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2.9 AVERAGE
2.9 AVERAGE
An exploration of the Spiritualist movement in the early 20th century, mostly through a series of séances and other psychic phenomena observed by Malone. The inimitable Prof. Challenger does not appear very much in this book. Really, not much of a plot aside from Malone's increasing credulity.
It is kind of sad that a writer of Doyle's caliber felt compelled to write this sort of propaganda.
It is kind of sad that a writer of Doyle's caliber felt compelled to write this sort of propaganda.
Arthur Conan Doyle was an interesting man. His Sherlock novels are the epitome of rational and logical thinking, yet he was deeply into spiritualism, attending seances and sittings with mediums. He was a member of multiple psychic research institutes, a founding member of one of them, and he wrote dozens of books and articles on the topic. He was famously duped by the Cottingley Fairies hoax and apparently drove his once-friend Harry Houdini to anger by insisting his illusions were real.
Many of his Sherlock plots revolve around the hint of a supernatural occurrence, only to have the true, decidedly natural, occurrence unveiled Scooby-Doo style at the end. The first couple of Professor Challenger novels were the same. They deal with problems of a more science-fiction nature, but there's always the attempt to provide a scientific answer, even if it's a real stretch. In The Land of Mist, it seems his two worlds finally collided.
This entire novel is essentially just an excuse to convince his readers of the validity of mediums. It's a flimsy setup - Edward Malone, who we know from the previous books, and Professor Challenger's daughter Enid set out to research and write an article on spiritualism for the paper. They are skeptical at first but begin to come around as they witness a string of psychic phenomenon. The entire story is just one seance after the next, with disbelievers attempting to frame altruistic mediums, which could potentially lead to them being incarcerated.
Most of the novel follows Edward and Enid, with very little from Professor Challenger until the end. It's a shame, as he's been one of my favourite characters since I discovered him a few years back in The Lost World. He's pompous, overbearing, violent, short-tempered and a genius. He is almost ape-like in appearance with an imposing frame, booming voice, thick chest, giant hands and head, and a long beard so black as to almost appear slightly blue. A dark-haired, slightly more refined, Brian Blessed, I guess. He's the sort of person that would be awful to be around in real life but is a blast to read about on the page.
You can really see Arthur Conan Doyle manipulating the plot as you read this one. I'm usually the last person to complain about supernatural elements in stories, but the characters felt more like tools for the point he was trying to make rather than their own entities. I love Professor Challenger and this felt like a bit of a disservice to me. I think I have just come to expect Doyle's fiction to be grounded in reality, but I think it also doesn't help that I've always found the idea of real-life mediums profiting off the grief of others really disgusting. Pay my rate and I'll pretend to let you speak to your dead child. There's just something wrong with that.
Despite all of this, I actually did enjoy the novel. I could see exactly what he was doing, it was impossible not to, but it didn't ruin the book for me. I enjoyed following along with the characters as they learned more about spiritualism, and Professor Challenger, while slightly neutered, still had some great moments of his old self. I think it's a testament to the author when he can write a novel with a plot like a glorified recruitment manual on a topic I don't believe in, and in some ways find really distasteful, and still keep me amused until the end.
There are two short stories left in the Professor Challenger series, and I'm very curious now to see what happens in those.
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Many of his Sherlock plots revolve around the hint of a supernatural occurrence, only to have the true, decidedly natural, occurrence unveiled Scooby-Doo style at the end. The first couple of Professor Challenger novels were the same. They deal with problems of a more science-fiction nature, but there's always the attempt to provide a scientific answer, even if it's a real stretch. In The Land of Mist, it seems his two worlds finally collided.
This entire novel is essentially just an excuse to convince his readers of the validity of mediums. It's a flimsy setup - Edward Malone, who we know from the previous books, and Professor Challenger's daughter Enid set out to research and write an article on spiritualism for the paper. They are skeptical at first but begin to come around as they witness a string of psychic phenomenon. The entire story is just one seance after the next, with disbelievers attempting to frame altruistic mediums, which could potentially lead to them being incarcerated.
Most of the novel follows Edward and Enid, with very little from Professor Challenger until the end. It's a shame, as he's been one of my favourite characters since I discovered him a few years back in The Lost World. He's pompous, overbearing, violent, short-tempered and a genius. He is almost ape-like in appearance with an imposing frame, booming voice, thick chest, giant hands and head, and a long beard so black as to almost appear slightly blue. A dark-haired, slightly more refined, Brian Blessed, I guess. He's the sort of person that would be awful to be around in real life but is a blast to read about on the page.
