Customer Reviews

The Poison Belt

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Poison Belt is a little known effort in science fiction by the legendary Arthur Conan Doyle. In this series, Holmes and Watson are replaced by Challenger and Malone. There are minor differences, Challenger is a brilliant professor, scientist, adventurer, loving husband, and extrovert; while Malone is a young newspaper writer and sports enthusiast. Interestingly there is an antagonist in Professor Summerlee, who enjoys a good argument with Challenger, but seems to go along with him in the end.

This is the first in Doyle's Challenger series that I have read. I will need to try the others to really understand the characters and their motivation and relationships. This short piece is classic science fiction.

Scientists around the globe notice changes in stellar and atmospheric conditions. No one knows what it means, until the earth is suddenly engulfed in a poison belt of ether. Fortunately Challenger saw it all coming, in fact he wrote an editorial in today's Times. Challenger had the foresight to stock up on tanks of oxygen, but will this small supply support our fearless band?

Doyle has written a lively tale, combining catastrophic events with a resourceful team of long-time colleagues. It is clear why this series did not achieve the success of the Holmes' books (not only are the characters less enticing but it would make for a lousy film) but still I can recommend picking up this work.