I read this 1912 classic because it was recommended by my son. Our whole family enjoys Conan Doyle, because the Sherlock Holmes mysteries are so perfect to listen to while driving. We need good books for long distance travel. It’s hard to beat The Hound of the Baskervilles when you need to keep yourself entertained for a few hundred miles.
Conan Doyle wrote all kinds of things in addition to the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, which he didn’t consider his best or most important work. He considered “The Lost World” an adventure story for boys.
And it is surely an adventure! Our hero impulsively joins an expedition to the Amazon in order to impress his girlfriend. Conan Doyle creates lively characters. I especially enjoyed Professors Challenger and Summerlee, scientists with big egos who argued about absolutely everything. The setting is also vivid. No wonder “The Lost World” has been so widely adapted, giving birth to five movies (1925 to 2001), TV and radio shows and (beginning in 1995) the whole Jurassic Park phenomenon – book, movie, arcade games, video games…
If you were stuck in a beach rental on a rainy weekend, finding this book on a shelf would be great! You could read it out loud and keep your whole family amused.
AMG Reading Journal 