You can really see Arthur Conan Doyle manipulating the plot as you read this one. I'm usually the last person to complain about supernatural elements in stories, but the characters felt more like tools for the point he was trying to make rather than their own entities. I love Professor Challenger and this felt like a bit of a disservice to me. I think I have just come to expect Doyle's fiction to be grounded in reality, but I think it also doesn't help that I've always found the idea of real-life mediums profiting off the grief of others really disgusting. Pay my rate and I'll pretend to let you speak to your dead child. There's just something wrong with that.
Despite all of this, I actually did enjoy the novel. I could see exactly what he was doing, it was impossible not to, but it didn't ruin the book for me. I enjoyed following along with the characters as they learned more about spiritualism, and Professor Challenger, while slightly neutered, still had some great moments of his old self. I think it's a testament to the author when he can write a novel with a plot like a glorified recruitment manual on a topic I don't believe in, and in some ways find really distasteful, and still keep me amused until the end.
There are two short stories left in the Professor Challenger series, and I'm very curious now to see what happens in those.
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So… why two stars?
Well, I gave three stars to “The Lost World” and “The Poison Belt” and I cannot, in full conscience, rate “The Land Of Mist” as highly as those two.
You see, Challenger helped those books a lot (in fact I very much defend he was the only reason why “The Poison Belt” actually worked), but here… well… Challenger is not only almost absent, presented as a side character, his nature is also very much changed to suit Doyle’s needs. That is a big no-no. In fact his characterization directly contradicts what we learn in the other books, where he is the passionate proponent of very unorthodox theories, including a very definite and amusing argument in “The Poison Belt” about the limitations of materialism. Suddenly, a few years later, he appears as a fully-fledged materialist? For no given reason? I don’t get it. My hypothesis is that he was possessed by Sumerlee’s ghost or something, because the Challenger I know is a brilliant scientist, yes, stubborn as everything, all right, but also remarkably open-minded and willing to embrace the most farfetched views you can imagine… Challenger as the voice of “conventional science” simply does not work.
And then there is the panfletist side of it all. Yes Doyle, I get it, you are a spiritualist now… good for you. But stop bashing me over the head with it and write a good, proper story, all right? With something at stake? Anything? Please? You may hide spiritualist propaganda in it if you must, I won’t mind, but PLEASE LET US HAVE A STORY! And no, a string of descriptions of séances and debates, no matter how well written and interesting they might be at times, does not make for a very compelling read. I’m sorry, sir, but this simply does not cut the ethereal mustard.
Well, I gave three stars to “The Lost World” and “The Poison Belt” and I cannot, in full conscience, rate “The Land Of Mist” as highly as those two.
You see, Challenger helped those books a lot (in fact I very much defend he was the only reason why “The Poison Belt” actually worked), but here… well… Challenger is not only almost absent, presented as a side character, his nature is also very much changed to suit Doyle’s needs. That is a big no-no. In fact his characterization directly contradicts what we learn in the other books, where he is the passionate proponent of very unorthodox theories, including a very definite and amusing argument in “The Poison Belt” about the limitations of materialism. Suddenly, a few years later, he appears as a fully-fledged materialist? For no given reason? I don’t get it. My hypothesis is that he was possessed by Sumerlee’s ghost or something, because the Challenger I know is a brilliant scientist, yes, stubborn as everything, all right, but also remarkably open-minded and willing to embrace the most farfetched views you can imagine… Challenger as the voice of “conventional science” simply does not work.
And then there is the panfletist side of it all. Yes Doyle, I get it, you are a spiritualist now… good for you. But stop bashing me over the head with it and write a good, proper story, all right? With something at stake? Anything? Please? You may hide spiritualist propaganda in it if you must, I won’t mind, but PLEASE LET US HAVE A STORY! And no, a string of descriptions of séances and debates, no matter how well written and interesting they might be at times, does not make for a very compelling read. I’m sorry, sir, but this simply does not cut the ethereal mustard.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This story loses its thread pretty quickly, as it's about Spiritualism, one of the things Conan Doyle became very flaky about and thus had no perspective about. I don't think I ever managed to finish it; it's a rather sad contrast to the other Challenger stories.
