Occasionally, Amazon sends me book opportunities. It's one of the best things about having a Kindle. In one of their mailings, Arthur Conan Doyle books were enumerated, and it had been a while since I had allowed myself to fall into a Sir Doyle book.

I read The Lost World as a kid, remembered being captivated, and loving it. It still has that magnetic quality that truly enduring classics contain. Sure, the vocabulary is a little sophisticated. Sure, there is a lot of exposition, but I feel that in something as fantastical as this, it is warranted. Exposition is how explanation occurs and how the magical becomes more palatable.

The Lost World begins with a reporter who is in love with a girl. He wants to propose, but she requires that he make something of himself before she commits. So he goes off with a disgraced scientist, Prof. Challenger, the scientist's rival, Prof. Summerlee, and the big game hunter, Lord John Roxton to find proof that Challenger's claims are steeped in reality.

What follows is a wondrous adventure, with accessible language, a timeless story, literary awe, and exploration. I found the novel appealing to my sense of wonder and caused me to want to read more non-Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Cât de frumos! Tocmai m-am întors dintr-o aventură care m-a marcat dinainte s-o încep ♥ Când te gândești că totul a început de la un serial de desene animate care-mi provoca fiori (și mă făcea să văd vraci nebuni și monștri peste tot, mai ales dacă afară era și furtună), când îți dai seama cât de tare face parte cartea asta din mine! REVIEW SOON

প্রফেসর চ্যালেঞ্জার সিরিজের মেইন ক্যারেক্টার জর্জ এডওয়ার্ড চ্যালেঞ্জার। স্যার আর্থার কোনান ডয়েলের সাইফাই, ফ্যান্টাসি সিরিজের প্রথম বই "দ্য লস্ট ওয়ার্ল্ড"। বদমেজাজি, রুক্ষ স্বভাবের হলেও সায়েন্সের প্রতি নিবেদিত প্রাণ। ডায়নোসররা যে আজও সম্পূর্ণভাবে বিলুপ্ত হয়নি প্রমাণ করতে চারজনের দলটি বের হয়ে যায়। প্রফেসর চ্যালেঞ্জার, প্রফেসর সামারলি, লর্ড রক্সটন, রিপোর্টার মেলোনের এক রোমাঞ্চকর অভিযান। বহুদিন পর এডভেঞ্চার নিয়ে এমন একটা বই পড়লাম। ডাইনোসর, ডারউইনের মিসিং লিংক, জুরাসিক ওয়ার্ল্ড, বানর-মানব, ইন্ডিয়ান, গ্যাস বেলুনের কাহিনী বহুদিন মনে রাখার মতো। বারবার মনে হচ্ছিল এমন অভিজ্ঞতা হলে মন্দ হয় না কিন্তু প্রাণটা যে হাতে নিয়ে ঘুরতে হবে!!!

WARNING: TERRIBLE LIZARDS CONTAINED WITHIN

The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle is the literary equivalent of the plucky and elegant Caudipteryx when placed next to the stomping roaring Tyrannosaurus that represents the Hollywood mega block busters of Jurassic Park and the Lost World. If it doesn't zip along fast enough it might get squashed. But it does zip along quite speedily and has all the pre-requisites needed for a boys-own adventure story.

Specifically boys-own, because there are no ladies to speak of in this early 20th century romp. Well, there is one but she's nothing but a low down strumpet who cruelly breaks the heart of budding journalist and aspiring adventurer, Mr Edward Malone, so we'll not dwell too long on the tainting presence of those with an XX chromosome within these mostly men only pages.

The simian Professor Challenger is soundly mocked by British academe for his belief that he has discovered a lost world in South America. He claims that he has evidence (literally sketchy at best) to prove the existence of the sort of place that would make Darwin weep into his Earl Grey and have Linnaeus pissing in his britches with excitement. Prof Challenger, like so many Profs of my own acquaintance does not take kindly to criticism or disbelievers, so rallies a group of hardy adventurers to strike out for the Amazon basin with the aim of bringing back proof.

