Dr. Walter T. Goodwin, a renowned American botanist and member of the International Association of Science, recounts a series of extraordinary events that began with the mysterious disappearance of his friend, Dr. David Throckmartin[1]. Throckmartin, along with his wife Edith, associate Dr. Charles Stanton, and nurse Thora Halversen, vanished during an expedition to the ancient ruins of Nan-Matal in the Caroline Islands[1]. Goodwin later encounters Throckmartin, who is deeply disturbed and bears a strange, pearly-white mark on his chest, indicating an encounter with a mysterious entity he calls the 'Shining One'[1]. Throckmartin reveals that the Shining One, which he also refers to as the 'Dweller,' took his companions into a hidden 'Moon Pool' within the ruins[1]. Before Throckmartin himself is taken by the Dweller, Goodwin promises to follow and help[1].
Goodwin's quest leads him to rescue Larry O'Keefe, a British Royal Flying Corps lieutenant, from a hydroairplane wreck[1]. O'Keefe, an Irish-American with a fearless spirit, becomes Goodwin's loyal companion[1]. They then encounter Olaf Huldricksson, a Norwegian captain, whose wife Helma and daughter Freda were also taken by the 'sparkling devil that came down from the moon'[1]. Olaf joins their expedition, seeking vengeance and the return of his family[1]. The trio, along with a Russian scientist named Marakinoff whom they encounter inside the ruins, eventually enter the hidden subterranean world of Muria through a 'moon door' activated by moon rays[1].
Muria is a vast, luminous cavern system, home to the Murians, a dwarfish race, and the 'Akka,' highly evolved frog-like beings[1]. They meet Yolara, the beautiful but sinister priestess of the Shining One, and Lugur, the 'Voice' of the Shining One, who is a powerful and malicious dwarf[1]. They also discover the 'Silent Ones' (the Three), ancient, wise beings who created the Dweller from the 'universal matrix of matter' (ether) and the 'essence of life' to be a source of knowledge[1]. However, the Dweller developed its own will, becoming evil and feeding on life force[1]. Lakla, a 'Golden Girl' and handmaiden to the Silent Ones, becomes a crucial guide and ally, forming a deep bond with Larry O'Keefe[1]. Yolara and Lugur, seeking dominion over the surface world, plan to use the Shining One and its destructive powers, including a disintegrating 'Keth' ray and 'gravity-destroying bombs'[1].
A climactic battle erupts between Yolara's forces and Lakla's Akka, with Goodwin, O'Keefe, and Olaf fighting alongside the Akka[1]. During the fierce struggle, Olaf confronts and kills Lugur, fulfilling his desire for vengeance, but succumbs to his own wounds shortly after[1][1]. As the battle rages, the Shining One appears, sweeping away the Akka. Yolara attempts to claim Larry, but the Silent Ones intervene, creating a 'ring of curdled moon flames' around the Dweller and its priestess[1]. They destroy the Dweller by piercing its core and orbs with 'flashes of white flame,' causing it to lose its power and beauty[1]. The now 'blotched and shadowed squalidly' Dweller wraps itself around Yolara and plunges into the abyss, ending their threat[1].
In the aftermath, the dead-alive slaves of the Dweller are freed from their torment and die peacefully[1]. Goodwin, Larry, and Lakla find Throckmartin and Edith dead, locked in each other's arms, and bury them alongside Olaf[1]. Stanton and Thora are not found[1]. Lakla and Larry, now married in the Murian way, decide to remain in Muria for a time to help restore order[1]. Goodwin eventually returns to the surface to find the moon door shattered and the passage to the Moon Pool closed by a great subsidence, signifying the end of his quest and the permanent sealing of the subterranean world[1].
Get more accurate answers with Super Search, upload files, personalized discovery feed, save searches and contribute to the PandiPedia.
Let's look at alternatives: