As a reader of science fiction for almost five decades now, I would have to say that this is the finest single-volume reference on the history of the field that I have ever seen. It gains from the fact that it is written by a Brit, since you get many British works and authors that probably would not be covered in an American collection, as well as, a decent covering of international efforts from Europe and Japan. This is a high quality production, the illustration is generous and gorgeous- and the quality of printing and manufacture is top notch.
I especially liked the decade-by-decade illustrated timelines stretching back to the 19th century. You have a veritable road map to the development of the genre. Plus, the manner in which actual historical events of the times are incorporated with the sci-fi shows that this was written by a thoughtful, educated, man and not some sci-fi fanboy living in a vacuum and divorced from reality. Yet it is scholarly without being the least bit boring.
I wouldn't call it perfect, however. From the decades that I am most familiar with, the 50's and 60's, I noticed a few significant ommissions. First of all, Lester del Ray only gets a single mention in small print? Plus, why is it that NOBODY seems to mention or remember MacK Reynolds? Also, how can you cover American sci-fi television without mention of Tom Corbett, Space Ranger, Space Angel, or Fireball XL-5? In the area of films, why no mention of Invaders from Mars (1953), Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964), or Moon Zero Two (1970)?

John Clute has assembled a large, graphically-enhanced book that's attractive to even non-SF lovers. The way he organized the book was helpful: commentaries on the decades, timeline, famous works, major authors, movies and others, all giving information to even me as an SF lover and would-be writer. It is a good source for triviacs, and its pictures are well chosen and wonderful eye candy. I'm delighted that he even included a section on anime! A delightful book, a great gift for SF afficcionados.

John Clute's "Encyclopedia of Science Fiction" is the master reference to the field. This illustrated volume is at best a companion, and anyone needing the full answers should go to that encyclopedia. That said, I love this illustrated edition. I have spent many hours poring over the paintings, pictures, illustrations and timelines. It is not an exhaustive look, but rather a selection, but a selection done by someone who knows the field as well as anyone does. One of my particular favorites in this book are the author photographs: not every author has a face as famous as Asimov or Heinlein, and it was fun finally seeing what my favorite authors looked like. As a teacher of science fiction and fantasy, I also appreciate its didactive qualities, since students are often lured in by the reproductions of golden age covers that sparkle with life and that inimitable sense of wonder so important to the field. If you love science fiction, you'll love this book.

This is a massive reference work and an obvious labor of love. It covers almost every conceivable aspect of science fiction, from movies to history to criticism. This is the second edition of this work, with large updates to bring the work up to the time of publication (1992), especially new authors and newer works by old hands, and there has also been a good deal of new material added to the thematic sections.

For anyone wanting to develop a good course on science fiction , or anyone interested in how SF came to be what it is today, a perusal of these thematic entries on everything from ANTIGRAVITY to MUTANTS to UTOPIAS will yield a wealth of material concisely presented, profusely cross-referenced, and source material properly indicated. Often within these sections even an experienced long-time fan of the field will find works referenced that he hasn't heard of before but deserve a look.

Within the author entries you will find one of the works most useful features: a listing of all of that author's works that belong within a given series or author created world/universe, often with a good description of the salient features of these author worlds. Also very useful is a listing of all known pseudonyms for each author. Still another useful feature is the indication of every variant title a work has appeared under, which can end up saving the reader money by knowing that he already really has that title under a different name. But these entries are also the most problematic of the information presented in this volume, as the opinion of the writer of the piece (almost all of the author entries were done by John Clute) about the quality of each of the author's works clearly shows. While it is probably impossible to avoid having this type of opinion appear, what I found disappointing was the lack of indication that there are other opinions about some well known works (in some cases these other opinions run to millions of words and many a flame war on the internet), such as Heinlein's Starship Troopers. At the same time, these entries provide a wealth of biographical information and very complete bibliographies for every major and almost every minor writer who has ever written within the field, and this information seems to have been very solidly researched (at least I haven't been able to find any obvious errors, and I've been reading in the field for 40 years).

This is an expensive volume, but it is probably worth every penny of its price when you consider that it collects in one volume such a wealth of diverse information that prior to this work was scattered across hundreds of articles, essays, books, and research papers or had never been written about in any cohesive manner. Highly recommended for any serious student/fan of the field, and highly entertaining and informative reading for just about anyone.

Along with its companion volume, "The Encyclopedia of Fantasy," the editors offer the most comprehensive references currently available on speculative fiction, covering authors both minor and major, discussion of the impact of writers and their works upon the genre, influences both obvious and obscure, as well as erudite observations upon the history and development of imaginative fiction. And this is but a fraction of all this marvelous reference has to offer! Indispensable to either the devotee of the genre or the casual reader, this text, along with its companion, should grace the shelves of anyone seriously interested in science fiction or literature. As with most references of this scope, already it is beginning to become out of date, lacking entries for newer and already significant authors, such as China Mieville, but one can hope a new edition will soon be in the offing. I know I will rush out to buy it, and in the meantime there is more than enough information here to occupy and entrance me for many months to come. If you read science fiction regularly, shame on you if you don't own this book.

This book may not include everything you ever wanted to know about science fiction, but it definitely comes closer than any other work in existence. Long-time fans will enjoy the extensive analytical and bibliographical material. Beginners looking for a useful introduction to the genre are sure to find it here.

It's impossible to completely describe the contents within the space of a short review. However, a summary should be enough to give a general impression. There are (alphabetically-sorted) articles on all different aspects of the genre, from the cinema to the written word.

To start off, there are biographies on every major science fiction writer from the 19th century-1993, and almost all of the minor ones. These biographies, although of varying quality, are almost all of considerable interest. As well as listing all of the writer's major contributions to the genre, they often include analyses of the author's writing styles, including discussions of specific works. Although readers may find themselves disagreeing with some of the contributors, it is nonetheless fascinating to read the opinions of other devotees.

Perhaps just as important, there are many articles on the various science fiction magazines and their editors. Such articles are vital to any comprehensive discussion of the genre; after all science fiction started out in the magazines, and many fine stories are still published there. These articles include detailed and interesting descriptions of the magazines' histories, including editors, major contributors, and high and low points of success.

In addition to written fiction, considerable attention is paid to science fiction movies. There is little information on actors, directors, or screenwriters, but plenty about the movies themselves. Most major science fiction films have their own individual entries, including information on plot, acting, production quality. The authors always make clear whether or not they like each movie; their recommendations have led me to many good rentals!

Finally, there are many articles on the genre itself. Much attention is given to the history of the genre, from it's embryonic period in the 19th century, to it's consolidation in the 1920s, to it's maturation in the '40s, right on up to the '90s. There is also a great deal of information on specific subjects and items of terminology, from "Aliens" to "Cyberpunk" to "Spindizzies".

I can pick this Encyclopedia up any time, and be sure of finding something interesting. It's a surefire winner for anyone interested in random fact-finding. All SF fans, even if they're not "browsing" types, should still keep this tome on hand. Any question concerning the genre is likely to have an answer somewhere between the front and back covers.

the illustrations in this book are outstanding. I saw a few of the authors included in it read their stories at New School University and I loved them all so much. The authors readings were stupendous, but I imagine reading this book silently and alone could be a lot of fun for your imagination

This is a new collection of short stories edited by Peter Straub. It's much better that "Ghosts". His short story is called Little Red's Tango, and it's a very nice piece of fiction that reminds me of another fiction by Mr. Straub called "Pork Pie Hat." What a fine mystery is Little Red's story ! Thank you, Mr. Straub.

Nodier, entymologist, etymologist, folklorist, political survivor (through the French Revolution,Napoleonic Empire ,Restoration, and July Monarchy) storyteller, and Romantic, was an early author to immerse his writing in the concerns of dream life and desire, and, more incredibly, to reflect the structure and deep meaning of dreams into the structure and form of his own writing. SMARRA, especially, is an incredible and profound work of layered narrative and symbolic evocation. It is also a spooky and entertaining nightmare of a vampire story. TRILBY,the magical story of a Scottish Highland sprite, is not far behind.

