Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Narrator

Very few people are aware of it, but Edgar Rice Burroughs the author from Chicago, Il., had a mystery partner in many of his most famous novels. This mystery partner was directly responsible for the Mars series, the Tarzan series, the Pellucidar series, The Caprona series, the Venus series, and others.

ERB The Narrator Found In The Forwards

This mystery partner's name was never revealed, and whenever he is mentioned it is under the pseudonym of Edgar Rice Burroughs. To learn about this second Edgar Rice Burroughs we must closely study the prologues, introductions, and forewords of the books written by the famous author born in Chicago, Illinois in 1875.

ERB The Author

The exact location where Burroughs's mystery partner was born in 1855 is not fully revealed. Most likely, however, it was at the Carter family plantation about two hours by train out of Richmond, Virginia. It is unprovable, but many feel the Carter plantation is in, or just outside of, Scottsville, Virginia. This is the town Jane Clayton was visiting on July 10, 1914, recorded in The Man Eater.

The Man-Eater

 

It was widely known that the Carter family was of Puritan stock, and their plantation possessed a fine stable of horses. As pre-war southerners, they also owned the usual stock of slaves.

Frank Schoonover

    

The third-generation Carter was a young tot of five when he saw his great Uncle Jack for the first time in 1860. Captain Carter was taking a rest from his travels and stopped off to visit his relatives. He only stayed a few months and then went off to fight in the Civil War.

Frank Frazetta

After the war and some prospecting out west. Captain Carter returned to the family plantation to visit once more. He stayed with them for a while and became very close to his fast-growing-up great nephew. At an unrecorded date, Captain Carter then moved to a place of his own in New York.

A Princess Of Mars

By the late 1870s, Burroughs' future writing associate, in partnership with his father, succeeded in building a string of general stores throughout Virginia. Although he had been a very busy man of late, young Carter, now in his twenties, always found time to visit his great-uncle. His Uncle Jack appreciated this thoughtfulness, and the great-nephew easily became his favorite of the younger Carter family. During one of these visits on March 4, 1886, the third-generation Carter discovered his great uncle had been found dead at the top of the hill at his New York home.

A Princess Of Mars

The younger Carter inherited a considerable amount of his great uncle's wealth plus a manuscript dealing with the Captain's adventures. The will specified that the manuscript was not to be unsealed until 1897, and its contents were not divulged to the public until 1907. The younger Carter did not follow the first procedure, but the manuscript was not published until 1912 with the title Under The Moons Of Mars. After reading his great uncle's adventures the younger Carter suddenly realized why John Carter had made such a strange request.

A Princess Of Mars

Captain Carter had requested in his will that his body not be embalmed and for it to be taken back to Virginia, and placed in a special tomb his great nephew was to construct. The tomb was to be built so it could not be opened except from the inside.

A Princess Of Mars

The manuscript revealed to the third-generation Carter that his great-uncle had died once before while prospecting in Arizona. Instead of death, John Carter ended up on a planet called Barsoom where he fell in love and married. Somehow he was transported back to Earth where he had lived for the past few years. The younger Carter was not sure if his Uncle Jack was dead or not, but he followed his great uncle's directions to the letter except for the reading of the manuscript.

A Princess Of Mars

In August 1898, the third-generation Carter, now forty-three, received a telegram signed with the name John Carter. He was instructed to come to the Hotel Raleigh in Richmond, which he immediately did. There he met his Uncle Jack, looking as young as he did on the day he first visited the family plantation many years before.

A Princess Of Mars

Captain Carter had been back on Earth since May and had prepared a second manuscript of his Barsoom adventures. He gave the collection of papers to his great-nephew. This manuscript was eventually published by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, titled The Gods Of Mars and The Warlord Of Mars.

Frank E. Schoonover

Around 1910 the third generation Carter again surfaces in The Outlaw Of Torn, and he is now married. Both he and his wife are visiting England, and hints are made that she is British although we are not directly told so. We are told that the third generation Carter's wife's cousin, who is kin to a certain Father Superior, gets permission for the now fifty-five-year-old Virginian to examine some of an old monastery's ancient writing. Among these, he finds the detailed account of Richard, the lost Prince of England, which Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, later publishes as The Outlaw Of Torn.

