The Poison Belt

Professor Challenger #2

by Arthur Conan Doyle, Katya Reimann (Introduction)

"Nothing could be done. The thing was universal and beyond our human knowledge or control. It was death for young and old, for weak and strong, for rich and poor, without hope or possibility of escape."

 
Must Professor George Challenger and friends, barricaded in a room, see Earth die? As globe passes through a belt of poisonous ether, terror sweeps mankind; cities riot; communications cease. Novella.

Genres: Science Fiction, Classics, Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Audiobook

93 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1913

About the author

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.

Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, Sir Arthur...you sage, you luminary, you genius!! What a memorable, momentous achievement, my good chap! Simply stupendous!! It's just

A singularly superb accomplishment!!

Oh, forgive my loquaciousness, I don't mean to prattle on so (you certainly never would), but I just find it so spirited and impressive.

Hmm...pardon? To what am I referring...oh, excuse me. Let me explain.

First, you create one of the most iconic literary characters in all of history and easily the most celebrated detective of all time...namely Batman Sherlock Holmes. You then create dozens of stories featuring The World’s Greatest Detective that enjoy such incredible popularity that the masses salivates at the mere hint a new story is going to be released.

So what do you, the great Sir Arthur, do?

You use that enormous popularity as a spring board to finally publish that novel that’s been kicking around in your brain for years. You know the one called The Lost World starring that other intrepid genius, Professor Challenger. The character you created after that petulant scoundrel H.G. Wells called you a “one hit wonder” and wagered that you couldn’t produce another sustainable literary character to save your life.

Well, you certainly showed that smack-talking assclown, did you not?

Hell, you already had a built-in audience for the novel, especially since the publisher duplicitously cleverly decided to downplay the fact that Sherlock Holmes was not the star of the novel. And lo and behold, the book turned out to be fairly popular and the people genuinely seemed to like Professor Challenger, seeing him as kind of a rugged, abrasive mirror to the Great Detective.

Of course, The Lost World was certainly not as popular (or as profitable) as Sherlock Holmes. So being the astute businessman that you are, you naturally decided to focus the brunt of your creative energy into producing the next Holmes masterpiece. HOWEVER, that certainly didn't mean, in the interim, that the money had to stop rolling in now did it. Of course not.

You’re Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for crying out loud! You could wipe your ass and put your name on it and it would be a bestseller.

What to do, what to do....WAIT, you said...how about a sequel to The Lost World? Of course, no sequel was ever intended and you didn't have the foggiest whiff of a clue of an idea what the plot for such a story would be. BAH!! Details, merely details. A lesser person might have given up, but not you sir.

YOU are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.


So you let your mind go blank and clamped onto the first thought that popped into your noggin. Suddenly, it hit you. What was it that the homeless opium addict was ranting about the other night when he passed you on the street? You think back...right before you pushed him down into the gutter and beat him with your cane for asking you for some change. It was something about the air being poisoned and Judgment Day and the world’s pending destruction.....and you think PERFECT!! All I have to do is play with that and throw Professor Challenger into the mix and it practically writes itself.

Or course, a lesser writer might have delayed putting ink to paper until they had researched the science thoroughly in order to make the plot as accurate as possible. I can see you now Sir Arthur, staring at such a cad with a long, perplexed look before finally shaking your head in bewilderment at the naivete of some people. Without further delay, you sit down, begin to write…..AND THE POISON BELT IS BORN!!!!
.
.
.
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Okay, while the above was just me being playful, it was inspired by the kind of thoughts that kept occurring to me while I was reading this. Don't get me wrong, the story is not BAD and I have no complaints about Doyle's prose as he was a good writer. I just didn’t find the plot or the characters (except for Professor Challenger) very interesting or compelling. He just seemed to have phoned this one in.

The story basically involves a poisonous belt of “aether” (the substance that a century ago was believed to have occupied all of space and acted as a physical medium for other substances) passing over the Earth from space and apparently killing everyone except for Professor Challenger and his three cohorts from The Lost World who are protected as a result of Challenger’s foresight and preparations. The four people are stuck inside a room while the event occurs and eventually come out into the world to see the effects of the tragedy. THAT...IS...BASICALLY...IT!!!

Overall, I just wasn’t that interested in the story and so give it a passing great for quality of prose and an interesting main character but can’t go so far as to say I like it. It was just okay. 2.0 to 2.5 stars.

[Paul Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doyle's contribution to "post-apocalyptic" literature!

