marlieraines's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
aaronmjnoy's review against another edition
3.0
It's hard not to compare this to Sherlock Holmes, Challenger is just not as interesting a character but this book does have a lot of charm to it and reminded me of H.G. Wells in that it's a fascinating reflection of the scientific thought of its time.
coffeegotcold's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
3.0
There was a time when I read mostly classics. As I grew older my tastes changed, so now I am more attracted to modern speculative fiction and romance novels.
But it’s never to late to resurrect good, old habits. And what is the better book for that then the predecessor of Jurassic Park?
LIKES
* Written in a form of a journal and a series of letters, The Lost World adds a personal touch to the story. A lot of time I felt like the narrator, journalist Ed Malone, is talking to me.
* Professor Challenger was over-confident, sometimes rude in his directness and very stubborn. If I have met professor Challenger in real life, I would have labeled him as a jerk and tried to ignore him. But I like these kind of characters in novels, they keep the story interesting.
We traveled entirely by compass, and once or twice there were differences of opinion between Challenger and the two Indians, when, to quote the Professor’s indignant words, the whole party agreed to “trust the fallacious instincts of undeveloped savages rather than the highest product of modern European culture.”
* Dinosaurs! They are like dragons, but they actually existed. I don’t know why am I attracted to the stories about these cold-blooded, savage, lizardly creatures, but I am fascinated by their habits and by the facts that something so majestic existed on our planet.
* Beautiful descriptions of nature and wildlife.
DISLIKES
* Illustrations are missing. Original paperback (and hopefully other editions) had a lot of drawings that accompanied the story. Sadly, this free ebook version has none. I love it when journal type books have illustrations, so I was very disappointed they were not included.
* Unrushed pace. I must (shamefully) admit I am spoiled by modern books and a lot of times I wanted the narration to go way faster than it did.
* Slow start. I read a lot, but there were not many books with bigger intros than The Lost World. The whole first half of The Lost World is made of descriptions of Malone’s life, how he met professor Challenger and reasons for the expedition. By the time real adventure started, I almost lost interest to continue reading.
* I expected dinosaurs will be more featured in the story. Don’t get me wrong, they have a big role, but real dinosaurs are actually present in only small portion of the novel.
* Big announcements that most of the time didn’t deliver. Again, I’m probably spoiled by modern fiction, so I expected something even more shocking when Malone (more thean once) announced: “the most dreadful experience”.
* News writing style. Since the narrator is a journalist, the whole story is told in specific style and tone with big announcements and phrases that build tension. This form of writing works for smaller news articles, but I found it too taxing when applied to the whole novel.
* Stupid decisions (like in a bad horror movie). How will I prove myself to these experienced adventurers? Oh, I know! I’ll go and explore this unknown land full of dangerous animals and savages by myself. I’ll go at night so no one will see me! And I’m not coming back until I have something spectacular to tell. (This is actual decision by Malone, I just paraphrased his line of thought a little.)
* Story has lost it’s WOW effect. Most of the classics suffer from this illness. Even if you haven’t read them, you have heard about them before, so you know what is going to happen most of the time.
IN THE END…
The Lost World was too slow for my taste, but when I think that it was written more than 100 years ago, I must admit it’s pretty well done. If you want to know how the dinosaurs madness started, this is a classic you should not miss. Just make sure that your book has illustrations included.
This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
But it’s never to late to resurrect good, old habits. And what is the better book for that then the predecessor of Jurassic Park?
LIKES
* Written in a form of a journal and a series of letters, The Lost World adds a personal touch to the story. A lot of time I felt like the narrator, journalist Ed Malone, is talking to me.
* Professor Challenger was over-confident, sometimes rude in his directness and very stubborn. If I have met professor Challenger in real life, I would have labeled him as a jerk and tried to ignore him. But I like these kind of characters in novels, they keep the story interesting.
We traveled entirely by compass, and once or twice there were differences of opinion between Challenger and the two Indians, when, to quote the Professor’s indignant words, the whole party agreed to “trust the fallacious instincts of undeveloped savages rather than the highest product of modern European culture.”
* Dinosaurs! They are like dragons, but they actually existed. I don’t know why am I attracted to the stories about these cold-blooded, savage, lizardly creatures, but I am fascinated by their habits and by the facts that something so majestic existed on our planet.
* Beautiful descriptions of nature and wildlife.
DISLIKES
* Illustrations are missing. Original paperback (and hopefully other editions) had a lot of drawings that accompanied the story. Sadly, this free ebook version has none. I love it when journal type books have illustrations, so I was very disappointed they were not included.
* Unrushed pace. I must (shamefully) admit I am spoiled by modern books and a lot of times I wanted the narration to go way faster than it did.
* Slow start. I read a lot, but there were not many books with bigger intros than The Lost World. The whole first half of The Lost World is made of descriptions of Malone’s life, how he met professor Challenger and reasons for the expedition. By the time real adventure started, I almost lost interest to continue reading.
* I expected dinosaurs will be more featured in the story. Don’t get me wrong, they have a big role, but real dinosaurs are actually present in only small portion of the novel.
* Big announcements that most of the time didn’t deliver. Again, I’m probably spoiled by modern fiction, so I expected something even more shocking when Malone (more thean once) announced: “the most dreadful experience”.
* News writing style. Since the narrator is a journalist, the whole story is told in specific style and tone with big announcements and phrases that build tension. This form of writing works for smaller news articles, but I found it too taxing when applied to the whole novel.
* Stupid decisions (like in a bad horror movie). How will I prove myself to these experienced adventurers? Oh, I know! I’ll go and explore this unknown land full of dangerous animals and savages by myself. I’ll go at night so no one will see me! And I’m not coming back until I have something spectacular to tell. (This is actual decision by Malone, I just paraphrased his line of thought a little.)
* Story has lost it’s WOW effect. Most of the classics suffer from this illness. Even if you haven’t read them, you have heard about them before, so you know what is going to happen most of the time.
IN THE END…
The Lost World was too slow for my taste, but when I think that it was written more than 100 years ago, I must admit it’s pretty well done. If you want to know how the dinosaurs madness started, this is a classic you should not miss. Just make sure that your book has illustrations included.
This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
harpyw's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
k_r's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
bibliotequeish's review
2.0
More Dinosaurs!
The characters are unlikable.
There are not NEARLY enough dinosaurs.
I haven't read Crichtons Lost World... how many dinosaurs are in that one??
I could have done without reading this book.
Obviously a product of the time, this book is sexist and racist, and boring and lacking in dinosaurs.
The characters are unlikable.
There are not NEARLY enough dinosaurs.
I haven't read Crichtons Lost World... how many dinosaurs are in that one??
I could have done without reading this book.
Obviously a product of the time, this book is sexist and racist, and boring and lacking in dinosaurs.
geeniebean29's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0