The Poison Belt

Three years after the events that took place in The Lost World ( http://librivox.org/the-lost-world-by-sir-arthur-conan-doyle/ ), Professor Challenger urgently summons his fellow explorers (Professor Summerlee, Lord John Roxton, and reporter E.D. Malone) to a meeting. Oddly, he requires each to bring an oxygen cylinder with him.

What he soon informs them is that from astronomical data and just-received telegraphs of strange accidents on the other side of the world, he has deduced that the Earth is starting to move through a region of space containing something poisonous to humankind.

Shutting themselves tightly up in Challenger's house, they start to consider what may be done. But as their countrymen start to drop, will their oxygen last long enough to determine and implement a solution? (Summary by Mark Smith) (3 hr 18 min)

Chapters

THE BLURRING OF LINES	38:52	Read by Mark F. Smith
THE TIDE OF DEATH	38:13	Read by Mark F. Smith
SUBMERGED	37:50	Read by Mark F. Smith
A DIARY OF THE DYING	27:35	Read by Mark F. Smith
THE DEAD WORLD	34:26	Read by Mark F. Smith
THE GREAT AWAKENING	21:40	Read by Mark F. Smith

Reviews

(4.5 stars)

A LibriVox Listener

Beautifully read by Mark F. Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina. The subject matter might seem somewhat preposterous to modern thinking and the language a little odd, but this is a fun read / listen. I really enjoyed this short apocalyptic tale and also the resurrection of the superb characters first scribed in 'The Lost World'. Professor Challenger's bombastic nature once again comes the fore. Excellent.

Genre Change for the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

(4 stars)

Showbizbuff

Most readers associate Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with his most famous creation, the detective Sherlock Holmes. This book is totally different. It explores an incident in which Earth passes through a band of poison gas which causes the death of all humanity except for the characters who are the focus of the story. The tale is imaginative and reflects Doyle's interest in space and catastrophic events. The story is narrated by Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina who does a great job. Highly recommended.

Bravo from Borneo

(4 stars)

Lord Jim

An interesting, if not understated, second book in the Challenger series, which follows on from ACD's masterpiece - The Lost World. This is not so much an adventure into the physical world as depicted in The Lost World, but is instead an adventure made by our audacious heroes into surviving, understanding and responding to a mysterious existential threat from space. Chapeau to Mark Smith; one of the best narrators around. So, now off to find the third book in the series, Land in the Mist.

(4.5 stars)

mack

I would say that most people who wrote comments with their rating did not listen to the book someone says they wish it was the same reader throughout the book but it was the same reader I'm confused it was the same so I thought it was an awesome book Doyle out does himself again

Good Story

(5 stars)

dsuden

Just as 911 sobered us for awhile and caused us to consider less petty thoughts...this book presents us with a “global 911”...with the scope of The Great Flood...and asks us to do likewise. It’s a clever story idea and is well worth a listen.

(3 stars)

Fun But Not Fulfilling

Fun but not fulfilling. The deep reflective purpose eluded to in the last paragraph was missing from the story. M.F. Smith was excellent as usual. 3 Stars,however, is all I can muster for this failed attempt by Sir Conan Doyle to infuse meaning into materialism.

poison belt