Book Valley, $1.50
Fantasy, 2020 (Reissue)
Before Jurassic Park, there was The Lost World, which might as well be subtitled “Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Attempt to Out-Verne Jules Verne”. And yes, Michael Crichton absolutely cribbed the title for his Jurassic Park sequel, because who could resist a free homage?
Like many turn-of-the-century adventure tales, this novel started life as a serial, so expect cliffhangers so dramatic you can practically hear the dun-dun-dun of an invisible orchestra.
This novel also introduced the world to Professor George Edward Challenger, Sir Doyle’s other, less famous protagonist. Challenger is impulsive, impetuous, and has all the charm of a bulldozer with a PhD. He’s the kind of man who enters a room and immediately picks a fight with the furniture. Despite being the star of two more novels, he’s been utterly overshadowed by Sherlock Holmes, because let’s face it, nobody remembers the backup act when the headliner is still solving crimes.
The story kicks off with Edward Malone, our earnest young journalist protagonist, getting friendzoned so hard it might as well be a new Olympic sport. His would-be paramour, Gladys, tells him she could never love anyone who doesn’t “do something spectacular,” which is 1912 code for “I’m just not that into you.” Malone, desperate to impress her, volunteers for a death-defying expedition, because nothing says “marriage material” like possibly dying in the Amazon. Spoiler: Gladys has no intention of waiting for him, because she’s already moved on to someone else.
Comparisons to Journey to the Centre of the Earth are inevitable, but Sir Doyle’s take is less “scientific lecture” and more “action-packed pulp adventure.” Where Mr Verne sometimes meanders into the kind of detail that makes you wonder if he’s trying to bore you into submission, Sir Doyle keeps things moving briskly. The gang spends a good chunk of the book fighting slavers and dealing with duplicitous locals before finally reaching the titular dinosaur paradise, which let’s be honest, we’re all here for.
Ah, but sensitive and easily triggered modern readers, beware: this book is a product of its time, and 1912 wasn’t exactly the golden age of cultural sensitivity. The portrayal of the prehistoric humans embroiled in their civil war—between the “primitive” ape-men and the more “civilized” humans—is enough to make anyone cringe. Guess which group is painted as the villains. Naturally, our white saviors swoop in with the power of firearms, because colonialism wasn’t about to take a day off.
Nonetheless, The Lost World is undeniably fun. Sir Doyle spins a rollicking yarn that rarely lets up, and for a teenager discovering it for the first time, it’s a vicarious thrill ride through a world of danger and wonder. Sure, we now have CGI dinosaurs and a million bargain-bin dinosaur movies (looking at you, Sharktopus vs. Dinocroc), but this book remains one of the OGs of dinosaur fiction.
And if you’re tempted to hold Sir Doyle accountable for his views, might I suggest a séance? As a staunch believer in spiritualism, he’d probably welcome the chance to defend himself from beyond the grave. Just don’t expect him to apologize—Challenger wouldn’t.
