The Lost Continent, originally published as Beyond Thirty, is set roughly two centuries after a catastrophic war has severed contact between the Western and Eastern Hemispheres, and follows Pan-American naval officer Jefferson Turck as he crosses the forbidden thirtieth meridian and enters the long-isolated ruins of Europe. Turck and his companions discover a continent where former nations and cities have collapsed, wild animals roam freely, and scattered peoples have developed new and often primitive societies far removed from the civilization remembered in the West. Combining lost-world adventure with political satire and speculation about war, nationalism, and social decline, the novel turns Turck’s dangerous journey through England and Europe into a warning that even seemingly advanced civilizations can fragment, regress, and be transformed beyond recognition.
