"The Lost World" by Arthur Conan Doyle
11:10 AM
Rating: 4.7/5
Summary (from goodreads):
In The Lost World, the first in a series of books to feature the bold Professor Challenger—a character many critics consider one of the most finely drawn in science fiction—Challenger and his party embark on an expedition to a remote Amazonian plateau where, as the good professor puts it, “the ordinary laws of Nature are suspended” and numerous prehistoric creatures and ape-men have survived. “Just as Sherlock Holmes set the standard—and in some sense established the formula—for the detective story . . . , so too has The Lost World set the standard and the formula for fantasy-adventure stories . . . ,” Michael Crichton writes in his Introduction. “The tone and techniques that Conan Doyle first refined in The Lost World have become standard narrative procedures in popular entertainment of the present day.”
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10155.The_Lost_World
The Lost World is a very entertaining book written by the one and only Arthur Conan Doyle who is famously known for his Sherlock Holmes novels. It is about three brave men, and one who wants to prove his bravery to the love of his life, who go on an expedition to prove a very violent professor's claim that there exists pre-historic life in South America.The novel is actually very slow-paced and includes some science, making it quite boring at times, but it wasn't necessarily a book you wouldn't want to finish. Even though I put the book down several times and wouldn't go back to it for a day or two, I always had the intention of finishing The Lost World because it did have a good plot. It was a book the kind of book where the characters were in constant danger, so it had the effect of making the reader think their favorite character might die, which is mainly why I kept going back to it.
One thing I really like about The Lost World, along with all of Arthur Conan Doyle's writing, is the amount of imagery and description. When reading the books he writes, it slips your mind that the people in his novels are only characters. They all have distinct personalities and characteristics and the way he describes them, it puts a clear and vivid image in your head of what they look like. Arthur Conan Doyle makes you love these characters in times of happiness and grieve them in times of sadness. Not only the people, but the places he describes, especially in The Lost World since he had to make it up from his imagination, it puts you in awe. I just think since I am speaking of his books, he deserves to be credited for his efforts.
The Lost World is written in the point of view of the man who wants to prove his bravery: Mr. Malone. I found this really irritating at some points, especially the beginning, partially because the woman he wants to marry, Gladys, is extremely annoying and naive, saying she wants to marry only a brave and perfect man, which is the reason she refuses to marry Mr.Malone. The other reason I found this irritating was because I found Mr.Malone very pathetic at times, saying he's only going on this expedition for her, even though he's gained quite a lot of knowledge and met amazing people due to this journey.
Despite the main character's foolish personality, there were other characters I absolutely adored...mainly the other three men that also went on this expedition. There were two professors that went on this journey, the violent one and another, and I have to say, their relationship was one I wouldn't want to see ever die out. They would constantly bicker about science trying to prove each other wrong, making it seem as if they couldn't stand the sight of each other, but they both actually really cared deeply about each other, not wanting one another to ever be in harm's way. The same goes for the other two that were came on this expedition: Mr. Malone and Lord John Roxton. When I was first introduced to Lord John Roxton, I did not think I would like him at all, but he proved himself to be worthy of my love by showing courage, humbleness, and sincerity.
My favorite part of The Lost World has to be the ending. I say this because I thought it would revolve around the love story between Mr.Malone and Gladys, but thankfully it wasn't. It was much better. You have to read it to find out.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is willing to cope with Mr.Malone's foolishness and the dry parts where science is involved.
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