Nodier is a crucial influence for Nerval, Gautier, and their later heirs in the Symbolist and Surrealist movements. As a minor Napoleonic bureaucrat in the Balkans, Nodier encouraged the collection of Slav and Serbo-Croat folklore and helped to promote the conception of a national literature in this area. Using these Balkan tales, Nodier was an early importer of the vampire legend into West European literature and consciousness.

This is an incredibly important and wonderful "lost" author. NOdier, entymologist, etymologist, folklorist, political survivor (lived through the Revolution, Napoleon, Restoration, & July Monarchy), storyteller, and Romantic, is one of the first European authors to immerse his writing in the concerns of dream life and desire, and, more incredibly, to reflect the structure and deep meaning of dreams in the structure and form of his own writing. SMARRA, especially, is an inecridible and profound work of layered narrative and symbolic evocation. It is also a spooky and entertaining nightmare of a vampire story. TRILBY, a magical story of a Scottish Highland sprite, is not far behind.

Nodier was a crucial influence on Nerval, Gautier, and their heirs in the Symbolist and the Surrealist movements. As a minor Napoleonic bureaucrat in the Balkans, Nodier was influential in the collection of Slavic and Serbo-Croat folklore and helped to foster their conception of a national literature. It's from these Balkan legends that Nodier was able to become an early importer of the vampire legend into Western European literature and consciousness.

Robert Silverberg's "Dying Inside" is one of the great classics of SF literature. The protagonist, David Selig, is a telepath whose rare talent has brought him no pleasure. He leads the life of an outcast, a voyeur, with his gift as his keyhole. When his telepathy deserts him he is left stranded-

(Pauses). (Sits silently, head bowed). (Finally, sighs forcefully). (Prepares to whip self to indignant frenzy).

This world just isn't fair. You know that, you don't need me to tell you. But every so often an injustice so flagrant and so heinous occurs that I need to grab the nearest passerby and scream it at him. You're here, and I'm mad, so put down that mouse and listen. Have you read this book yet? Have you read "The Catcher in the Rye"- you know, "the coming-of-age story against which all others are judged," etc., etc.? Go read them. I'll wait- done yet? Good. What do you think? They're both excellent, aren't they? You really feel the turmoil and pain and angst of both Caulfield and Selig after reading them. So why has this book attracted only a handful of reviews, while "The Catcher in the Rye" has attracted- let me check- over 1000 reviews? Why does "The Catcher in the Rye" appear on all the "100 Greatest Novels of the Century" lists while "Dying Inside" doesn't? I'll tell you why- look at your copy of "Dying Inside," and look for those damning scarlet letters "Science Fiction." That's why. "The Catcher in the Rye" is serious literature; "Dying Inside" is science fiction. Never mind that David Selig is as vividly realized as Holden Caulfield, that the prose of "Dying Inside" is as smooth as silk and as scorching as a brush fire, that "Dying Inside" is to middle age what "The Catcher in the Rye" is to adolescence. One is "truly one of America's literary treasures," and one is not. There ain't no justice, is there, Larry?

"Dying Inside," by Robert Silverberg, is an amazing masterpiece on the subject of alienation which, unfortunately, seems to have fallen out of the public consciousness in the 1990's. David Selig is a telepath who is losing his power. He is also losing his only source of feedback for human emotion and real contact with other human beings. Reduced to hacking out term papers for otherwise engaged Columbia University students, Selig's superhuman powers serve only his prurient, voyeuristic interests. Selig has never realized the potential of his power and his regrets are underscored by his constant referral to T.S. Eliot's masterpiece of modern anti-heroic poetry, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." Although he is becoming trapped within himself, Selig has a reconciliation with his normal sister and his fading power, which is ultimately affirmative and uplifting. Silverberg won the Hugo Award for "Dying Inside" and the book secured his place as a master of modern fiction. Although Selig is superhuman, he is really Everyman, trying to define himself in a vast and confusing world. His story is a personal and painful, yet rewarding, trip into the human conscience. While exploring basic questions from the entire range of man's emotional experience, "Dying Inside" remains grounded in the eternal modern question of the consequences of action, inaction and the value of human existence. In interviews, Silverberg has revealed how emotionally draining it was to write this book. His personal sacrifice should be rewarded with a periodic reprinting of this powerful and urgent portrait.

