The Lost World

”Doyle’s modesty of language conceals a profound tolerance of the human complexity”-John Le Carré

“Every writer owes something to Holmes.” -T.S. Eliot

Although Sherlock Holmes is Arthur Conan Doyle’s most popular character, the introduction of Professor Challenger in The Lost World offers readers one of popular fictions most offbeat characters ever penned; In this thrilling adventure story the eccentric and ornery paleontologist leads an expedition into the deep jungle of the Amazon basin in search of prehistoric creatures. in the process they are taken prisoner by a tribe of ape-men and are caught in the middle of a conflict between their captors and a local indigenous tribe.

The Lost World is narrated by the unwavering young reporter Edward Malone, who yearns for a spectacular adventure in order to attract the affections of a love interest. When the journalistic opportunity arises to cover the story of the strange expedition of Professor Challenger, Malone accepts the dangerous assignment. The scientific and professional reputation of Professor Challenger had been compromised by his insistent theory that a long extinct species of prehistoric creatures was thriving deep in the Amazon. In the interest in reclaiming his credibility, Professor Challenger enlists four men, including Malone, to prove his theory.

Once in the Amazon, the expedition is joined by a flank of native guides who lead the group through the dangers of the jungle and to the remote plateau, which is completely cut off from the surroundings. When the four British explorers cross on a precarious bridge, one of the local guides destroys the overpass in an act of betrayal, trapping the four men on the mysterious plateau. Professor Challenger, Malone, and the other two men set up a camp, and in very little time discover the existence of the great beasts. Gripped in the fear of the great danger of the creatures, their bad fortunes turn worse when everyone but Malone are taken as prisoners by a strange tribe of Ape-Men who also inhibit the plateau. Still in captivity, the men are caught during a violent conflict between the Ape-men and a rival faction of indigenous inhabitants, yet they also have the opportunity for escape. The Lost World is among Sir Conan Doyle’s finest achievements, a thrilling science-fiction classic that...read more...