J. Allen St. John

While on that English visit, Carter also meets an official of the British Colonial Office as told in Tarzan Of The Apes. The Virginian's new acquaintance gets a little nippy during a luncheon and relates to him a tale about one of England's high-society families. The tale was so bizarre the third-generation Carter could not, and would not believe it.

Tarzan Of The Apes

To save face the British Colonial Office agent produced a manuscript, official documents, and a diary to back up his story. This tale was almost as unbelievable as his Uncle Jack's, and the third-generation Carter collected the information that eventually became Tarzan Of The Apes, The Return Of Tarzan, The Beasts Of Tarzan, and Jungle Tales Of Tarzan.

Roy G. Krinkle

Sometime offstage in 1911, after returning from England, the third-generation Carter becomes acquainted with Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, in his hometown of Chicago. The two work out a partnership where Burroughs writes a series of novels based on the information provided by the Virginian. It was agreed that Normal Bean would be their pen name and that Carter would operate only as a silent partner. The most likely reason for Carter's incognito has to do with his unnatural aging process which was becoming more noticeable.

Pablo Marcos

In 1912, the year Normal Bean's first book Under The Moons Of Mars was printed in magazine form, Carter at the age of fifty-seven, went to Africa to do some big game hunting. While in Algeria he meets a Connecticut man, named David Innes, on the rim of the Sahara Desert. Innes claimed to have been at the earth's core for the past ten years, and he showed Carter his molar transportation vehicle, plus a creature called a Mahar which he claimed resided there.

Under The Moons Of Mars

After spending a week with Innes the Virginian rushes to England where he purchases countless supplies for his new friend. While there Carter told Innes' strange story to the Royal Geological Society but the story was not believed by them, and later Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, published the story under the title of AT The Earth's Core. Just as the third-generation Carter and Innes needed supplies arrived at the end of the railroad tracks in Algeria, the Virginian was recalled to America on important business. There was little he could do but send Innes' supplies on ahead with a letter, and his American address.

J. Allen St. John

We are not told what that important business is, but to make Carter leave during the middle of an adventure of such magnitude must indeed have been important. One logical explanation would be the return of John Carter. We do know that offstage Captain Carter returns around this period to give his great-nephew the events of Thuvia Maid Of Mars.

J. Allen St. John

It is also very likely that the third-generation Carter was contacted by agents of Lord Greystoke, about the amazing coincidence between October 1912, the All-Story Magazine publication of Tarzan Of The Apes, and the real life of the English Lord. In the spring of 1913, we find Carter at the Greystoke plantation in British East Africa.

P.J. Monahan

There he meets Barney Custer and his sister, Victoria, of Beatrice, Nebraska, and the grandson of Greystoke, John Clayton IV, better known as Jackie. (Dackie in the magazine version is treated as a misspelling). On this visit, Carter obtains the information that becomes Part 1 of The Mad King, The Eternal Lover, and The Son Of Tarzan.

Modest Stein

The reason why Carter is visiting is avoided, but big game hunting is very unlikely since he is never mentioned as joining any hunts. This tends to make one believe the Virginian is not there on one of his numerous vacations because hunting is his favorite sport. It is also doubtful Carter is visiting dear and close friends, because of the withholding of information on his part. The information I am talking about is the David Innes adventure.

The Eternal Lover

The occurrence in Algeria took place less than a year before Carter's great-nephew visited the Greystoke plantation. Yet by the dialogue that is reported in Tarzan At The Earth's Core, we are led to believe Greystoke is totally unaware of David Innes' existence. When Jason Gridley tracks down the ape-man for aid and relates the Innes story, Greystoke in no way acts as if he is familiar with the tale. It is also interesting to note that Gridley makes no mention of being acquainted with Carter.

Roy G. Krinkle

From my studies, I have reached the conclusion that Carter's great-nephew's first Greystoke visit was a strict heads-up business. That business was the publishing of Tarzan Of The Apes. Evidently, a relative, or close friend, living in America, who knew the Greystoke's secret, spotted the story and informed the Englishman. In turn, an agent representing the Greystoke family contacted Burroughs in Chicago, who in turn contacted Carter in Algeria. The necessary arrangements were made for Carter to visit British East Africa.

