Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe Announced
Connected universes are very common nowadays. Whether it’s books, video games, or even movies, everyone wants a piece of Marvel’s success. This past weekend, a new interconnected universe threw its hat into the ring.
Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. announced the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe. For those of you unfamiliar, Edgar Burroughs was the writer of books such as Tarzan, John Carter of Mars and Venus. The company promises that each book will be stand alone and enjoyable on its own, though the books will all contain a “super arc.” Said arc will begin with the disruption of the Gridley Wave, which is how Burroughs began many of his stories. Not much as to what this “super arc” will be about has been revealed, but the official synopsis by the publisher of these books seems to imply that the fate of the universe is at stake.
When a mysterious force catapults inventors Jason Gridley and Victory Harben from their home in Pellucidar, separating them from each other and flinging them across space and time, they embark on a grand tour of strange, wondrous worlds. As their search for one another leads them to the realms of Amtor, Barsoom, and other worlds even more distant and outlandish, Jason and Victory will meet heroes and heroines of unparalleled courage and ability: Carson Napier, Tarzan, John Carter, and more. With the help of their intrepid allies, Jason and Victory will uncover a plot both insidious and unthinkable—one that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of the universe!
The creative minds behind this new shared universe had this to say: “We have received a lot of feedback from the fans wishing to see an official stance on authorized ERB canon in new works being produced,” Director of Publishing Christopher Paul Carey said. “I’m here to say that we’ve been listening to you, and the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe series is our answer. I couldn’t be more thrilled about the team of critically acclaimed authors we’ve got on board for the series, and it’s been one of the highlights of my career in publishing to work with them. I couldn’t be happier with their dedication to ensuring faithfulness to Mr. Burroughs’ original works as well as their enthusiasm for collaborating to create internal consistency between each other’s new novels.”
The shared universe is slated to start in 2020, with a Carson of Venus: The Edge of All Worlds by Matt Betts, to be followed by Tarzan: Battle for Pellucidar by Win Scott Eckert, John Carter of Mars: Gods of the Forgotten by Geary Gravel, and Victory Harben: Fires of Halos by Christopher Paul Carey. They promise that the “super-arc” will continue past these books.
