In The Lost World, the first in a series of books to feature the bold Professor Challenger—a character many critics consider one of the most finely drawn in science fiction—Challenger and his party embark on an expedition to a remote Amazonian plateau where, as the good professor puts it, “the ordinary laws of Nature are suspended” and numerous prehistoric creatures and ape-men have survived. “Just as Sherlock Holmes set the standard—and in some sense established the formula—for the detective story . . . , so too has The Lost World set the standard and the formula for fantasy-adventure stories . . . ,” Michael Crichton writes in his Introduction. “The tone and techniques that Conan Doyle first refined in The Lost World have become standard narrative procedures in popular entertainment of the present day.”
Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle was a British writer best known for creating the iconic detective character Sherlock Holmes. Born in 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland, Doyle studied medicine before turning to writing. His most notable works include the Sherlock Holmes series, featuring novels such as "A Study in Scarlet" and "The Hound of the Baskervilles." Doyle's writing style is characterized by intricate plots, attention to detail, and sharp deductive reasoning. His contributions to literature include popularizing the detective genre and creating one of the most enduring and beloved characters in literary history. "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" is considered his most famous work and continues to captivate readers worldwide. Doyle's impact on the detective genre is immeasurable, and his legacy as a master storyteller lives on to this day.