I don't know if I have ever read such a biased book in my life. This is one of many examples of a false religion that strives to portray itself as Christianity. And it is much, much worse to teach a false Gospel than teach a different religion, for you are blaspheming the name of the Lord. Here are some quotes from the book, from a conversation between a raised spirit and it's 'good medium'(apparently there are such things):
"Is it right that you can come back?"(medium)
"Would God allow it if it were not right? What a wicked man you must be to ask!"(Since when does God only allow things that are right? Never says that anywhere in the scriptures.)
"What religion are you?"(medium)
"We were Roman Catholics"
"Is that the right religion?"(medium)
"All religions are right if they make you better"(WHAT. If that isn't blatant Universalism, then I don't know what it is.
"Then does it matter?"(medium)
"It is what people do in daily life, not what they believe."(uhhh...?)
And it went on and on. Did manage to find two quotes: "You never know who are your friends. They slip away like water when it comes to the pinch."
"One thing we have learned, is that two souls, where real love exists, go on and on without a break through all the spheres. Why then, should you and I fear death, or anything which life or death can bring?"
"Is it right that you can come back?"(medium)
"Would God allow it if it were not right? What a wicked man you must be to ask!"(Since when does God only allow things that are right? Never says that anywhere in the scriptures.)
"What religion are you?"(medium)
"We were Roman Catholics"
"Is that the right religion?"(medium)
"All religions are right if they make you better"(WHAT. If that isn't blatant Universalism, then I don't know what it is.
"Then does it matter?"(medium)
"It is what people do in daily life, not what they believe."(uhhh...?)
And it went on and on. Did manage to find two quotes: "You never know who are your friends. They slip away like water when it comes to the pinch."
"One thing we have learned, is that two souls, where real love exists, go on and on without a break through all the spheres. Why then, should you and I fear death, or anything which life or death can bring?"
"You have been good enough to allude to me in one of your recent lucubrations," he said, shaking the paper at me. "It was in the course of your somewhat fatuous remarks concerning the recent Saurian remains discovered in the Solenhofen Slates. You began a paragraph with the words: 'Professor G.E. Challenger, who is among our greatest living scientists_'"
"Well, sir?" I asked.
"Why these invidious qualifications and limitations? Perhaps you can mention who these other predominant scientific men may be to whom you impute equality, or possibly superiority to myself?"
"It was badly worded. I should have said 'Our greatest living scientist,'" I admitted.
This was near the start and I did have high hopes that this might be an entertaining read. But it was not to be.
The irascible Professor Challenger was loosely based on the character (among others) of Arthur Conan Doyle's good friend, William Rutherford a Scottish physician and physiologist. Rutherford lectured at the University of Edinburgh when Arthur Conan Doyle studied medicine there.
Image source https://wellcomecollection.org/works/wtzjg7x9?wellcomeImagesUrl=/indexplus/image/V0027117.html
I think other characters in this series of stories are based on real people - nothing like as entertaining as the egotistical Professor. I think Conan Doyle was so enjoying writing this roman à clef that he forgot that stories have to be interesting to readers who have no idea who these people are!
I'm 57% of the way through and I can't remember any plot details at all. This was this year's Steampunk read, but this year's festival was a little disappointing - & so is this book.
DNF on page 84.
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mysterious
medium-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
Fun. Fairly entertaining. Not the best book of all time.
In this book, Challenger and Malone come across Spiritualists. Will Challenger's materialist and scientific mind accept or disprove the spiritual realm?
I loved the Challenger series and thought I was going to like this one too. Some of it was good, but mostly I wasn't a fan. Not that I am a materialist, but that I just found it weird and mediocre. I am a Christian but not like they have in this book - Christians using mediums to contact the dead and speak to them. Doyle was such a spiritualist and you can tell he uses this book to proclaim his cause. The main plot wasn't that well put together. There are mostly a bunch of stories of the Spiritualists and how they contact the dead, loosely put together through Malone and Challenger's search for truth. Overall it was disappointing. I gave it a 3/5 for okay.
I loved the Challenger series and thought I was going to like this one too. Some of it was good, but mostly I wasn't a fan. Not that I am a materialist, but that I just found it weird and mediocre. I am a Christian but not like they have in this book - Christians using mediums to contact the dead and speak to them. Doyle was such a spiritualist and you can tell he uses this book to proclaim his cause. The main plot wasn't that well put together. There are mostly a bunch of stories of the Spiritualists and how they contact the dead, loosely put together through Malone and Challenger's search for truth. Overall it was disappointing. I gave it a 3/5 for okay.