While Professor George Edward Challenger, a short, stocky, hirsute bull of a man is physically the complete opposite of Doyle's more well known protagonist, Sherlock Holmes, the same cannot be said of his pomposity, arrogance and mental dexterity. In that regard, he could well have been Sherlock's and Mycroft's long lost sibling.

As a scientist of the first order, comfortable in his astute, complex analysis of "the blurring of Frauenhofer's lines in the spectra both of the planets and of the fixed stars," Challenger concluded there had been a fundamental change in the ether that would "involve the ultimate welfare of every man, woman, and child upon this planet." In fact, his private prognostications were that the end of the world was at hand and, on the basis of that certainty, he issued a peremptory summons to his friends and colleagues from the "lost world" expedition - young Edward Malone, the reporter for the Daily Gazette; Professor Summerlee, a fellow scientist; and Lord John Roxton, gentleman adventurer and sportsman - to join him and his beloved wife as witness to the world's final hours!

Having only recently completed Conan Doyle's THE LOST WORLD, I expected THE POISON BELT to be a garment cut of the same cloth - a swashbuckling Victorian adventure tale of the exploits of heroic men's men! Not even close ... instead Doyle served up an optimistic, post-apocalyptic tale of a world given a taste of Armageddon and an unexpected second chance. Doyle's philosophical musings, disclosed through the conversations of the last five people to remain on the face of a dying earth, touched upon such tender ideas as love and friendship in the face of death. While Doyle might not have recognized it by the more modern label, his musings even wandered into what a modern cosmological philosopher would label the "anthropic principle".

A modern reader of THE POISON BELT will know that the notion of an all-encompassing ether in the universe has long since been debunked. But that single failing detracted not one whit from the quality of the story. That same modern reader, I expect, will also be unlikely to share Doyle's optimism regarding the world's reaction to a second chance at life. But, for myself, when I finished the story, I smiled and silently prayed that Doyle was right and I was wrong!

Enjoy!

Paul Weiss

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 2 out of 5]

The end of the world is approaching. The earth is about to enter a poisonous belt of ether. This will kill all human and animal life on earth, professor Challenger is sure of it. So he asks the companions of his legendary expedition to join him and his wife at his home and asks them to bring as much oxygen as possible. They shelter safely in one locked room with the oxygen as the earth passes through the poisonous belt.


I absolutely loved The Lost World, the classic from Arthur Conan Doyle. This sequel unfortunately pales in comparison. The concept is good. But it’s a very straight forward story that mostly takes place in one room. Compare that to the epic adventure story that brought us dinosaurs and missing links, and it feels a bit underwhelming. I can’t help but think that Arthur Conan Doyle downsized the scale of this story on purpose. Because he knew he couldn’t top the scale of the first one. That’s actually a very smart move. And it could have worked had the characters been as strong as they were in the first book of the series.


I absolutely loved these characters in the brilliant first book. The character arc of the narrator Malone was honestly incredibly good. Definitely one of the best character arcs I’ve read over the years. And I liked that the characters were so adventurous and idealistic. The characters here don’t really manage to stand out. They’re not even expecting to survive. They hope to stay alive long enough to ride it out, sure. But the fact of the matter is, they just want to stay alive long enough to watch everyone else die first. These are just not the characters I fondly remember reading about in the classic first book in the series.


I think the first book - The Lost World - is still very much worth reading. I mean, there’s a very good reason why it has so many adaptations. It’s a highly enjoyable classic story. And this sequel isn’t bad. It’s got a fascinating concept. And it’s actually surprisingly uplifting in its post-apocalyptic message. But I’m just too disappointed to rate this one higher, sorry.

[Charles van Buren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The end!

This review is from the following free Kindle edition:
Product Details
ASIN: B0083Z64UY
Publication date: May 16, 2012
Language: English
File size: 249 KB
Simultaneous device usage: Unlimited
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
Screen Reader: Supported
Enhanced typesetting: Enabled
X-Ray: Not Enabled
Word Wise: Not Enabled
Print length: 64 pages
Page numbers source
ISBN: 1547066741
Lending: Enabled

The end of the world! Or so it seems as Earth enters a poison belt in the ether of space which fills the apparent void between objects. A gulf stream in the ether as Challenger describes it. He, his wife and his companions from the Lost World prolong their lives thanks to Challenger's hurried preparations. But do they want to live on in a dead world?