The journey is narrated and documented by Edward Malone who, it seems is willing to put up with all manner of aggravation and patronising comments in order to get his front page story.

After a long and winding journey down the Amazon and finding a way onto the prehistoric plateau, disaster strikes and the group become trapped... and then in the tradition of many great foreign exploits and invasions, realise that being decidedly British and having impressive facial hair are not actually the same thing as having food, supplies and a plan. Numerous encounters with prehistoric beasties are fast and fierce although Mr Malone lacks a bit when it comes to descriptive faculties so instead of giant snarling monsters, you would be forgiven for thinking that the group is being pursued by an overly large and bellicose toad. Angry Anura aside, the Amazonian canopy is also sheltering two sub species of humans. Angry ape-men and meek, mild and more evolved homo sapiens type.

Now keep in mind that the explorers are there for King and Country and therefore the most logical thing to do is slaughter the group that seem less advanced and embark upon a programme of what amounts to basic ethnic cleansing. How terribly colonial. Having dispatched what might have been the missing link, without so much as the blink of an eye or an ethnographic study, the victorious Englishmen return home with the proof they need and a front page story guaranteed to knock Scott of the Antarctic off the front pages. In your face Scott. Ok, no one actually says that in the book.

An entertaining and generally quite wholesome read if you can somehow overlook the colonial-ness of the tome. The dinosaurs are not as scary as anything offered up by unholy-wood in recent times but it's fair to say that, even though it's over one hundred years old, this tale still has some bite.

Hey, look, it's the original Jurassic Park!

I knew A.C. Doyle wrote more than just Sherlock Holmes, but I rather forgot about it until now, when I saw this available as part of the AmazonClassics line. Narrated brilliantly by Gary Furlong, this story follows Professor Challenger and his band of three as they head to South America to prove the existence of pre-historic animals in the modern age. Told from the POV of journalist Ed Malone as a series of letters/articles, we follow our explorers as they tread through the jungle to the plateau where these creatures live. Too busy asking themselves if they could rather than if they should, they barrel ahead into disaster like moths to a flame.

Whereas the Holmes stories could be a little on the dry side at times, the story here comes alive through the accounts of Malone as he tries to grapple with everything that he saw. We not only get captivating descriptions of this world and their journey to discover it, but we also get character development with all four guys and get to see how their relationships change because of their trials. Is the premise a little ridiculous? Of course it is. But no less than genetically engineered dinosaurs from blood found in fossilized mosquitos. It was kind of a trip listening to what Doyle supposed dinosaurs might look like or act like, or how they lived. In my lifetime, dinosaurs went from being thought of as the ancestors of reptiles to being closer to birds, from being drawn with scales to being drawn with feathers. But Doyle doesn't stop at dinosaurs, and that's where this kind of falls apart just a little. He threw in pretty much everything but the kitchen sink, and I didn't really think that was completely necessary.

Side note: There are a lot - and I mean, a LOT - of racial slurs, and negative racial tropes and stereotypes that were common for the time that some readers might find uncomfortable, so be aware of that.

So to-morrow we disappear into the unknown. This account I am transmitting down the river by canoe, and it may be our last word to those who are interested in our fate. I have, according to our arrangement, addressed it to you, my dear Mr. McArdle, and I leave it to your discretion to delete, alter, or do what you like with it. From the assurance of Professor Challenger's manner--and in spite of the continued scepticism of Professor Summerlee--I have no doubt that our leader will make good his statement, and that we are really on the eve of some most remarkable experiences.

Arthur Conan Doyle is most prominently known for his Sherlock Holmes mystery stories, but The Lost World has proven to me that he can also write a great and quintessential adventure novel. The book starts off by outlining the discrediting and subsequent disappearance from academic life of Professor George Edward Challenger. The cause of his being discredited is somewhat of a mystery, though stories have been floating around about some crazy claims he made after returning from a trip to South America.

