
“ *This I hold*
CHAPTER I THE STORY OF THE REGINA
CHAPTER II THE REGINA GIVES UP HER SECRET
CHAPTER III VOX POPULI
CHAPTER IV MUSCÆ VOMITORIÆ
CHAPTER V AN INNOCENT OFFENDER
CHAPTER VI THE DOOMED PLANET
CHAPTER VII THE STORY OF A STAR
CHAPTER VIII A JOVIAN BUG
CHAPTER IX TESTING THE WEB
In the quiet of the Arctic’s “Garden of the Earth,” two intrepid companions, Ross Ainley and Gilbert Eastern, drift beneath their tethered airships, sharing a modest picnic of strange, homemade rations. Their conversation flits between the absurd—egg capsules and pink paste—to the scientific, as they sterilise water, test powders, and marvel at the pristine sky above. The landscape unfurls like a living tapestry, a moss‑covered forest that seems to pulse with secret life, inviting the duo to probe its hidden depths.
The narrative soon turns to the enigmatic airship Regina, a vessel that carries more than cargo—its very name hints at a concealed treasure worth gold. As the friends uncover a cryptic passage hidden within the ship’s log, they are drawn into a web of intrigue spanning laboratories, distant planets, and whispered conspiracies. Listeners will find a blend of whimsical humor, vivid natural description, and the promise of a larger adventure that beckons beyond the frozen horizon.
Language
en
Duration
~9 hours (573K characters)
Release date
2026-02-05
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1865–1932
A remarkably wide-ranging Victorian-era writer, he moved easily between popular science, speculative adventure, and practical nonfiction. His books pair curiosity about the natural world with a taste for imaginative travel beyond it.
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