Not one of Doyle's better efforts.

[Daren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story - less than 100 pages - forms the second of Conan Doyle's Professor Challenger series. We have the same cast of characters - Challenger, of course, Professor Summerlee, Lord John Roxton and Malone, the journalist who is our narrator. They are joined in this case by Challenger's wife.

There is very little to the plot, so spoilers abound I suspect, but most of this is pretty obvious from the outset. There a confused reports of large scale rioting and unrest in far away parts of the world, and according to Challenger the earth is passing through a poison belt of deadly ether. Challenger invites his companions to his house, bringing with them canisters of oxygen - yet they fail for foresee the obvious use of these.

So as they watch from windows where the local population collapse and die, they eventually use up their oxygen supply and preparing them selves for a final journey open the door. It is obvious from the outset that the worlds population don't die, but I won't spoil the fairly obvious ending.

I will say that this didn't come close to the highs of The Lost World, and the three stars awarded are probably 'only just'.

[Elina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Το πρώτο διήγημα πολύ καλό, το δεύτερο...οκ...

[Metodi Markov · Rating 2 out of 5]

Продължение на любима история от детството.

До скоро бях в неведение, че историята за ексцентричния професор Челинджър от "Изгубеният свят" не е само една. Може би и за добро...

Но ето, от издателство "Сиела" са се понапънали и са издали на български "Отровният пръстен" - не знам точно с каква идея. И предполагам, че няма да издадат третата книга от поредицата. :(

Книжката е кратичка, чете се бързо, но е остаряла безславно и няма какво толкова да предложи на съвременните си читатели.

Моята оценка - опасно близо до 1*.

P.S. Нямах големи очаквания и съответно не съм разочарован.

[Scott Rhee · Rating 3 out of 5]

What’s a proper English gentleman to do when faced with the end of the world? Why, commence tea time, of course, because nothing settles the spirit, mind, and body quite like a nice hot cup of Earl Grey with a dash of milk, no sugar, please, in the face of global destruction.

Professor Challenger, the brilliant albeit arrogant scientist who hypothesized---and proved---that dinosaurs still exist deep in the jungles of South America in Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Lost World”, returns in the sequel, “The Poison Belt”, in which he theorizes that the gas cloud emissions of a passing comet will envelop the Earth and kill every man, woman, child, and beast in its poisonous ether. He is right, of course.

It begins with reports of British colonies on the other side of the world “going dark” with mysterious communications black-outs and terrifying reports of people, en masse, fainting into oblivion. Challenger predicts that it will be mere days before the poisonous gas belt strikes London, killing everyone where they stand.

Challenger and his companions---pressman Edward Malone, adventurer John Roxton, and scientific rival/friend Professor Summerlee---along with his wife and servants all gather at his summer home in the countryside. It is there that they wait out the end, locked in a tea-room which has been safeguarded with protective shielding and several tanks of oxygen, in the hopes of perhaps outlasting the gas cloud or merely prolonging their lives for a few more hours.

In the meantime---tea!

It is difficult to describe the weirdness of this novel. Written in 1913, the novel is essentially one of the first true science fiction global disaster novels (H.G. Wells preceded him with a world-wide catastrophe in his classic 1898 novel “The War of the Worlds”), which probably helped inspire other now-classic sci-fi disaster novels such as Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer’s 1933 “When Worlds Collide” about a rogue planet on a collision course with Earth.

Unlike Wells’s or Wylie/Balmer’s novels, “The Poison Belt” is relatively staid in comparison. Indeed, a majority of the novel takes place in a single room of a country house in Sussex. The characters literally drink copious amounts of tea while lamenting the end of the world around them. It is almost laughably silly and humorous.

Except it’s not. (Well, not totally.) Doyle’s end of the world reminds me, in a creepy and truly unsettling way, of the oft-quoted line from T.S. Eliot’s poem “Hollow Men”: “This is the way the world ends/ Not with a bang but a whimper.”

It actually strikes me as completely reasonable and believable that Victorian-era Brits would face the untimely end of humanity in the exact same way that Challenger and his companions do. There is something utterly human and endearing about it.

Despite the ridiculousness of the science involved (keep in mind that this was based on a very real public fear of comets and their newly-discovered tails of gas and debris), one can quite easily suspend one’s 21st-century disbelief and feel the terror that these characters feel. There is even a scene near the end when Challenger and his companions walk outside and investigate the nearby towns, seeing the thousands of lifeless bodies of not only humans but birds, deer, foxes, dogs, cats, etc. scattered across the ground to the horizon, listening to the eerie silence. It is actually a truly disturbing scene.

