The radio gun-runners

In Short

This fast-paced adventure novel blends the gritty, hard-boiled tone of 1930s crime fiction with the speculative wonder of a "hollow earth" fantasy. When a group of criminals seizes a yacht, the voyage defies all navigation, leading the passengers through the North Pole into an interior world of Vikings, prehistoric beasts, and strange magnetic anomalies. It is a quintessential example of early-twentieth-century pulp fiction, capturing the era’s fascination with scientific curiosity, social mobility, and the abrupt, violent clash between modern technology and mythical landscapes.

The Story

The story opens on the yacht Miami, where Tom Jones, a newly minted Harvard engineer, is enjoying a summer cruise off the coast of Newfoundland. His tranquility is shattered by "Scarface" Boston Jimmy and a band of city gangsters who hijack the boat to escape the law. The dynamic shifts quickly; the criminals are not merely looking for a getaway, but are following a lead into a mysterious northern passage. As they sail further into the Arctic, the compasses fail and the sun begins to behave strangely. The crew realizes they have passed through the North Pole into the interior surface of the earth, a realm where it is perpetual noon and the environment is governed by peculiar meteorological rules.

The journey soon devolves into a complex war. The gangsters, led by the mercurial Scarface, find themselves in a land inhabited by "Vikings"—descendants of earlier explorers—and a faction of locals known as Skraelings. Tom Jones, along with his friend Mike Murphy and a young stowaway named Theresa Ferreira, must navigate these treacherous loyalties. Scarface, despite his criminal background, evolves into an unlikely strategist, striking bargains with the Viking leader Angus Selkirk to secure resources and protection. The conflict moves from the sea to the land, involving guerrilla warfare, desperate escapes from prehistoric creatures like giant skunks and amphibious monsters, and a constant struggle for possession of the Miami and its modern weaponry.

As the narrative progresses, the characters are tested by the "magnetic" nature of the interior earth, which traps their machinery and forces them to rely on ingenuity and physical combat. The gangsters, particularly the sinister Nick Fratelli, continue to sabotage the efforts of the heroes, leading to a series of violent confrontations. In a final, climactic struggle, the power dynamics shift permanently. Tom and Theresa, having grown closer through their shared trauma and isolation, eventually find a way to navigate their plane out through the polar opening. They survive a crash landing off the coast of Nova Scotia and return to Boston, where they marry. The story closes with the couple living happily, though they are endlessly frustrated by the polite society of Boston, which dismisses their incredible tale as a fabrication designed to hide their unlikely romance.

How It Unfolds

The hijacking Tom Jones’s peaceful fishing trip is violently interrupted when a group of armed gangsters boards his yacht. The intruders display brutal efficiency, binding the original crew and commandeering the vessel for a mysterious voyage into the North.

The threshold of discovery As the yacht pushes beyond the known maps of the world, the crew observes the sun acting in direct opposition to their expectations. They realize they have crossed the Earth's curvature, entering a place where day and night are inverted.

The interior landscape The travelers encounter a strange, prehistoric world of giant flora, fauna, and a civilization of Vikings. The threat shifts from human enemies to the environment itself, including encounters with oversized, lethal wildlife.

The political maneuvering Scarface Jimmy and the remaining survivors attempt to integrate into the local power structure. They trade their modern firearms and technical knowledge for potential positions of influence, creating an uneasy alliance with the Viking settlers.

The final confrontation The internal strife between the gangsters reaches a breaking point, resulting in a lethal showdown. Tom Jones and his allies must overcome the last remnants of the criminal faction to secure their path to freedom.

The return to the surface Using a primitive glider and their collective engineering skills, the survivors navigate the magnetic anomalies of the interior. They successfully breach the polar orifice, returning to the outer world to face the skepticism of their peers.

The People

Tom Jones is the quintessential intellectual hero; a Harvard-educated engineer, he seeks to maintain his moral compass and scientific logic despite being thrust into a lawless environment. He matures from an innocent yachtsman into a pragmatic survivalist. Theresa "Terry" Ferreira begins as a tomboy stowaway who is consistently underestimated by the men around her. She proves to be incredibly resilient, eventually shedding her "gutter-snipe" reputation to become Tom’s devoted partner. Scarface Boston Jimmy is perhaps the most complex figure: a cold-blooded gangster whose intelligence and charisma make him a natural leader. He is defined by his ruthless pragmatism, yet he shows a strange, predatory fascination with the new world, constantly maneuvering for power. Nick Fratelli serves as the story’s primary antagonist, a cruel and short-sighted criminal whose constant reach for power and booze drives much of the conflict. He acts as the foil to the more disciplined Scarface, eventually meeting his end in the chaos of their final battle.

In Its Own Voice

"The navigator, Captain Antone Pease Ferreira, lay in the bunk room, dozing. Ferreira's sixteen-year-old tomboy daughter, who had come on the cruise with her father, was at the moment helping the Chink cook in the galley."

This passage provides the initial, peaceful state of the yacht before the hijacking interrupts the crew’s daily routine.

"If there is a pole, that's where we are now; and, if there isn't, we have an amazing adventure awaiting us inside the earth!"

Tom Jones acknowledges the gravity of their discovery as the yacht crosses the theoretical threshold of the interior world.

"They claim, these bluestockings, that it is all a mere yarn to cover up the bald fact that Tom has gone and married a little gutter-snipe whom he picked up somehow during the summer."

The narrator reflects on the social tension that greets Tom and Theresa upon their return, where their true story is rejected by society.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book explores the collision between the "civilized" world and the raw, untamed potential of the unknown. The interior earth serves as a mirror for the characters' true natures; stripped of the laws and social norms of Boston or Chicago, the men are defined by their capacity for adaptation. The narrative asks whether character is innate or determined by environment, as seen in the transformation of a "gutter-snipe" into a lady and a gangster into a power-broker. It also touches on the arrogance of human knowledge, showing how quickly modern science—represented by the yacht's motor and the gyroscopic compass—can be rendered useless by the sheer, overwhelming reality of an uncharted world.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the brisk, no-nonsense prose of 1930s pulp magazines will find this a satisfying read. It has the energetic pacing of a serial, designed to keep the reader turning pages, and it carries the charm of a bygone era of adventure writing where any horizon could hide a lost civilization. The experience is one of pure, unadorned escapism.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the book’s period-specific attitudes. The writing reflects the casual prejudices of the 1930s, particularly in its depictions of different cultures and the use of offensive caricatures. The dialogue is heavily stylized, relying on the slang and "tough-guy" vernacular common to the gangster films of that time, which may feel jarring or cartoonish today. The plot moves with such speed that character development often takes a backseat to the next physical struggle, which can make the story feel somewhat shallow. If you can approach it as a historical artifact—a snapshot of a time when "hollow earth" theories still held a shred of romantic wonder—you will appreciate it as a high-octane, if technically flawed, piece of fantasy entertainment that prioritizes immediate thrills over deep reflection.