WE ARE DELIGHTED to present the unfinished manuscript of what would have been another example of J. T. Edson’s fantasy fiction—The Amazons of Zillikian. For all you Bunduki fans out there, the name of the planet should be familiar enough, but if you’re coming across it for the first time, let us tell you more:
Zillikian is a counter-Earth planet (i.e. located at the L3 Lagrange point which is opposite the Sun in the same orbit as Earth). The planet is very similar to Earth in climate and wildlife, albeit without the industrialization of humans that Earth has. In the opening to Bunduki, the main protagonists are transported from Earth to Zillikian. It is also revealed that the remainder of the Greystoke clan has gone to live in Pellucidar—the inner world created by Edgar Rice Burroughs in At the Earth’s Core and others. Bunduki and Dawn Drummond-Clayton are appointed by the God-like ‘Suppliers’ to act as the judge and jury for all Zillikian without being sanctioned by the tribes on the planet.
I believe the novel you now hold sits between Bunduki and Dawn and Sacrifice to the Quagga God. As in the latter, Beryl Snowhill and her Amazons come to Bunduki’s aid.
Only nine chapters of this novel exist, and here they are in their entirety, together with endnotes and appendices. Sadly, we have been unable to find any form of synopsis or guide that might have told us how the story would end. However, it is such a rarity, and sure to be valued by J T Edson’s many fans and completists, that we felt it was a privilege to issue it, even in this truncated version.
The Amazons of Zillikian teases us with the wild adventures J. T. intended to take us on with his trio of battling beauties: Beryl Snowhill and her cousin Charlotte Topper and maid, Jill Jervis. J. T.’s own script to the intended back cover copy is also reproduced here.
In addition to the back cover copy, J. T. left notes on his ‘Suggestion On The Cover Artwork’ and ‘Second Page Action Copy’. Again, we’ve reproduced these here. This is, so far as we know, everything that exists relating to The Amazons of Zillikian … and we sincerely hope you enjoy what we can now share with you.
I can just imagine J. T. smiling down on you, his readers, who are finally getting the chance to read his unfinished adventure-escapism novel.
Mike Stotter
Editor