Of course, Doyle doesn’t end the novel on a completely hopeless note. There is the relieving and inevitable happy ending, which shouldn’t strike any astute reader as a spoiler since Doyle wrote several more sequels after this one.

[Jim Dooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It fascinates me how my opinion of a book can significantly change during a re-read. I read THE POISON BELT back in high school, being a huge fan of the Sherlock Holmes canon and THE LOST WORLD. What I recalled most was thinking that THE POISON BELT was "okay," but I couldn't hide my disappointment. The great adventure that I was anticipating just didn't seem to be present.

Since I've been re-reading the Holmes stories, and I was completely transported by my return to THE LOST WORLD, I decided to give THE POISON BELT a revisit. Thank goodness I did. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The writer, Arthur Conan Doyle, obviously didn't intend this story to be another "grand adventure" on par with what had transpired on that South American plateau. First of all, THE POISON BELT is a novella, not a full-length novel. There is little attempt to acquaint the Reader with the characters, obviously assuming that THE LOST WORLD (which is referenced multiple times) had already been enough of an introduction to Professor George Challenger and company. I imagine that coming to this story first would leave an impression that it was populated more by caricatures rather than characters. (For this reason alone, I strongly recommend reading THE LOST WORLD beforehand.)

Secondly, there is a "grand adventure," but it is much less apparent than a remote plateau filled with dinosaurs. The central theme in THE POISON BELT is an examination into the practical, scientific, moral, religious and philosophical purpose of Life. The story involves Professor Challenger's discovery that the Earth is soon to pass through an "ether belt" in space ... the result likely being the extinction of all human Life.

Throughout the tale, characters prepare for their ultimate termination. Thoughts and discussions touch on so many different categories (including the metaphysical), and the pondering of just what will be lost beyond the the physical aspect of "being." This could have been incredibly pedantic and dull, yet Conan Doyle presents these thoughts as behavioral aspects of the different characters, adding an intriguing level of depth.

Mental explorations include:

* Is there a "transition" into what we would consider to be an afterlife?

* What did we mean to accomplish that we kept putting off ... until time ran out? Were these things important?

* What is Life? We naturally think of human existence. But, Life is vastly broader than that. What Life would still exist if humanity was gone, and what would that mean (biologically and philosophically)?

* Is securing more time for living the most important aspect of Life?

The story also invites speculation on the part of the Reader to ponder the choices that would be made if the end of personal existence was swiftly approaching. In this way, THE POISON BELT becomes more "participatory" than the Sherlock Holmes stories or THE LOST WORLD. It has been several hours since I finished reading the novella, yet I've mentally come back to consider different aspects of it a number of times.

THE POISON BELT transitions the Professor Challenger stories from being centered on the sheer entertainment value to also taking the time to look at the social concerns surrounding us. (I'm fascinated to consider how H.G. Wells would have handled this one.). Yes, I preferred THE LOST WORLD, but my perspectives were challenged by THE POISON BELT.

[Zornitsa Rasim · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5*

[Ira (SF Words of Wonder) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out my full, spoiler free, video review HERE. Short book with an interesting premise, themes and plot. Dark at times but ends on an upbeat finish.

[Maruf Hossain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it. I liked author's style. I also liked the character Professor Challenger, though he is arrogant. In fact, his arrogance is the reason of my liking. Also liked the story.

[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~]

DNF @ 29%

This is dumb.

[حبيبة · Rating 3 out of 5]

معرفش أنا كنت طفلة طبيعية ولا ايه، بس كنت بتخيل لو البشر كلهم اختفوا وبقيت لوحدي، وكل ما في العالم يبقى مِلكي، وميبقاش عندي مسؤوليات - طفولية - من أي نوع! وكنت بتبسط جدًا بهذا التخيل!
ماذا لو تحقق هذا الحلم الطفولي المريب؟

رواية مقبضة.. بتحكي عن نِطاق مسموم في الجو بتدخل جواه الكرة الأرضية، وبيموت البشر كلهم في ظروف غامضة وتتوقف الحياة.. ولكن.. هل هينجو أحد؟ واللي لم يستطيعوا النجاة.. هل ممكن يرجعوا؟

"لقد تبين للجنس البشري مدى ضعفه ووهنه إزاء تلك القوى الهائلة التي تحيط بنا، ولقد تلقينا هذا التحذير من قبل من كافة الأنبياء والرسل القدامى ولكنه - ككل قول صادق تألفه الأسماع - يفقد أهميته من حين لآخر، ومن ثم كانت الحاجة ماسّةً إلى درس، إلى تجربة تعيد هذا التحذير إلى مكانه في القلوب."

