ON A TORN-AWAY WORLD or THE CAPTIVES OF THE GREAT EARTHQUATE is a boys’ science fiction adventure novel published by CUPPLES & LEON in 1913 under the pseudonym, ROY ROCKWOOD. The novel is number six in the GREAT MARVEL SERIES. This edition is dedicated to Bob McGeeney, collector, artisan, and history of fantasy and science fiction, especially the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Publisher’s note: This book includes outdated and potentially offensive terminology, racial stereotypes, and racist attitudes due to its historical context. The language and attitudes therein do not reflect the publisher's views, but have been left unchanged for historical accuracy. Additionally, the spelling and punctuation has not been changed. The novel focuses on the adventures of two boys, Jack Darrow and Mark Sampson, under the guidance of the brilliant Professor Henderson. They have just completed building an advanced airship called the Snowbird and embark on a test flight. During their journey or shortly after, a cataclysmic natural disaster (an earthquake, often tied to a passing comet in some descriptions) tears a large fragment of the Earth into space. The protagonists are left to survive on this new "world," which has its own atmosphere and unique, dangerous landscapes. The narrative explores themes of: Survival and Adaptation, Exploration and Discovery, and Ingenuity and Resilience: The story is a testament to human ingenuity and the pioneering spirit, focusing on the characters' efforts to work together, solve problems, and search for a way to return home.