Antarctic wilderness who grows to be a giant of a man whose physique is nearly impervious to the frigid cold of the wastelands and whose iron muscles are the equal of those of the mightiest polar bear. Raised by a taciturn old man, Polaris has never seen any other humans or known any other life. Then the old man's death and a promise to carry a message North to civilization sets Polaris on an adventure that will try him body and soul. First, he meets the young American heiress, Rose Emer, cut off from her party and lost in this world of frozen white. Then the two of them stumble into a strange inner world, where they fid the strange civilization of Sardanes, preserved like a hot house flower for thousands of years by the heat of nearby volcanoes. There Polaris will discover his love for Rose Emer even as he has to fight against hopless odds to save her and a world from being the helpless victims of a cruel despot. While in the outer world, a man who wants Rose searches the icy wastes, determined that no one but he will return with her, mad with lust for her fortune. Here in the immortal tradition is an unforgettable classic of thrilling adventures of a fur-clad Viking waif of the ice flows in a fantastic hidden empire beyond the South Pole. First time in book form complete and uncut.

Genres: Science Fiction

166 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1917

Reviews

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically this is one of those classic early 20th century pulp stories written for the legendary All-Story Weekly, and reprinted with a groovy 1960s cover in this edition. Polaris is a young Tarzan type but with more clothing -- he lives at the South Pole, where his father took his mother during an "ill-fated" voyage of discovery. After Dad dies (no spoiler here, it's on the first page), Polaris heads out for civilization, coming across a lovely American heiress in need of rescuing (repeatedly). If you're worried about how the ancient Greeks ended up in Antarctica in a hidden volcanic valley or why the hero keeps being attacked by Polar bears at the South Pole, then you're missing the wacky fun of these types of stories.

[Carla Parreira]

Polaris of the Snows, de Charles B. Stilson. Literalmente fui transportada para o árido e congelante norte, onde o jovem Polaris enfrenta uma realidade implacável marcada pela solidão e pela trágica perda de seu pai. Desde o início, a narrativa me envolveu ao descrever a confusão de Polaris ao acordar em uma sala estranha sem memória de quem ele é, destacando seu isolamento e a ausência de qualquer conexão humana, o que aguçou minha curiosidade sobre sua jornada. A história se desenrola à medida que Polaris, guiado pelos ensinamentos de seu pai, se embarca em uma busca corajosa rumo ao desconhecido, acompanhado por uma equipe de cães bem treinados, prontos para enfrentar os desafios que a vastidão da neve lhe apresentará. Durante este percurso, uma cena impactante se destaca: o duelo entre dois homens, que resulta em um deles sendo empurrado para uma fenda. A tensão nesse momento é palpável, e a resposta de Polaris em revidar e matar seu agressor cria um dilema moral que provoca uma reflexão profunda sobre justiça e sobrevivência, temas que permeiam toda a obra. Ao encontrar Rose Emma, irmã do homem que ele teve que matar, a tensão se transforma em um lamento compartilhado, e a relação que se desenvolve entre os dois é marcada pela necessidade mútua de sobrevivência, unindo-os em sua luta contra os desafios do ambiente hostil. Através de diálogos sinceros, eles buscam entender as motivações um do outro e encontrar consolo nas adversidades. O desenrolar da história permitiu-me testemunhar Polaris se transformando em um líder, enfrentando não apenas os desafios da natureza, mas também os sentimentos complexos que surgem em seu vínculo com Rose Emma. À medida que eles se aventuram por terrenos traiçoeiros e os peligros naturais, como ursos polares, senti a tensão aumentar, refletindo tanto seu crescimento pessoal quanto a intensidade de sua ligação. A descrição vívida das cavernas e da exploração na busca por abrigo, onde eles compartilham histórias e esperanças, enriqueceu a compreensão da luta pela vida e pela identidade. Quando Polaris finalmente descobre um navio encalhado, vislumbrei uma nova estratégia de sobrevivência se formando, enquanto eles imaginam como recuperar suprimentos para continuar adiante, navegando pela incerteza com bravura. À medida que a jornada avança, a descoberta de rastros de homens desconhecidos e um punhal de metal não identificado introduz uma nova dimensão de mistério que captura minha atenção, sugerindo que as interações humanas e as culturas são tão cruciais quanto a luta pela sobrevivência física. O encontro com Card, o Ferreiro da cidade de Sardonis, também me emocionou, pois trouxe a oportunidade de Polaris e Rose Emma serem integrados a uma nova cultura rica em tradições, simbolizando um renascimento para eles e um contraste com a aridez que conheceram. A cidade vibrante, cheia de vida, trouxe esperança e embrenhou-se nas cores e na mágica da fertilidade, reforçando o crescimento de Polaris conforme ele começa a entender suas raízes e seu futuro. O desenrolar dos eventos ao se encontrarem com o príncipe Helicone, imerso em uma cerimônia repleta de intrigas e hierarquias sociais, grantiu-me uma perspectiva intrigante sobre a dinâmica de poder e o papel que Polaris e Rose Emma poderiam desempenhar nessa nova sociedade. As tensões que emergem da chegada de Minos e da possibilidade de fuga apenas aumentam o envolvimento emocional que senti em cada página, especialmente enquanto Polaris lutava para proteger Rose Emma durante as adversidades que se aproximavam. As reviravoltas que se seguem nas tentativas de escapar e garantir a segurança deles se tornaram uma jornada fascinante e cheia de suspense, refletindo a luta incessante entre a sobrevivência e a construção de novos laços. A dor da perda de Kalen e os desafios tornam-se palpáveis, mostrando quanto a jornada os transformou e solidificando o vínculo entre Polaris e Rose Emma em um mundo que parecia implacável. O clímax, com Polaris finalmente se apresentando à Sociedade Nacional Geográfica, trouxe um fechamento emocional, unindo sua história de sobrevivência a um futuro de potencialidades enquanto ele se reergue como um herói e líder em uma terra nova e desconhecida. No final, assim que Polaris e Rose Emma finalmente encontram força um no outro e renascem a partir da dor e da luta, senti uma onda de esperança inabalável e a certeza de que, independentemente das adversidades, a conexão e a coragem podem prevalecer.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book consists of two stories.