The Eternal Lover

On this 1913 visit, Greystoke and the third-generation Carter reached an agreement acceptable to both. The Edgar Rice Burroughs team, once known as Normal Bean, would be allowed to continue their jungle series, as long as they made some efforts to protect the Greystoke family's true identity. The Englishman and Carter also formed a communication channel so they could keep in touch.

The Eternal Lover

Have you ever noticed how real life the adventures of Tarzan are in the first books? Although the events are extreme and very improbable, the end leaves the reader believing the occurrences could be true. After the meeting with Greystoke, the Tarzan series takes on a drastic change. The Son Of Tarzan dating is not consistent with Tarzan Of The Apes, The Return Of Tarzan, The Beast Of Tarzan, and Jungle Tales Of Tarzan. Then with Tarzan And The Jewels Of Opar, the series spins towards a more fantasy & science fiction approach. Also, note that Tarzan did not provide Carter with the events of The Son Of Tarzan. Herr Skopt does this at a later meeting in The Son Of Tarzan.

J. Allen St. John

 

From the Greystoke plantation, Carter headed back to Algeria to search for signs of David Innes. Once there he discovered his old guide had died, and he was unable to locate any of those who had been on any of his previous missions. Hiring a new crew the Virginian searched the desert for months, but could not find a trace of the New Englander.

J. Allen St. John

We know Carter also visits the west coast of Africa where he meets Herr Skopt, the proprietor of a local motel, mentioned in The Son Of Tarzan. It is not made clear if this port visit took place on the third-generation Carter's first visit in 1912 or his second in 1913. We do know, however, that this meeting occurred before 1915 because that is the year Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, penned Jack Clayton's story.

J. Allen St. John

In the summer of 1917, we find Carter at Cape Farewell, located at the southernmost extremity of Greenland. The sixty-two-year-old Virginian is suffering from some unnamed health problem, and his doctor advised him to take a vacation on the northern island. This health problem is never directly brought out, but in 1929 in Pirates Of Venus when Carson Napier is visiting Carter in Tarzana it is mentioned that he has more than one operation.

J. Allen St. John

While walking along the shore during a fishing venture the Virginian discovers a quart thermos bottle with a manuscript in it. The lengthy article was signed by Bowen J. Tyler, Jr. and Lys La R. Tyler, and the events recorded took place between June 3rd through September 1916. Tyler's adventure eventually sees print under the title The Land That Time Forgot.

J. Allen St. John

The vacationing adventure was dumbfounded by his find for he knew both Tyler, Jr., and Sr. The younger Tyler was thought dead because the ocean liner he was aboard was sunk by a German sub during the war. and he had been missing ever since. Wasting no time the Virginian rushed back to the Tyler home in Santa Monica, California to report his amazing find.

Roy G. Krenkel

There Carter learned that the elder Tyler had unexpectedly died on his yacht, Toreador, while returning from Honolulu. Ten days after Tyler, Sr.'s body arrived a rescue team, which the third-generation Carter was a member of, and led by the late Tyler's secretary, Thomas Billings, set out for the almost unheard-of island, Caprona. This daring rescue mission was recorded in The People That Time Forgot.

Roy G. Krenkel

The exact date and place are unrecorded, but we do know from the Glossary in Tarzan The Terrible that Carter, the narrator from Virgina, and Greystoke meet once more. This visit takes place offstage during Tarzan And The Golden Lion shortly after the hostilities of World War I, and before Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, begins to write Tarzan The Untamed in 1918.

Tarzan And The Golden Lion

During that meeting, Carter is provided with Clayton's wartime adventures that fill two novels. Since their last meeting in British East Africa, Carter has been provided, through his Greystoke channel, information that became Part II of The Mad King, The Man Eater, and Tarzan And The Jewels Of Opar.

J. Allen St. John

On March 1, 1919, both Carter, the narrator, and Burroughs, the author, bought property in California at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains. Burroughs is so pleased with the sales of the Tarzan series that he names his new property Tarzana. Soon afterward the whole community adopted the name. Nothing is ever mentioned about the fate of the Carter plantation in Virginia, but chances are other relatives were by this time handling affairs there.

J. Allen St. John

There is no mention of why Carter decided to move across the country with Burroughs, but most likely it has to do with his slowed aging process. Carter is now sixty-four but looks noticeably much younger. In fact, John Carter upon his 1920 earth visit says this of him, "You yourself, have aged, though not as much as most men in a corresponding number of years, which may be accounted for by the fact that the same blood runs in our veins." ERB-The Chessmen of Mars.