طبعًا النجاة في الرواية كانت نتيجة التمسك بالعلم والتفكير المنطقي السليم وحسن التصرف، ولكن مع التصور التطوري لنشأة الحياة، وإنه يعني الحمد لله في أميبا عايشة فأكيد هتتطور يومًا ما وترجع الحياة البشرية على الأرض!
عمومًا دا شيء مش مُستغرَب نظرًا لشخص كاتب الرواية والوقت اللي اتكتبت فيه.

"لا يدري أحدٌ أثرَ هذه التجربة الكبرى في البشرية وهل يحتفظ الناس بما لُقِّنوه خلالها من دروس الإذلال، ومن وجوب الطاعة والتقدير، فهل يعترف كل إنسان بضعفه ويلزم حده؟ أم أن الماديّة ستطغى عليهم مرةً أخرى وتنسيهم كل شيء فلا يذكرون تلك القوة القاهرة إلا عندما يلمسون بطشها عن قرب؟"

قراءة خفيفة سريعة ومخيفة نسبيًا 🤏🏻

[Huda Aweys · Rating 3 out of 5]

جيدة :) ... في البداية كنت فاكراها حكاية من حكايات (شيرلوك هولمز) بعد ماشفتها موسومة بإسم (آرثر كونان دويل) لكن اتفاجأت بأنها رواية من روايات الخيال العلمي .. عبر (دويل) من خلالها عن لمحات من قناعاته و ايمانه ، و من المعروف
إن آرثر كونان دويل كان عضو في جمعيات روحانية بتعني بالاتصال بالأرواح .. أو بالجن
و العفاريت بمعنى اصح :) ، و مع كده عجبتني الفقرة دى مع انه كان بيحاول فيها يبرر و يمنطق لعقيدته و انتمائه ، اللي موش متفقة معاهم كليا .. لكني حملتها (أي الفقرة :) ) على معنى تاني بيتفق مع عقيدتي و ايماني ! :)
...

قال تشالنجر : ألم تكن الأرض خالية من الكائنات الحية ، أو على الأقل خالية من الإنسان ؟! ألم تكن سابحة في الفضاء العريض ، تغسلها مياه الأمطار تارة ، و تجففها الشمس تارة أخرى ؟
إن الإنسان حديث عهد بوجوده على الأرض ، و لم يخلق هذا الكون من أجله وحده ..
علق جون : فلمن إذن ؟ إن لم يكن للإنسان
..
قال سمرلي : لا نعرف ، فربما كان لشئ نجهله ، و ظهور الإنسان كان مجرد نتاج فرعي في أثناء العملية الأصيلة الهائلة ...

كمان ناقش هنا في روايته موضوع التطور .. و الحقيقة انى ماعنديش مشكلة معاه اجمالا ، يعني في الحقيقة بيظل مبدأ الخلق نفسه موجود و لو لتلك الخلية الأولى .. و بالعكس ربنا عز و جل ادانا لمحة في القرآن الكريم عن التدرج و التطور دا و لكن لم يخبرنا عن الكيفية .. مثلا في قوله تعالى ( ثم خلقنا النطفة علقة فخلقنا العلقة مضغة فخلقنا المضغة عظاما فكسونا العظام لحما ثم أنشأناه خلقا آخر فتبارك الله أحسن الخالقين ) صدق الله العظيم...من سورة - ص
فواضح ان عندي مش��لة مع الكيفية .. يعني لسه ما اقتنعتش كفايه بفرضية داروين (كيفية تخيله للتطور) ، و الهياكل و الآثار اللى بيحللوها و بيدعوا انها الدليل على تلك الفرضية .. ما استبعدش ابدا انها هياكل لكائنات مشوهه .. احنا لانهاردة في القرن الواحد و العشرين بيتولد في عالمنا بشر مشوهين .. عمودهم الفقري مشوه .. عظام ساقهم او غيره
... !
و اخيرا هاختم مراجعتي للرواية بالإقتباس دا من نهايتها ..

