Since childhood I have been fascinated by the mystery surrounding the history

of Europe, especially during the last days of the twentieth century.

Since then two centuries have passed by with absolutely no interaction between the Western

and Eastern Hemisphere. I used to wonder what could have happened to Europe after the

Great War between Germany and England – provided the war had ended, of course.

No man from the Western Hemisphere had ever crossed over to the eastern shores for

more than two hundred years now.

Not until chance drew me there and back again. I experienced the most wonderful adventure

ever – all the excitement and scurry of the lives of the twentieth century inhabitants that had

been denied to us – all lay there beyond thirty*.

*longitude 30° west

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My name is Jefferson Turck. I am a lieutenant in the great navy of the Pan American Federation,

the only navy of the Western Hemisphere.

Ever since the great Pan American Federation was formed, we, the Pan Americans, have only known peace.

The Federation linked the Western Hemisphere from pole to pole under

a single flag, and combined the navies of the New World into a mighty force.

From longitude 30° west to longitude 175° west is ours –

peace, prosperity, and happiness.

And beyond thirty is the great unknown. Even our maps showed nothing beyond.

We were taught of nothing beyond. Speculation too was discouraged.

It was the Edict of 1972 that brought to fruition the historic slogan 'The East for

the East – The West for the West' following unprovoked hostilities from the East.

It severed all ties with the Old World, making it punishable by disgrace or death the crossing of

longitude 30° and 175° west, till chance made me do what no man had done in two hundred years and reverse

the drastic regulations of our long-dead ancestors.

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I was born in Arizona, in the United States of North America, in the

year 2116. Now, I am 21 years old.

The navy called to me, as did the free, wide, open spaces of the mighty

oceans. And so I joined the navy.

Halt engines!

My promotion was rapid, for I seemed to have inherited naval lore, my family

having served in the navy for generations.

At twenty, I became lieutenant-in- command of the aero-submarine

Coldwater. It was one of the first of the air and underwater crafts.

Though it had been improved since its launch, when I took command she was fit to be scrapped. But the government still

retained her, and sent me and two hundred men to patrol from Iceland to Azores.

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No, sir, we are sinking

now.

The Coldwater was equipped for two months' patrolling and a month had already passed

when our first misfortune occurred.

It was nighttime, and we were at an altitude of about three thousand

feet when the storm started.

With the coming of dawn, the clouds beneath us became a glorious sea of gold

and silver, soft and beautiful. But we knew the ocean was still storm-lashed.

Sir, the gravitation-screen generator number

one went bad about an hour and a half ago. We have been working upon it, but it is beyond repair. And the

trouble is, sir, number two has also stopped.

Is there sufficient reserve

power to land, or meet relief halfway?

Send a message to the secretary of

the navy. Meanwhile, continue

moving towards St Johns, and when we are forced to land

on water, we should continue in the same direction.

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The accident occurred directly over longitude 30° west and about 52° north.

The Coldwater was not designed for surface navigation except

under fair weather conditions, so to attempt to ride out such a storm

on the surface seemed suicidal.

Submerged or in the air, she was manageable enough, but

without her screen generators Coldwater was helpless. She

could not fly, and if submerged, could not rise to the surface.

To cross 30° west was the worst calamity that could befall

a naval commander, which in the present circumstances

seemed very possible.

Did you contact the secretary of the

navy as I asked?

The wireless is broken, Lieutenant Turck. I cannot send

the message.

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It is the year 2137…

The world has been divided into the western hemisphere and the forbidden lands of the eastern hemisphere.

No one knows better than Jefferson Turck, a lieutenant in the Pan-American Navy, that entering the eastern hemisphere is against the law.

However, during a terrible storm at sea, Turck is forced to take refuge in a land located within the forbidden zone. He is shocked by the unforgiving lands he fi nds himself in, and by the fearsome beasts that inhabit them.

In this alternative view of world history, Europe has been isolated from the rest of the world for over two centuries and has spiralled down into primitive barbarism.

Read The Lost Continent for a fantastic retake on history, as told by Turck’s adventures in the land that was all but lost to the world.

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