J. Allen St. John

During the 1920 visit, John Carter is testing a newly acquired skill. He has possessed the power to cross the void in spirit for some time, but he had never been able to transport material things. Now he has learned to do so. On this one-night visit, John Carter teaches his great-nephew Martian chess while relating the events of The Chessmen Of Mars.

Roy G. Krenkel

It is not directly said that the slightly under twelve-year-old, Shea, is Carter's son, but there is a good probability that he is. It is quite evident the boy has been living with the adventurer for some time, and from Llana Of Gathol, we do know he has children. John Carter mentions that after his great-nephew's death, he would not return to Earth and the younger Carter replies, "There are my children. They are your blood kin".

J. Allen St. John

By 1920 Carter had once more grown restless and decided to return to Algeria to hunt lions. Two weeks before it was time to leave he received a letter dated June 1st from a Cogdon Nestor, and Club postmarked Algiers. To the Virginian's delight, this fellow had accidentally stumbled across David Innes' telegraph instrument which had long been lost in the desert sands. After he cabled Nestor to visit him in Algiers, the third-generation Carter set out for Africa twelve days earlier than first scheduled.

J. Allen St. John

When he reached Algiers the adventurer found Nestor already had their necessary provisions packed and ready, so the day after his arrival they left for the south. Also going on this three-month desert venture was an English telegraph operator named Frank Downes, and an unknown number of native servants. After reaching the long hidden telegraph instrument it took several days for them to get in touch with Innes, but once communication had been established they talked with him almost every day for two months. Their carefully recorded notes eventually became Pellucidar.

Roy G. Krenkel

In June 1925 Carter is once more visited by John Carter, his great-uncle. He is given another manuscript and a letter, but this time it does not deal with his Uncle Jack and his family. It seems another earth-man named Ulysses Paxton has found his way to Mars where he eventually becomes Vad Varo of Barsoom. Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, pins this story as The Master Mind Of Mars.

J. Allen St. John

In 1927 Carter met a young man, Jason Gridley, who played a very important role in his life. The fellow had just graduated from Stanford and was looking for some land in California. Carter introduced Gridley to Burroughs who was dipping into real estate. Burroughs sold Gridley two acres a few miles from his and Carter's own ranches. The Virginian was very impressed with the family less twenty-three-year-old Jason Gridley. In fact, so much so, that while Gridley's new house was being built Carter permitted the radio buff to set up headquarters in his own office.

Frank Hoban

By the time the house was completed and the young man had moved out, the two had become very close friends. During that brief period, the third-generation Carter had even learned the very simple basics of his work. The young Jason had discovered a new type of radio wave which he was perfecting and had named it The Gridley Wave. The radio genius hoped to someday use this new discovery to make contact with worlds other than his own. Although not overly interested in the project the former Virginian did sometimes help his friend, and was even provided a home station.

Frank Hoban

One day while the adventurer was visiting Jason at his new lab a set of Moris code signals was picked up on The Gridley Wave. The men were amazed for they thought that there were only two stations on earth. The mysterious signal came from Abner Perry, Innes' right-hand man, from their Imperial Observatory at Greenwich, Pellucidar. Thanks to the books provided by Carter, which were taken to the inner earth by Innes in 1912, the old gent had also stumbled upon The Gridley Wave.

Frank Hoban

Abner himself had two radio stations at the earth's core, but this was the first contact with the outer crust. During that contact, he told them David had been captured and was being held in a dungeon beneath the palace of the Cid of Korsar. He also related the events that made up Tanar Of Pellucidar and put in a plea for help before the signal faded and communication was lost.

Frank Frazetta

Both men were very concerned about Innes, but there was little they could do since they had no mole machine to drill through the earth's crust. The two did not completely give up, however, but continued to search for another means of entrance. They collected and studied the scoffed-at works of men who claimed there was a polar opening that led to the inner world.

Roy G. Krenkel

After all the available data had been studied they had made plans to put their rescue operation into motion. The only thing the adventurers lacked was a man who was experienced in this type of dangerous mission to provide leadership. He needed strength, character, and a lack of fear. Jason knew no one of this caliber, and Carter knew of only one.