لقد تبين للجنس البشري مدى ضعفه و وهنه إزاء تلك القوى الهائلة التي تحيط بنا و لقد تلقينا هذا التحذير من قبل . من كافة الأنبياء و الرسل القدامى ، و لكنه - ككل قول صادق تألفه الأسماع - يفق�� أهميته من حين لآخر ، و من ثم كانت الحاجة ماسة إلى درس .. الى تجربة تعيد هذا التحذير الى مكانه في القلوب

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

As short stories go, it was quite good, but despite it being well written, I felt the story didn't really go anywhere. I think once you read it you will realise why it couldn't really go anywhere in short story format.
Having said all that I still enjoyed it, especially meeting up with Challenger again.

[Atalántē · Rating 2 out of 5]

Niezłe głupoty, aż się wierzyć nie chce, że pierwszą część pisał ten sam autor. 2⭐

[Димитър Цолов · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5 ⭐️

Минуси:

- Безнадеждно остарялата и наивна към днешна дата „научна постановка“ на бедствието;
- Безобразните, типични за литературата от ония времена, гигантски спойлери, съдържащи се в самите наименования на главите.

Плюсове:

- Изключително лекият и четивен по принцип стил на Дойл, сравнен с тромавите текстове на много от тогавашните му колеги;
- Постапокалиптичната атмосфера, предадена чрез пътуването на главните герои към Лондон - творбата за мен си е чист ранен представител на въпросния научно фантастичен поджанр.

Истории за професор Челинджър, издадени на български

👉 Излезлите самостоятелно:

Изгубеният свят (The Lost World, 1912 г.)
Отровният пояс (The Poison Belt, 1913 г.)
Страната на мъглите (The Land of Mist, 1926 г.)

👉 И включените в Маракотовата бездна и други фантастични истории:

„Когато Земята извика“ (When the World Screamed, 1928 г.)
„Дезинтеграционната машина“ (The Disintegration Machine, 1929 г.)

[Ramy · Rating 3 out of 5]

الرواية هى الجزء تالى من سلسلة "الدكتور تشالنجر"
عن جماعة الدكتور تشالنجر العصبي العنيد الفظ
و البروفيسور سمرلي رجل العلم المعارض دوما - بالعلم - لافكار و اراء تشالنجر و ما ينبع بينهم من حوار علمي
و اللورد جون روكستون الجرىء الشجاع
و الصحفي نيد مالون الراوى لكل هذه المغامرات

لو اردت ان تقرأ عن الارض قبل كارثة قد تؤدى ب نصف سكانها اقرأ
الجحيم
اما لو اردت ان تقرا عن الارض على وشك كارثة قد تؤدى ب كل سكانها اقرأ هذه الرواية القصيرة
اما لو اردت ان تقرأ عن الارض بعد كارثة و بدأ ظهور القبائل الصغيرة مرة اخرى اقرأ
الطاعون القرمزي
اما لو اردت ان تقرا عن الارض بعد كارثة و فيها بطل وحيد لا يزال على قيد الحياة ..اقرأ
I Am Legend

ألرواية مكتوبة ف زمن كان هناك مفهوم الاثير ether
تفسير مشوش و غامض ل ما نعرفه اليوم ب الخواء "الفراغ" vacuum
مؤلف الرواية افترض مرور الارض فى الفضاء ب سحابة او غاز عبر اثيرها تسبب فى تغيير جو الارض
استنشق كل سكان الارض هذه المادة المسماة افتراض ب الدروتين "من الداتورة" فماتوا او هكذا اعتقد الابطال فى الرواية
ليمروا بتجربة نفسية مرهقة
حينما يكونو على شفا الموت
و يخرجوا منه باعجوبة ليخرجوا ليجدوا الكل مات
ليستعدوا للعيش فى عالم لا يحتوى سواهم
ثم لاحقا تنتهى الغمة و يعود كل شىء كما كان
بعد توتر للابطال و للقارىء
هى صغيرة و بسيطة و جديرة بالقراءة
و ان كان ليس فيها كثير من المغامرات مثل مغامراتهم الاولى
العالم المفقود

