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{{Short description|1951 novella by Lyon Sprague de Camp}}
{{Infobox
| name = The Continent Makers
| title_orig =
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| caption = Cover of the April, 1951 issue of ''[[Thrilling Wonder Stories]]'', illustrating ''The Continent Makers''
| author = [[L. Sprague de Camp]]
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| series =
| genre = [[Science fiction
| publisher = ''[[
| pub_date = April, [[1951 in literature|1951]]
| english_pub_date =
▲| media_type = Print ([[Hardcover|Hardback]])
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}}
'''
▲'''"The Continent Makers"''' is a [[science fiction]] [[novella]] written by [[L. Sprague de Camp]], a story in his ''[[Viagens Interplanetarias]]'' series. It was first published in the magazine ''[[Thrilling Wonder Stories]]'' in the issue for April, 1951. It first appeared in book form in the collection ''[[The Continent Makers and Other Tales of the Viagens]]'', published in hardcover by [[Twayne Publishers]] in 1953, and in paperback by [[Signet Books]] in 1971. It has also been translated into [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]], and [[Italian language|Italian]].
Geophysicist
A sinister group concealing itself under the mask of the bogus
▲== Plot summary==
When Graham becomes involved with
▲Geophysicist '''Gordon Graham''' is a participant in the '''Gamanovia Project''', whose mission is to increase the land area of the overpopulated twenty-second century '''Earth''' by creating new continents through the manipulation of geological forces. The project's initial goal is to raise a new land mass to be called '''Gamanovia''' around the existing '''[[Ascension Island]]''' in the '''[[Atlantic Ocean|South Atlantic]]'''. The name of the proposed new continent was chosen to honor fifteenth century [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] navigator [[Vasco da Gama]], the first European to navigate the region's waters, and for [[João da Nova]], who discovered Ascension Island a few years later.
The enemy is gradually
▲A sinister group concealing itself under the mask of the bogus '''Churchillian Society''', supposedly dedicated to proving that the works of twentieth-century dramatist [[George Bernard Shaw]] were actually written by [[Winston Churchill]], is attempting to discover the secrets of the project. The Churchillian Society's "cover" purpose is a spoof on the present-day body of thought similarly dismissing [[William Shakespeare]]'s authorship of the Shakespeare plays on the grounds that he, as a commoner, could not possibly have written great literature.
An added problem for Graham is that the rescue of Jeru will gain nothing for him personally, but rather benefit only his rival Varnipaz; though Graham and Jeru love each other, people in her country wed on the basis of interest and advantage, considering love to have nothing to do with marriage.
▲When Graham becomes involved with '''Jeru-Bhetiru''', an alien women from the country of '''Katai-Jhogorai''' on the planet '''Krishna''', the society attempts to blackmail him into serving them by kidnapping and threatening to kill her. Instead, Graham allies himself with World Federation constable '''Reinhold Sklar''' and Jeru's fiance '''Varnipaz bad-Savarun''', a diplomat from the Krishnan kingdom of '''Sotaspe''', to thwart the plotters.
▲The enemy is gradually reavealed as a rogue band of '''Thothians''' from the [[Procyon]]ic star system, hoping to seize the new continent by claiming Ascension, which currently lacks any sovereign government. Graham and his cohorts find themselves in a tight race against time, in which the labyrinthine bureaucracies of the future Earth prove almost as much an impediment as the enemy, and the hypnotic powers of the reptilian alien '''Osirians''' bring about treachery within their own ranks.
▲An added problem for Graham is that the rescue of Jeru will gain nothing for him personally, but rather benefit only his rival Varnipaz; though Graham and Jeru love each other, people in her country wed on the basis of interest and advantage, considering love to have nothing to do with marriage.
== Setting ==
"The Continent Makers" is set on a future Earth governed by a World Federation in which [[Brazil]] has become the paramount great power, with Terran space travel monopolized by a Brazilian-dominated agency called the ''Viagens Interplanetarias'' ("Interplanetary Tours" in Portuguese). Interstellar travel is between the [[Solar System]] and nearby stellar systems is common, though limited to sub-light speeds, as the author eschews such common science fiction gimmicks as hyperdrives. Most reachable systems have life-bearing planets inhabited by alien races; an Interplanetary Council regulates relations between the various civilizations. Terrans and the reptilian natives of the planet [[Osiris]] are the main spacefaring peoples.
As dated in ''[[The Continent Makers and Other Tales of the Viagens]]'' and the 1959 version of de Camp's essay "The Krishna Stories," the action of "The Continent Makers" takes place in the year 2153 AD., placing it after "[[The Colorful Character]]", and making it the third ''Viagens'' story set on Earth in terms of chronology.
==Reception==
[[P. Schuyler Miller]], in a review of the collection, observed that the reader "may feel cheated to find that the title story, worth about one quarter of the book, takes place back on Earth," though finding its "various aliens" and "grand climax" worthy of comment.<ref>Miller, P. Schuyler. "The Reference Library," ''Astounding Science-Fiction'', v. 52, no. 3, November 1953, pp. 150-152.</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.supernovawiki.com/List_of_Planets_in_Science_Fiction List of Planets in Science Fiction]
{{L. Sprague de Camp}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Continent Makers, The}}
[[Category:1951 American novels]]
[[Category:
[[Category:American science fiction novels]]
[[Category:Novels by L. Sprague de Camp]]
[[Category:Fiction set around Procyon]]
[[Category:Works originally published in Wonder Stories]]
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