Vladimir Obruchev’s "Sannikov Land," a summary Automatic translate

A science fiction novel about an expedition of political exiles to the Arctic, written in 1924. The work draws on real paleontological hypotheses from the early twentieth century about the survival of prehistoric animals in warm oases amidst the polar ice. The novel gained widespread recognition thanks to the successful 1973 film adaptation of the same name, starring Oleg Dal and Vladislav Dvorzhetsky. The film achieved cult status and attracted millions of viewers at the box office.

Preparing for the hike

A meeting of a learned society in St. Petersburg discusses Baron Toll’s lost expedition. A naval officer reports on the rescue effort and confidently declares the absence of a mysterious landmass north of the New Siberian Islands. A protesting cry from the exiled student Matvey Goryunov is heard from the audience. Academician Schenk calls the impudent young man to the library for a private conversation. Goryunov expounds on the theory of the existence of a warm island, citing the annual migration of birds and the long-lost existence of the northern Onkilon tribe. Schenk agrees to finance the expedition from his own pocket.

Goryunov travels to the snow-covered Siberian village of Kazachye. His fellow exiles, Semyon Ordin and Pavel Kostyakov, await him there. Experienced local hunters Nikita Gorokhov and Kapiton Nikiforov join the group. The travelers purchase sled dogs, sleds, and provisions. In the spring, the detachment sets out across the frozen Arctic Ocean. The route takes them past Bolshoy Lyakhovsky Island, famous for its mammoth ivory deposits. After examining the ancient fossil ice, the explorers head toward Mount Kigilyakh, then round Cape Vankin and reach Kotelny Island. From there, through the fog, they spot the dark peaks of an unknown landmass on the horizon.

Discovery of a warm oasis

The crossing of the open sea nearly ends in tragedy. An ice floe breaks loose during a fierce snowstorm, but the wind successfully pushes it onto the solid ice near the shores of the sought-after land. The travelers reach a high, snow-covered mountain range. Having reached the crest, they discover a vast, green basin below. Basalt walls surround the vast caldera, heated by the subterranean heat of a dying volcano. The descent proves extremely difficult, with the dogs slipping down the steep slope of a huge snowdrift. Nikiforov remains to guard the camp in a carved ice cave above. The four explorers descend into the valley.

Below, the travelers are amazed by the abundance of ancient flora and fauna. Woolly rhinoceroses, primeval oxen, and wild horses graze among the forests and meadows. A huge cave bear flees from the expedition dogs Mole and Belukha. The presence of hot geysers and periodically boiling lakes confirms the volcanic nature of the oasis. Soon, the group encounters the Onkilons — a people armed with bows and spears who left the mainland centuries ago. The roar of firearms leads the tribe to recognize the newcomers as messengers of the gods. Chief Amnundak warmly welcomes the guests into his spacious dugout.

Life among the Onkilons

The strangers learn of the Onkilons’ long-standing feud with the Wampu tribe — primitive savages of the Old Stone Age who also inhabit the basin. The Onkilon shaman declares that the presence of white people will ward off the misfortunes foretold by the spirits. At the spring festival, warrior competitions take place. Warriors throw spears through a lasso and shoot at a horse’s hide. Then the selection of brides begins. The girls run away from suitors in a circle, allowing themselves to be captured only by the desired grooms.

The explorers obey local customs for safety. Ordin marries the beautiful Annuir, who falls deeply in love with him. Goryunov chooses Mata, Kostyakov chooses Papa, and Gorokhov chooses Raku. Their peaceful life is interrupted by an attack by savages. The Wampus kill the elderly at a remote camp and kidnap the children. Amnundak rallies his warriors for a punitive expedition. The explorers march with the detachment, armed with rifles.

They use burning brushwood to flush the savages out of the trees and storm the Wampu cave. Firearms sow panic among the enemy. The Onkilons rescue the surviving children and kill most of the enemy. During a separate foray, the explorers accidentally discover living mammoths, which the savages revere as deities. Ordin and Kostyakov shoot one old giant for measurements. Gorokhov frightens the returning Wampu with a rifle shot and leaves them a human skull on a horse’s leg as a warning.

The beginning of the disaster

The tranquil flow of time is disrupted by tremors. Earthquakes destroy several Onkilon dugouts. The sacred lake suddenly dries up, its water disappearing into a bottomless pit. Explorers secretly visit the northern edge — the Valley of a Thousand Smokes. They see dried-up fumaroles and the cooling soil of the Upper Cretaceous strata. Depressions that once exuded steam are filled with toxic sulfur gases. Underground channels have closed, depriving the basin of heat. The oasis faces imminent glaciation.

At night, a shaman sacrifices a captive wampu at the bottom of a dry lake, throwing the body and a stone tied to it into the hole. The water returns, but the cold continues to intensify. In August, heavy snow falls, the lakes freeze, and migratory birds hastily leave the basin. The Onkilons begin to blame white people for the early winter. Amnundak comes to the explorers’ dwelling with threats and forbids women from visiting them.

The shaman convenes a council and demands that the strangers be sacrificed to the underground spirits. Gorokhov, who has decided to remain with his new wife, Raku, is effectively arrested in Amnundak’s dugout. The Onkilons take his rifle. Goryunov, Ordin, Kostyakov, and the devoted Annuir secretly leave the camp at night. They rush to Nikiforov’s base. Gorokhov manages to steal a hidden spare rifle. During the night ritual, he hears the shaman call to kill the white people. Yakut kills the old sorcerer with a well-aimed shot and escapes to a tree.

The Death of an Oasis

A new powerful earthquake rocks the basin. Lakes overflow their banks, and a rapid flood begins. Water floods forests and clearings, destroying the Onkilon camps. Gorokhov escapes on a birch bark boat, fording turbulent channels in complete darkness. He takes refuge in the thicket from charging herds of wild bulls, horses, and rhinoceroses. In the morning, the Yakut finds the flooded dugout and sees the body of his wife, Raku, in the water, tied to a post by the Onkilons.

Above, near the ice cave, the ground cracks deeply. Another tremor causes the platform to collapse. Kostyakov and his sled fall into the abyss and are crushed beneath a pile of basalt boulders. His diaries, photographs, and priceless collections disappear with him. The sleeping camp nearly disappears into the abyss. The volcano awakens, flooding the northern part of the basin with molten lava and darkening the sky with thick smoke. Explosions shake the cliffs, and the flooded forests burn.

Gorokhov reaches a snowdrift on a piece of birch bark and reunites with Goryunov, Ordin, Annuir, and Nikiforov. The survivors climb up the carved ice steps onto the ocean ice. They watch as Sannikov Land disappears in a cloud of steam, smoke, and fire. The travelers set out on the long return journey by dog sled. Overcoming ice packs and brutal frosts, they reach Bennett Island. Food shortages force them to feed the weaker dogs to the stronger ones.

They cross dangerous polynyas by canoe and reach the mainland. Goryunov brings back to the capital only an oral account, a photograph of Annuir, and a few basalt fragments. Academician Schenk advises keeping the story secret until a future major expedition to avoid ridicule from fellow scientists.