الكتاب القادم : الفئران والرجال

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Έκτο βιβλίο του Άρθουρ Κόναν Ντόιλ που διαβάζω και δηλώνω για ακόμα μια φορά ευχαριστημένος. Σε τούτη την ιστορία συναντιόμαστε ξανά με τους τέσσερις πρωταγωνιστές του άκρως ψυχαγωγικού και απολαυστικού μυθιστορήματος "Ο Χαμένος κόσμος", κάτι πολύ θετικό για μένα μιας και τους είχα συμπαθήσει ιδιαιτέρως. Το βιβλίο αυτό είναι σαφώς πιο μικρό σε μέγεθος και με αρκετά λιγότερη δράση από τον "Χαμένο κόσμο", όμως έχει και αυτό με τη σειρά του το ενδιαφέρον του, είναι καλογραμμένο και σίγουρα ευχάριστο στην ανάγνωση. Και η κεντρική ιδέα της πλοκής μπορεί να μην είναι και τόσο επιστημονικά δυνατή ή έστω αληθοφανής, όμως είναι αρκούντως τρομακτική και ιντριγκαδόρικη, ενώ ο συγγραφέας, με μια κάποια φιλοσοφική διάθεση αλλά και μπόλικο μαύρο και κυνικό χιούμορ, περιγράφει ένα διαφορετικό τέλος της ανθρωπότητας. Και, φυσικά, η γραφή είναι πολύ καλή, ευχάριστη και άκρως ευκολοδιάβαστη, σίγουρα το πιο δυνατό στοιχείο του βιβλίου. (7.5/10)

[Spirou · Rating 2 out of 5]

Δεν ξέρω πόσα αστεράκια του αξίζουν. Δεν το τελείωσα. Ξεκινάει καλά και με αρκετό χιούμορ. Είναι μικρό και θα μπορούσα να το τελειώσω, αλλά υποσχέθηκα στον εαυτό μου να μην πιέζομαι να διαβάζω βιβλία που δε με "κρατάνε" και το συγκεκριμένο ήταν ok, αλλά προς το παρόν το αφήνω στην άκρη. Ίσως στο μέλλον να το συνεχίσω...

[Mina Tsiknaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5🌟🌟🌟🌟
Πολλοί προβληματισμοί και πολλές αλήθειες σε μια νουβέλα φαντασίας. Πολύ όμορφη, "γεμάτη" γραφή και ήρωες με χαρακτήρες διαφορετικούς, προσεκτικά δοσμένους, αντιμέτωποι με μια παγκόσμια κρίση.
Και bonus το διήγημα "Τρόμος στους αιθέρες". Έχει και αυτό το μερίδιο του στα αστεράκια 😉

[Luciano Bernaroli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uno dei più bei racconti apocalittici del filone di quell'epoca.

[وسام السراج · Rating 4 out of 5]

فكرة القصة جميلة بسيطة جدا من حيق الفكرة قديمة المصطلاحات، الفكرة تدور حول ان الكرة الارضية مرت بنطاق غازي سام تسرب للغلاف الجوي وتشبع به الجو وادى لحدوث حالة جنون عامة من ثم حالة هياج وقتل وتخريب شاملة للكوكب بالكامل، وتطورت الاعراض الى حالة موت مؤقته.
مجموعة من الاشخاص عددهم خمسة احدهم عالم قد تنبأ بالحدث مسبقا ولهذا اخذوا احتياطتهم بشكل مسبق، وهم من سجلوا ما حدث وأرخوه.
الملاحظ على القصة استخدام فكرة الاثير وهي نظرية قديمة تقول ان الفضاء ليس فارغ بل مملوء لمادة هي الاثير لنقل الضوء و الحرارة
ايضا القصة مكتوبة في عصر الامبروطورية البريطانية التي لا تغيب عنها الشمس ونظرية المستعمرات وتفوق الاجناس وافضلية القوميات، وان المرض انتقائي يصيب الناس على مدى تطورهم الحضاري، هل كان القصد الحرفي هو التفوق الخلقي للاجناس ام ان الحنون العام هو مجرد رمز والمقصود ان الاقل ثقافة وتحضر اقرب للجنون و الفوضى ولكن التفوق العلمي لا يمنع جنون الكل فقط يؤجل الحالة وكان العلم و الحضارة خط دفاعي اولي ولكن ليس غير قابل للاختراق و الانهيار

[fenrir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non particolarmente coinvolgente, e decisamente non all'altezza di Conan Doyle.