I have read almost all of Silverberg's novels written before 1980, and believe that "Dying Inside" is his best. It is unfortunate that it is out of print, but one can find it with a bit of effort. My daughter found a used copy in a small bookstore in NYC -- I have since re-read the book and found it even more poignant than the first time I read it. Readers not interested in science fiction should take the plunge into the genre with this book, as it explores the psychological aspects of alienation that can result from possessing a rare quality (or affliction). The main character of the story, David Selig, struggles with his relationships with others because of his ability to know exactly what they are thinking, feeling, etc. He learns that even his parents aren't always loving despite what they say. His unique loneliness is heartbreaking. Take the time to find this book. You may conclude that it is one of the most powerful science fiction novels ever written.

I was handed this book years ago by a friend at school, who had in turn been given it by another. I read it, passed it on to a friend and later found out that it was then read by several others before being lost without trace. It is an unforgettable book, extraordinarily rich in imaginative and descriptive brilliance, about one man's journey through a far-away world which may in fact be the mirror of his own psyche. While the writing can be at times turgid, it is more often inspired; the author has a great gift for description, and the various tableaux he describes remind one of the best bits of Tolkien, although perhaps even more evocative. But this is no "Lord of the Rings". Rather than enacting a classic tale of epic heroism, Lindsay takes us on a gripping journey through a planet where good and evil are not only locked in struggle, but cloaked in impenetrable disguise. It is the hero Maskull's task to unmask the truth, and thereby attain his own redemption. The real genius of this book lies in its ability to defy prediction. At no stage does the reader have the slightest inkling of where the narrative might be heading, or how the threads might eventually tie up; but one is nevertheless compelled to read on. A definite must-read for all sci-fi and fantasy buffs; would also be enjoyed by visual artists, psychoanalysts, anyone interested in pagan religion, or just anyone who likes great descriptive writing.

David Lindsay is one of the twentieth century's greatest and least appreciated geniuses. This, his first book, is also his best known, although it's debatable whether the science-fiction/Tolkien-fantasy crowd, into whose hands it has generally fallen, quite have the measure of its overarching ambition and audacious vision. Tormance, a planet of the star Arcturus, is a young world where raw particles of life flow and are trapped in the creations of Crystalman, the god of the visible world. Maskull, a human being, comes to Tormance from Earth and embarks upon an epic journey towards Muspel, the source of all genuine life, which is in constant danger from Crystalman's vulgar machinations. Maskull meets a succession of characters whose various philosophies and points of view represent the stages of his own spiritual progress, until finally he sheds his "Maskull" (mask, shell) self and awakes to the truth which Crystalman's world keeps hidden. The fight goes on, a fight in which pain is an ally and "nothing will be done without the bloodiest blows." This summary cannot begin to convey the complexity of this work nor do justice to its vast scope or the astounding variety of its invention. As he travels through the book's epic landscapes Maskull constantly mutates, growing new eyes, new arms and new organs, seeing new colours and encountering a member of a third sex. Almost everyone he meets soon dies, killed either by Maskull himself or by their own inability to evolve as he does - bloodiest blows indeed. Lindsay's prose is pedestrian and often clumsy, but always clear and never verbose; the story moves quickly, its most complex ideas given concrete shape rather than conveyed through abstract discussion. A Voyage to Arcturus is neither science fiction nor fantasy, but a vision in words, as raw, bleak and powerful as a Scottish mountain. The problems it raises are deathly serious and forever immediate.

