I have seen several movie adaptations but never read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s “The Lost World“. As a result what I remembered from that work was mostly the scenery, the animals, the background, but not the people. Therefore when I recently read “The Poison Belt” professor Challenger, who was the main figure in both was not a familiar character to me. This was troubling, because particularly at the beginning of the book, there were lots of references and hints that either pointed to events mentioned in earlier stories and books or simply assumed that the reader is aware of them. I got over this initial hurdle though fast enough as things, along with the Earth, moved on.
This latter movement was the cause of the challenge Challenger and his hastily assembled group had to face: the planet was supposedly going through an area of the universe that has so poisonous air that it kills every human being. The book describes how the professor discovered the incoming apocalypse and how his team and opponents observed the changed, while discussing the catastrophe. They escaped I a sealed room with the help of their oxygen bottles and masks.
I won’t tell you of course the ending, but I found it disappointing. One of my favorite genres is post-apocalyptic fiction and this didn’t turn into one. The book was a quick and pleasant enough read, but the lack of required background knowledge and the outdated science didn’t make it a classic that can stand time, unlike some of the Sherlock Holmes books. (I have to read some now, before I can go and check out the new movie of S.H.)