Il professor Challenger è irritante a dir poco, la sua teoria si basa sul niente (come giustamente in molti gli fanno notare) ed infatti Conan Doyle non riesce mai a darci spiegazioni logiche sul perché una cosa come la nube avvelenata sia potuta succedere lasciandoci effettivamente con un grosso punto di domanda sulla testa. Come è arrivata questa nube? come ha fatto Challenger a capirlo ed a capire anche come contrastarla? perché poi sono tutti (quasi tutti, non quelli dei treni che si sono scontrati chiaramente) magicamente risorti? Una storia del genere ha senso solo se viene spiegato tutto o quasi, così non funziona.

[Christopher · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's hard not to be intrigued by a book about the apocalypse written by Arthur Conan Doyle. This is the second adventure featuring the genius and arrogant Professor Challenger (the first being the funventurous tale of dinosaurs in the Amazonian rain forest, The Lost World.) Neither of the Challenger novels have held up well in the scientific sense, but The Lost World was ridiculous in the best possible way, emitting a joy of discovery and the unknown. The Poison Belt, however, fails in everything it tries to accomplish.

The premise is that the earth is passing through a "poison belt" of aether and slowly but surely poisoning every breathing thing. It first affects the "less developed races" in South America and Africa and makes it's way to North America and then to Europe (yep, this story is super racist.) Challenger is the only person who is able to detect it, of course, and takes the precaution of sealing a drawing room completely and filling it with oxygen from several metal canisters, hoping to live a few more hours than the rest of the world.

It sounds like a very bleak idea, yeah? But it never comes across that way. Just as the wife of a murdered man can talk rationally and calmly to Sherlock Holmes, so the characters in this story never really break a sweat over the imminent demise of all of life. There is no emotional resonance in this story at all. (After all, I suppose, that's not why we read Doyle, though, is it?)

So Doyle fails at science, he feels at emotion, and he also fails at spectacle. He could at least show the reader some frightening or compelling images of the end of the world. Instead, our characters are locked up in a room for most of the apocalypse. When they do finally go outside to see the carnage, pretty much all they see are some golfers who collapsed as they were playing golf.

And the final problem: there's no suspense. From the introduction, it's obvious that it's not truly the apocalypse. The reader knows that everyone survives, so there are no stakes.

Ugh.

Just ugh.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor Challenger and the gang from The Lost World return for another adventure, although this one is rather different. Challenger holds a reunion for members of the expedition to The Lost World which just so happens to coincide with the apparent end of the world. The Earth is passing through a belt of poison gas and the entire world will be suffocated.

This couldn't be a more different story to The Lost World.It's far more sedate with the group huddled in Challenger's house, extending their life with a limited oxygen supply. I have always liked the end of the world scenario because it creates great fiction and this was one of the earliest examples.

As well as a great concept, Conan Doyle has some great character stuff here. There's continued conflict between Challenger and Summerlee and Challenger continues to be the ridiculous but brilliant man he is. Interestingly he is actually far more human here and we see a different side to him due to the scenario and the presence of his wife.

A very different book to The Lost World but one that is equally as enjoyable.

[Silvia (Library Unbounded) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 - 3.5 ⭐️

This was a rather interesting read. It was nice to see the old characters and consider the philosophical musing of the author.
However, I must admit that the premise on which this whole book was built was quite shaky and while the situation was interesting, I ultimately couldn't take it seriously.
I did like how the author ended the story, though. Ambiguity is everything when it comes to stories like this and I loved how he maintained it, without leaving anything unresolved.

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

it is certainly an eye-opener for me when i discovered that sir arthur conan doyle wrote sci-fi stories. the professor challenger series has been interesting to me thus far. don't expect any technological mumbo-jumbo considering when this story was written.

[Paloma orejuda (Pevima) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pueeeees... estando protagonizado por los mismos personajes que el mundo perdido, me esperaba otra cosa bastante mejor.

Alerta Spoiler!!

Leído en francés. Lo pillé en una bouqinerie de segunda mano y solo porque era delgado y de Conan Doyle. Cuando empecé a leerlo me reencontré con los personajes del mundo perdido y pensé que iba a encantarme, pero no.
El libro trata sobre un cinturón de éter que va a envenenar y terminar con la humanidad. El principio con tanta explicación científica es aburrido y todo lo que ocurre después, muy previsible.
Los dibujos eran horribles y tiene su parte morbosa con los muertos que al final no están muertos, solo catalépticos. Llevado de otra manera, podría haber sido una historia más que interesante.

En fin, 2 estrellas sobre 5 porque es corto y la idea no es mala, pero ya.

**Popsugar 2023 categoría 28. Un libro que compraste de segunda mano.