Taner Of Pellucidar

Careful not to mention Greystoke's hidden secrets, Carter told Jason enough to convince him John Clayton was their man. For unmentioned reasons, the seventy-two-year-old adventurer did not go on that rescue mission but stayed behind to watch over Jason's radio experiments. There is a possibility Carter's wife was ill at this time and eventually died, for the Virginian is sleeping alone when Carson Napier makes contact with him through a form of mental telepathy in 1929.

Frank Hoban

The young radio buff ventured into Africa and found Greystoke, and in 1928 they successfully entered Pellucidar and rescued Innes. This rescue mission was recorded by Burroughs as Tarzan At The Earth's Core.

Frank Frazetta

After Jason set out in search of Greystoke and to rescue Innes, the adventurer carefully watched over the radio equipment which by now he was familiar with. After months of nothing, Carter took a ten-day break and went to Arizona. It is not made clear if he went there to purchase a two-room cabin located near the headwaters of the Little Colorado River in the White Mountains, or if it was the first of many visits he made there.

Neal Adams

In Swords Of Mars, we do learn Carter has happened upon an extinct race of men that lived there, and he is investigating their origin and strange disappearance. Whatever the case, upon his return to Tarzana the third-generation Carter was surprised to find The Gridley Wave had made contact with someone.

J. Allen St. James

At first, Carter thought it might be Jason contacting him from Pellucidar, but upon examination, he discovered he was amazingly enough in touch with Ulysses Paxton of Barsoom, or Mars as we know it. The Martians had been receiving Jason's signals for months, but it was sometime before their world's greatest scientist could duplicate The Gridley Wave and return signals. On that first off-world contact the information that Burroughs published as A Fighting Man Of Mars was relayed.

Motoichiru Takebe

 

In 1929, a few months after Jason's return from Pellucidar, Carter received a very strange letter. The letter was from Carson Napier, dated the third, and sent from Guaymas. Guaymas is a seaport in Sonora, on the Gulf of California. In fact, the letter was so bizarre the adventure thought it was from a crank and he dismissed it without giving it another thought.

Roy G. Krenkel

When the phone rang it was Jason and he wanted Carter to come over, for he had made contact with Abner Perry through The Gridley Wave. Perry relayed to them that Von Horst, the only missing member of the Innes' rescue mission, had been found. Those related events were later published by Burroughs in Back To The Stone Age.

John Coleman Burroughs

On the night of the thirteenth Carter for some unknown reason awoke from his sleep. He witnessed a ghostly female figure pass through the wall, and enter his bedroom. The supernatural figure gave him a message. "It is midnight of the thirteenth. He left Guadalupe today and will wait in Guaymas for your letter." ERB-Pirates Of Venus. After that, she exited the room in the same manner.

Pirates Of Venus

The wide-awake Carter instantly remembered the crank letter he had received three days ago. It had said she would appear, say those exact words, and even specified the date. The surprised adventurer was positive he had not been dreaming, for it was fully an hour before he could go back to sleep.

Pirates Of Venus

The third-generation Carter reported to his office a little earlier the following morning as usual. The Virginian had his secretary, Ralph Rothmund look up the crank letter. After locating Napier's address the third-generation Carter sent him a letter ratifying the apparition. A few days later he received a reply saying Napier was on his way to Tarzana to visit him.

Pirates Of Venus

 

Once there, the man born in India gave more demonstrations of his amazing skills. Afterward, the fellow explained to Carter about his telepathic and mental image projection powers. He also told the seventy-four-year-old Carter that he planned to fly to Mars. Napier's rocket was going to be launched from Guadalupe Island, off the west coast of California, and he had permission from the Mexican government.

Pirates Of Venus

What Carson Napier needed was a human receiver for his projections, which he hoped Carter would be. The old Virginian agreed, and he was to oversee Napier's estate during his absence. Plus record Napier's adventures, through Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author and make them available to the world. Napier took off for Mars on schedule, but miscalculations caused him to land on Venus instead. By 1932 Carter had received enough telepathic projections for ERB, the author, to produce the novels Pirates Of Venus and Lost On Venus.

Frank Frazetta

In 1933 we find the Virginian has taken a few weeks off and returned to the cabin in Arizona. There he was visited by his great-uncle, John Carter, and told the events that eventually made Swords Of Mars.