David Lindsay's "A Voyage to Arcturus" is difficult to categorize. The book has been labeled "Science Fiction/Fantasy," but it is much more. The novel's hero/Everyman Maskull starts out on a journey to the planet Tormance, but is quickly separated from his two traveling companions. Maskull's journey takes him on an unusual search for the discovery of the truths of the planet and of his own being. He meets several unusual but memorable characters who are so interesting they could each become the subjects of their own novels. The entire book deals with a search for the truth and the struggle between good and evil...and it's not always easy to distinguish which character is on which side.

This is a vast over-simplification of the story. The novel is rich, bold, and imaginative. The reader has absolutely no idea what is about to happen next as the story moves. I found the unpredictability (especially in light of current novels) very refreshing. Several reviewers are hoping for a film version of the book. Some novels should never reach the screen and this is one of them. First, no studio could produce the special effects necessary to bring the novel to the screen without cheapening the story. Second, I don't want to see George Clooney running around attempting to contemplate the meaning of life while playing a caricature of Maskull. Don't wait for the movie...read the novel and enjoy.

This vol. introduces the main character of the series and sets the tone for the next 3 vol.s to come. Written for the pulps back in the 30's, this book predicts the emergence of the international drug cartels which plague today's world. The book "Galactic Patrol" features clearly defined heros and heroines, and villenous villens, while maintaining a "G" rating (beds in this book are only for sleeping in). The rest of the books of this series, Gray Lensman, Second Stage Lensman, and Children of the Lens, just get better and better as the story builds to its ultimate climax. If you want understand where such films as "Star Wars", "Babylon 5", and "Star Trek" came from, you should read this series. It is the first "Space Opera" of the genre.

This is the penultimate Science Fiction story. Some of the technology is far fetched, but some of it is used in many sci-fi stories of the present. Inertialess drive is one of them. This story has efverthing a young reader would want in a story, Monsters, heros, big powerful space ships and bad guys, who are really bad. I believe if you have a youngster interested in science fiction, ala starwars, this entire series is for you

DEFINITIVE science fiction! This is one of my favorite books-- vintage space opera, and tons of fun. Written in 1937, this is the first book of the series(others are set earlier chronologically, but were written later). Lots of space-battle mumbo-jumbo, plenty of fighting, great alien characters, and original vocabulary.

To begin, John Clute and company's The Encyclopedia of Fantasy is an essential book for anyone who is serious about fantasy. Having said that, much of this review is going to focus on negatives rather than positives.

As can be expected with any book this size, mistakes have crept in. Within the first few days, I found several errors, mostly minor. A book attributed to Lynn Abbey which was written by Robert Asprin, a mistaken title for a book by Charles de Lint, that sort of thing. These mistakes, however are minor.

Perhaps a bigger problem with the Encyclopedia is the strange inclusion and omission of authors. Neither Sterling Lanier or Steven Frankos are included in the book, however Steve Szylagi, who has written a single fantasy novel has received an entry. According to Clute, the book does not claim to be as complete as its predecessor, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and the editors were forced to make some cuts. It would have been nice if he could have given some hint as to the selection criteria in the front matter. One friend suggested that if an author was included in the first book they would be left out of the second book, but too many authors appear in both books for this rule of thumb to be applied (Charles de Lint, Mervyn Peake, Larry Niven, etc.)

A larger percentage of The Encyclopedia of Fantasy is given over to thematic entries than The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Fantasy, however, has more common themes and prototypes than science fiction does, therefore making these types of entries a larger portion of any survey of the field. Still, the reader has to wonder about entries such as "Pornographic Fantasy Movies" which is so vague ("few researchers are willing to sit through the stuff...") as to be titillating rather than informative.

The Encyclopedia of Fantasy also repeats one of the faults of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. The author entries could contain more biographical data to supplement the bibliographical data already included. I'm not looking for gossip, merely some idea of what helped formulate the authors' writing.

Despite these flaws, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy is a major and important reference work. Essential to any library. Clute is still in negotiations to issue the Encyclopedia on CD-Rom. He says that if a deal goes through, he'll be able to replace author entries which were cut from the print version. The electronic format would be a welcome addition to the printed book.

