I have read and enjoyed most of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes mystery stories. This is the first time I am reading one of his science fiction novels The Lost World and I must say that I enjoyed it just as much.
I love Conan Doyle’s style of writing. It’s so crisp and precise. Sort of reminds me of another favorite of mine – Isaac Asimov.
The premise of the novel is as follows:
Professor Challenger returns from the Amazon jungle with wild stories of having discovered prehistoric life still existing, only to be mocked by other scientists and the general public. To prove his find, he leads another expedition to the Amazon. To impress the lady he loves, reporter Malone (the story’s narrator) decides to join up. They then face various adventures before returning successfully with ample proof of prehistoric life.
This novel is fast-moving and very easy to read. The story is set in the 1920s but does not seem dated at all. Even more astonishing, the fact that I have read far more recent and far more famous novels on the same theme (Jurassic Park and The Lost World by Michael Crichton) did not take away my enjoyment of this novel.
In fact, I appreciate it all the more because it has been a source of inspiration to Crichton. Some of his descriptions of the jungles and the dinosaurs themselves have definitely been sourced (not copied, mind you!) from Conan Doyle’s novel.
All in all, a great read, and highly recommend it to all!
Simply superb book review.
I haven’t known anyone who has read Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes for a while. I collect (and read) old books and have a couple of his, though I haven’t read the one you are in the midst of reading now.
Have you ever read any Orison Swett Marden? Wonderful to me. Bless your heart!
Ya, I love Sherlock Holmes. Got introduced to the series through a popular BBC show that made me read the entire series. I haven’t tried Orison Swett Marden, thanks for the recommendation, will check it out.
And thanks for visiting my blog 🙂