The Poison Belt & Professor Challenger

I just finished reading The Poison Belt by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I enjoyed it.

I read this story because it was published immediately after The Lost World and follows the same main characters. I read that novel a few years ago, when I used to make a lot of posts and read a lot of books.

I never made a post about The Lost World, so I will say a few words about it. The novel follows some adventurers as they find an isolated area where dinosaurs still live. Aside from that, you should know the book is awesome. Written in 1912, it has all the excitement of turn of the century English men of science exploring unknown lands. Then there is the adventure of trying to survive dinosaurs and holdovers from prehistory. One of the memorable characters is Professor Challenger. He has an imposing intellect, possess great reasoning skills, and does not back down from his conclusions. However, he is aware of his intellectual prowess and lacks patience when dealing with lesser minds. He can be arrogant and argumentative.

The Poison Belt starts with Professor Challenger publishing a letter to the public stating the blurring of Fraunhofer lines in light could be a harbinger of horrible things for humanity. This is a great scientific way to start a story and fully consistent with the science of the day. Since the story is relatively short, I will leave off any more details.

Standing alone, The Poison Belt is an interesting read, but not a noteworthy novel. If it did not continue with the main characters of The Lost World, it would be nearly forgotten.

If you want a book to read, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World is highly recommended. If you want more of Professor Challenger after that, The Poison Belt should be next.