A press reporter, Edward Malone, interviews Challenger and finally gets the hot-tempered academic, who never discusses his trip to South America for understandable reasons, to open up about it. He claims to have found a "Lost World" within the, at the time, largely-unexplored Amazon rain forest in South America. He claims this region contains dinosaurs thought to be long-extinct, among other incredible wonders. Eventually, an expedition is mounted to prove his claims, and the cast of characters on this expedition is fantastic; they are all unique, but play off each other remarkably well. The expedition consists of:

Professor Challenger: the narcissistic, hot-tempered, flamboyant head of the expedition, looking to salvage his reputation and humiliate his critics

Professor Summerlee: the normally calm and collected academic, a voice of reason, but one who loves to argue with Professor Challenger and get under his skin

Edward Malone: the soft-spoken but brave reporter

Lord John Roxton: the bushy-mustached, armed-to-the-teeth adventurer and big game hunter, skilled with a rifle and sharp as a whip

Together they embark on their fascinating expedition, taking part in a number of thrilling and highly entertaining adventures that keep the pages turning. The book can be a bit slow and dense at times, but at a brief 172 pages in length these problems never have time to persist for long, and the rewards offered by the story are well worth slogging through these parts. It's also, unfortunately, quite a racist book, reflecting the unfortunate attitude toward and treatment of coloured and native peoples at the time. That being said, if you can overlook these shortcomings, this book is otherwise unlikely to disappoint.

Highly recommended!

4.5 stars

The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle


As much as I adore the Sherlock Holmes stories it always saddens me that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s other fiction often gets overlooked. He wrote superb historical novels, some great horror short stories (including the one the movie The Mummy was based on, tales of adventure on the high seas and just about every other genre you can think of. And he wrote science fiction. Like The Lost World.

This short novel is not quite my favourite Conan Doyle science fiction tale. The Maracot Deep is for my money stranger and more original. But The Lost World, published in 1912, remains the classic story of its type.

A young newspaperman named Malone sets out to impress his girlfriend Gladys by doing something brave and daring. And attempting to interview Professor Challenger certainly requites both courage and daring. The eccentric scientist has a famously violent temper and has put a number of journalists in hospital. And he’s in an even worse mood since he returned from his recent expedition to South America.

Challenger had came back with an extraordinary tale to tell but unfortunately his supporting evidence had been lost on the return journey and his account was met with ridicule and venomous hostility by his many scientific enemies. Surprisingly he takes a liking to young Malone and invites him to a lecture he is giving. When the Professor tells the audience that he had discovered a lost world filled with prehistoric creatures he is greeted with laughter and catcalls. He throws out a challenge to anyone prepared to set out for South America to establish the truth of his story. There are three volunteers - Professor Summerlee (his most bitter scientific adversary), famous big-game hunter and adventurer Lord John Roxton and Malone whose enthusiasm and determination to impress Gladys got the better of him.

And there is indeed a lost world. An immense plateau which seems to have no means of access, but eventually our intrepid explorers find an ingenious way to enter this forgotten land. They find dinosaurs, isolated for millions of years, but other more advanced forms of life has at various later times managed to reach this plateau. There is a primitive human civilisation, and there are apemen.

Other lost world tales have more ingenious and more inventive plots but there are two areas in which Conan Doyle’s story stands supreme. The first is simply Conan Doyle’s skill as a story-teller. The second is characterisation, most importantly in the creation of the extraordinary personage of Professor Challenger. Challenger is not merely eccentric and irascible, he’s violently insane and frighteningly unstable. But he is a genius, and he is immensely entertaining.

The Lost World is a ripping adventure yarn. Recommended.

Приключението - такова, каквото трябва да бъде! Стъпка в неизвестното.

Нова земя, нови видове (или по-скоро стари).
Оставяме настрана научното обосноваване за съжителство на хуманоидна маймуна и динозаври, защото това не е научно четиво. Все пак ще се открият някои елементи от антропологията и геологията. Сър-ът не е някой, който не си пише домашните.
Скачайте смело в джунглите на Амазонка!