Swords Of Mars

By the end of 1936, Napier had related his third set of adventures. Burroughs eventually published them as Carson Of Venus.

John Coleman Burroughs

It was late 1937, or early 1938 when Carter and Ulysses Paxton made contact through The Gridley Wave. Paxton transmitted the story of one of John Carter's soldiers, Vor Daj, which Burroughs published as Synthetic Men Of Mars. This fellow was in charge of finding Ras Thavas, the master surgeon, to help the seriously injured Dejah Thoris.

 John Colman Burroughs

In 1940 at the age of eighty-five, Carter, the narrator, was residing in Lanikai on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. He has once more moved to keep up with his publishing partner, Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, who is now a war correspondent. The Burroughs family was living at 2623 Halelena in Honolulu. Carter's writing partner also had an office at 1298 Kapiolani Blvd.

Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Author

While in Hawaii, Carter, the narrator, rough drafts Carson Napier's fourth set of adventures which Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author published as Escape On Venus, and he is paid a visit by John Carter. This is the last recorded visit the third-generation Carter has from his great-uncle Jack. John Carter's last tale sees print as Llana Of Gothol. It was also upon the island of Oahu that the adventures typewriter mysteriously began typing by itself one midnight, and produced Beyond The Farthest Star.  

Frank Frazetta

In 1941 the third-generation Carter left the island of Oahu and moved to Honolulu. His long time friend and writing partner from Chicago, IL was going through the crisis of a divorce, and the old adventurer wanted to be closer to him. While there the Virginian received the last recorded adventure of Carson Napier, which Edgar Rice Burroughs, the author, published as The Wizard Of Venus.

Roy G. Krenkel

It is not until June 10, 1967, at the age of one hundred twelve, do we hear about Carter again. The old adventurer is now serving in the Bureau Of Communications and is en route to Paris on the transoceanic liner, Harding. On the trip, he meets an Admiral in the Air Corps who claims to have lived both in the past and in the future, through incarnation. From that chance meeting, the adventurer collected the information that sees print as The Moon Maid.

 J. Allen St. John

Sometime in 1968, Carter asked for an indefinite leave from office, which he was granted. He went to Hershel Island in the Arctic to big game hunt, and rest from the pressures of war. In March 1969, Carter came close to losing his life on a bear hunt and would have, if not rescued by a patrolling cruiser of the International Peace Fleet.

Roy G. Krenkel

It just so happened that Secretary of Commerce White died, and the President decided the third-generation Carter would be a good man for his replacement. Knowing the adventurer's approximate location a cruiser was dispatched to search for him, which turned out to be his salvation. While recovering from his ordeal Carter, the narrator, came into contact with the Air Corps Admiral he had met two years before. He was told the adventures of Julian 9th of 2100 which becomes The Moon Men.

Roy G. Krenkel

This is the last recorded information we have on the second Edgar Rice Burroughs, of Virginia, and whatever became of him is unknown. We do know at last account that Carter was in great shape for one hundred fourteen, and he was still a very active man. From all implications, we can assume that the old Virginian went on to serve his post, and continued his adventurous lifestyle for some years to come.

The Moon Men

Author's note: The dates provided in this article are derived from the following sources. 

(1) Edgar Rice Burroughs through his books. 

(2) Some dates listed are actual occurrences in ERB's real life and provided by the Burroughs family genealogy, Memoirs Of A War Bride. 

(3) Others are based on the most logical date agreeing to ERB's writing notebook. This article is based on the idea Tarzan was born in 1872, not 1888. Known as the "Push-Back Theory."

Memoirs Of A War Bride

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Michael Moody is a lifelong fan and collector of Edger Rice Burroughs. Over the past forty-five years, Moody has contributed over two hundred articles to various ERB-related fanzines. He also manages an unauthorized Tarzan blog titled Greystoke Chronologist: James Michael Moody. There, the researcher chronologies the Tarzan books starting in May 1872 (known as the pushback theory) instead of the more accepted date, May 1888.

James Michael Moody also authorizes the action-packed Sci-Fi fantasy adventure Unium series. Pioneers On Unium, published December 31, 2019, Exiled On Unium, published August 25, 2022, and Swordsman On Unium, published on July 15, 2024.