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The Goddess of Atvatabar

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The Goddess of Atvatabar
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Author(s): William R. Bradshaw
Date Published: 2010/10
Page Count: 328
Softcover ISBN-13: 978-0-85706-289-5
Hardcover ISBN-13: 978-0-85706-290-1

A great work of fantastical adventure—of a world within our world

At the end of the nineteenth century and the first part of the twentieth century fantastical tales of other worlds and times began to grip the imaginations of the reading public, and the prolific output of authors such as Verne, Rice Burroughs, Haggard and Howard propelled the authors to public recognition and their works to abiding popularity. These were among the best known authors of this genre at the time but they were by no means alone in their endeavours or in their choice of subject matter. Off world destinations—whether real or imagined—were popular as were adventures set in fictional pasts and the exotic legendary cultures of the Atlantean age. Having considered the potentials of time and space it was perhaps inevitable that authors would turn their imaginations to the possibilities of a world within our own—a vast landscape hidden from view, alien in flora, fauna and cultures, peopled by strange beings and races often at war with each other. Fortunately, they also usually included the capacity to produce human women of incomparable grace, beauty and an aversion to full body covering. The many enthusiasts of this type of fiction will be pleased to discover that this substantial novel is one of the above and a roller coaster adventure to the last turn of the page. Join this resourceful band of adventurers as they brave the ice to enter a lush and verdant world, altogether primitive and yet able to muster technology in advance of that yet known upon the surface. Often recognised as one of the finest examples of its kind, the enticing and other-worldly land of ‘The Goddess of Atvatabar’ lies waiting for you to discover for yourself. Available in softcover and hardcover with dust jacket for collectors.

The sight of two such armies of winged gladiators sweeping toward each other in revolving globes was one of breathless interest. The approaching fight was a question of life or death to both combatants. Defeat to Aldemegry Bhoolmakar meant possibly the loss of crown and kingdom, and our defeat meant the annihilation of the party of reform and the cause of Lyone. We were eager to begin the fight without delay.<br>
To obtain greater freedom of action, I led the army up into the region where there was no gravity. The movement was followed by a similar movement on the part of the royal armies, who rose like a swarm of locusts to meet us. The noise of so many wings in motion was like that of a roaring storm, and formed an inspiring accompaniment to the music that rang upon the sunlit air.<br>
Here, fifty miles above the white city beneath, both armies closed upon each other. There was a fearful yell of “Bhoolmakar!” answered by as loud a shout of “Lyone!”<br>
Our army was literally buried in the centre of the enemy. The impetuous priests of Egyplosis and the no less eager priestesses performed prodigies of valour.<br>
Our mitrailleuses were a complete surprise to the enemy. Thousands of their wayleals were killed ere they could deliver a blow with their spears.<br>
There was considerable slaughter on both sides, but the enemy depended largely on their magnic spears and shields, while we handled our guns with terrible effect.<br>
The volunteer army under Hushnoly suffered greatly by the demoralization caused by the enemy’s bockhockids under Grasnagallipas. The terrible legs of those machines destroyed the military formation of our wayleals, producing a continuous panic, and permitting the enemy’s wayleals to work a ghastly slaughter in their broken ranks. In revenge our bockhockids with their more deadly weapons literally tore their globes to pieces. Notwithstanding our superior arms, the greater numbers of the enemy made them a match for us.<br>
The rushing of wings, the explosions of the machine guns, the clashing of spears and the yells of the combatants made a scene of infernal horror. As the focus of battle swayed hither and thither, it left behind a trail of blood, dead and wounded bodies, broken wings, spears and revolvers. The debris of the battle simply floated out on the air, veritable clouds of disaster. Irregular masses of dead and wounded wayleals and broken bockhockids floated in heaps amid pools of blood.<br>
The enemy could only succeed by stabbing, whereas our wayleals were scorpions whose guns were fatal. With the points of their spears they made great havoc in our battalions. But as long as our ammunition lasted their formations were immediately shrivelled up.<br>
Coltonobory began to mass his army in the form of an immense outspreading hemisphere of the form of an open umbrella. His intention was to enclose us on all sides, and so if possible devour us. I at once ordered the army to take the form of a cone, each legion being a segment thereof, whose apex was formed of bockhockids, and whose base was wide circles of wayleals. With a blast of the trumpet I drove the entire army like an enormous javelin right through the heart of the foe, tearing a yawning chasm, half a mile in diameter, in his ranks!<br>
We lost fully two thousand men in this movement, and the foe over ten thousand in killed and wounded.<br>
The enemy, paralyzed by the onset, became consolidated into three or four immense globes. In front of these they placed their bockhockids, whose monstrous limbs alone could keep our spears at a safe distance. It was the intention of Coltonobory to ram us with the cohorts led by Grasnagallipas and his bockhockids. <br>
Hastily re-forming our broken ranks as before, I ordered a flank movement, rapid and decisive. Our bockhockids plunged into a tremendous mass of wayleals. Into the chasm thus made in the ranks of the enemy General Zooly-Soase threw her amazons, protected on either side by the legion of priests of Egyplosis under Gerolio. The priestesses, whose spears were particularly long and powerful, did terrible execution. The enemy was for a time panic-stricken as the glorious girls made their successful onset. Their dramatic beauty and the flash of their spears made a scene of imposing grandeur. Coltonobory, recovering from his surprise, ordered his bockhockids to the centre of the fight. To prevent the sacrifice of the priestesses by overwhelming odds I sent the bockhockids of art to their assistance. These swept to the rescue like a flight of eagles, and the empyrean echoed to the roar of the combat.
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