Can we start with how this book (written in 1912) was based off of the n  "Friend Zone"n??

"Poor" Edward Malone confesses his love for a girl but she is not interested. She tries telling him nicely, rudely and all ways in between but he just doesn't get it.

n  She could but refuse me, and better be a repulsed lover than an accepted brothern

So, finally, in a fit to be tied, she makes up some excuse - that he's not adventurous enough for her - that he's not a daring-and-dashing hero. And so, Edward, a journalist, races off to find the craziest adventure he could possibly find.

And boy-oh-boy does he find one hellova adventure.

Edward meets Professor Challenger - an adeptly named adventurer - who just came back from an exhibition. The professor is sprouting a whole host of impossible claims - including that dinosaurs have managed to survive and thrive deep in the jungle.

Edward, the professor and few scientists set off in search for this "Lost World" and discover something far more exciting in the process.

Periodic racism and sexism

n  My instincts are all against a woman being too frank and at her ease with me. It is no compliment to a man.n

Ahhh.... there's nothing blatantly obvious periodic racism and sexism to wake you up in the morning.

n  Zambo, who is a black Hercules, as willing as any horse, and about as intelligent.n

From the half-breeds to "their loyal negro" to the literal annihilation of an entire species . . . This book is a "wonder."

n  There are times, young fellah, when every one of us must make a stand for human right and justice, or you never feel clean again.n

How ironic - considering the first thing they do when they discovered Ape-men was form a posse to slaughter them and sell them into slavery.

Now, if you can ignore all of that - this was a pretty good novel.

It had adventure and mishaps and mayhem. Our meek journalist really finds his stride and absolutely thrives on his journey. If only Sir Arthur Conan Doyle didn't play up the servitude and slaughter all the non-white characters...

Audiobook Comments
Read by Glen McCready - an excellent narrator

The Finer Books Club - 2018 Reading Challenge: A book AJ Rocks has read

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Journalist Edward Malone wants to show the girl he loves that he can be adventurous, so she can fall in love with him. He packs his bags and travels with a group of explorers to investigate a plateau in the jungle that's rumored to contain prehistoric life.


This is a classic for a reason and a powerhouse of a lost world story. It’s quite a strong read. It's a solid and adventurous plot with a steady pace and full of excitement. There’s fascinating world building that brings us dinosaurs and missing links. The characters are also really interesting and they show us readers exactly what they’re made of. Professor Challenger has an aura of greatness but he is hot-tempered and arrogant. Edward Malone shows courage but it’s his pride that motivates him as he wants to prove his worth to the girl he loves. Both protagonists have their flaws. But they’re also adventurous, charismatic and idealistic. And when they fall down, you can be sure they’ll get back up again. At the end of the story, Malone is no longer the man he was in the beginning. He grows throughout this adventure and he walks away from it a much stronger person. I absolutely love his character arc to be honest.

This book does not deserve the praise it gets. Not only is it filled to the brim with racism with equating a black man to different animals and saying he is as "dumb as one", referring to biracial people as "half-breeds" and practicing colorism to prefer them over Indigenous people who are not half white, and illustrating Indigenous people to be absolutely enamored with Europeans they immediately on sight want to carry their luggage everywhere. The writer and main character were both equally pompous idiots.
The main character goes on this entire adventure because he refuses to accept the word 'no' from the woman he is obsessed with. Racism, toxic masculinity, refusal to respect a woman's choice to deny his advances, and an incredibly dull story is what lies in the pages of this dreadful book. I don't care what year this was written; I don't make excuses for disgusting content like this. Plenty of other books that were written far before Doyle's time managed to write best sellers that didn't necessitate racism or sexism to tell their stories.

This is another historical "hot take" on dinos in scifi, and it's like...exactly what you'd think?

Did you think phrenology and dinosaur love could be separate? Oh, you sweet summer child.

It's like, fine, it's fun, as long as you say "well, grampa did coke like every day" and then shake your head and enjoy Jurassic Park with Jeff Goldblum as a sex idol.