Book review: The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Believe it or not, the guy who wrote the Sherlock Holmes novels also wrote other books. The Lost World (not to be confused with Michael Crichton's story by the same name) takes place in early 20th century England and South America.

The story is told as a narrative from the perspective of Edward Malone, a newspaper journalist. When Malone's girlfriend tells him that she won't marry him because he doesn't throw himself into danger to earn her glory, the lovestruck fool goes out and does just that. He joins a small group of explorers setting out for South America in search of a mysterious plateau that is supposedly home to all sorts of prehistoric animals -- animals that have long since been extinct everywhere else in the world.

The purpose of the expedition is to disprove the assertions made by Professor Challenger (a character who appears in a few other Doyle books as well), the man who discovered this "lost world" and was then laughed at by the entire scientific community when he publicized his findings. So the four explorers -- Malone, Challenger, another professor, and a hunter/sportsman -- set off to find this plateau, with the help of some native guides. They eventually do find it, and their unexpected troubles ascending to it (as well as leaving) are highly engrossing as told by the narrator.

In creating Malone as his narrator, Doyle has made an excellent choice. Malone is articulate, detailed, and funny. His wit and observations make what could otherwise be a dry science fiction book into an absorbing, entertaining story.

The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is not a particularly long novel.  Many different editions of the book have been produced since it was first published in 1912.  The Dover paperback edition (176 pages) is available for $5.14 from Amazon ($8.00 from Dover).

Doyle has a well-paced, uncomplicated writing style that is easy to follow and pleasant to read.  Any fan of adventure stories (particularly stories like Stevenson's Treasure Island or Wells' The Time Machine) will likely enjoy The Lost World.

(Originally published on Helium.com, 2010. This version has been updated.)

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