The first story could have been interesting but is marred by long polemics and quasi-metaphysical explanations that grinding the story to a standstill.

The second story starts off much better and the first third has a brilliantly surrealistic narrative.

Unfortunately, the next two-thirds of the story is much weaker as the author tries to 'rationalize' what is going on with some metaphysical mumbo-jumbo - and it ends up feels like too much exposition and not enough exploration.

To give you a taste of the surrealism:

She held out her hands. She had seven fingers on her right hand and three on her left. She chuckled dryly and thought, "Well, anyway there are ten altogether." She counted them to be sure, and there were thirteen.

[malcolm j gough · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have recently discovered Rog Phillips and it’s great to read these once-rare books in Kindle editions.
This edition contains two stories. The first, “Incomprehensible” is about an invasion of Earth by aliens who think on a different plain to humans, and is the stronger story of the two.
I had difficulty getting through the second story, not my cup of tea, hence the 3star rating.

[Charles Ott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everybody knows about good-bad books -- books that really aren't good except that you enjoyed them anyway. There are no good-bad books like old good-bad SF books. Rog Phillips' "Incomprehensible" is about an Earth suffering under an invasion of aliens whose thoughts are so different from ours they are incomprehensible. It consists mostly of lectures -- literally, lectures by professors to their students -- on the question, what would make an alien logic incomprehensible to us, and how can we work around that to understand these aliens enough to throw them off the planet? If that makes you think, "Eww! I'd rather chew tinfoil!", then trust me that this book is not for you. If it makes you wonder, "How could you learn to understand what is un-understandable?", then you are an old-school SF fan and you will like this.

What I'm trying to say is that this book has two novellas focused on the metaphysical question, "What is reality?". People who enjoy this sort of thing, to borrow a phrase, will find this to be the sort of thing they enjoy. Personally, I liked it a lot.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two mind-boggling short stories about human beings confronting things they cannot understand. The first story deals with aliens who have conquered earth and whose way of thinking is totally different to ours. This story raises a number of issues, including gender and identity, but then makes the aliens' fundamental difference something different again - their perception of time - so I am not sure this story is entirely successful.
The second story - which I personally preferred - is about a planet where NUMBERS behave differently to the way they do on earth, with bizarre and far-reaching consequences. Not easy stories to read, and probably not for those who like a good "space opera", but interesting reads. Is the way we human beings see the universe the ONLY way? Almost certainly not!

[Gustavo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some time ago I had read Unthinkable, and I found it was amazing. Now I reread after reading Incomprehensible and it was a rare treat.

The two novellas are linked without any link between them. What links them is not a plot, character or time frame. What links them is a concept, how can you explain or comprehend something that's beyond human comprehension.

In Incomprehensible that concept is an alien race that doesn't even share our numerical system, and the human race tries to comprehend that alien mindset without having an alien mindset. In Unthinkable, some humans have comprehended something that's beyond other humans, and try to explain it in a language that was not designed to do so.

Both are wonderful examples of the great Hugo Nominee Rog Philips.

[Hemant Jain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Complicated

Complex

And yes ... Unthinkable & Incomprehensible

It takes some time to wrap the head around the book and its contents