Like the companion volume, "The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction," "The Encyclopedia of Fantasy" tries to include everything within its thick volume. Finally, readers can find the name of every single book ever published by their favorite authors. This is not the kind of book one reads from cover-to-cover; the sheer staggering amount of detail alone would prevent any useful retention. Rather, it is the perfect playing ground for encyclopedia tag: pick a page, read a topic, then follow the bouncing references until you get hopelessly, wonderfully entangled in ideas and authors you've never encountered before! My only minor complaints are the too-brief biographies for the authors, and the occasional over-opinionated discussion of an author's works. But even then, the book sparks curiosity by leading a reader to want to know more about an author or idea. An excellent gift for readers who constantly have a fantasy novel in their hands (and for whom you're afraid to buy a book for fear they've already read it).

WARNING: THIS REVIEW IS ANECDOTAL

I had coveted this book for quite some time before I ordered my copy. Aside from being a longtime and irredeemable fantasy geek, I am also an English teacher at a small independent school, and our reference library has a copy. This fact has enabled me to waste many happy free periods rifling through the _Encyclopedia_ instead of, say, grading papers or thinking deep, serious thoughts about the state of pedagogy in America. But before you write me off as a disgrace to my profession, hear me out:

_The Encyclopedia of Fantasy_ is a remarkable book, and any time I have spent with it in lieu of more mundane tasks is time very well spent indeed. I can even justify this frivolous perusal academically, because what really makes the _Encyclopedia_ a great resource isn't so much its exhaustive listing of authors or titles (much of which information is available elsewhere anyway), but the fact that Clute et al. have managed to accomplish nothing less than a rigorous, consistent, and phenomenally well cross-referenced taxonomy and analytical vocabulary for fantasy. I know, I know, that sounds awfully dry, but it isn't.

I'm a word junkie, so I love learning apt new terms for things, especially if those nameless concepts have gone begging for far too long. When Clute coins the term "thinning" to describe any fantasy world that, over time, loses its magic [Middle-earth, anyone?], you cannot help (assuming you're an aficionado of the genre) but say to yourself, "Aha! Now I know what to call it!" Furthermore, the fact that this vocabulary is employed consistently throughout the _Encyclopedia_ allows for thematic and formal juxtapositions of specific works, combinations and comparisons that might not occur even to the serious fantasy buff. Who needs hypertext when you've got such meticulous cross-indexing?

I recently received an Amazon.com gift certificate from thoughtful in-laws, and decided that even though I have access to a copy at school, I had to have an _Encyclopedia of Fantasy_ at home, both for reference while reading/writing and for couch-sprawl browsing.

I splurged and bought the $75.00 hardback. I had a hunch it would get a lot of use, and I wanted it to last. Money very well spent, as far as I'm concerned, and if you're a fantasy partisan, a literary theory wonk, or just someone who gets off on thousands of pages of really, really small type, you'll probably agree.

Here John Clute goes for broke. This collection of his more recent ('80s for the most part) sf criticism is easier on the vocabulary than his earlier, and often deeply annoying, writings for New Worlds magazine. It still, however, comes at you as though he thinks the world should make sense, and the device for this revelation should be sf. Complex, often very funny (see the demolition of The Legacy of Heorot by Niven/Pornelle and friends) but essentially spot on. If you like sf and are worried about its transformation into a branch of marketing science you should read this.

Every time that I see a series of short phrases printed on a book praising extravagantly that book, I am reminded of THE PURPLE CLOUD by M. P. Shiel. Typical of the blurbs: 'Colossal, brilliant novel--H. G. Wells' 'A genius drunk with the hottest juices of our language--The New York Post' And the clincher, 'Had Carlyle shared Coleridge's penchant for laudanum, he might have written thus--The English Review' I find it difficult to accept such claims at face value for any book in which they appear. As I read THE PURPLE CLOUD, I simply could not understand nor believe in the veracity of these plaudits. The book is a colossal bore. Absolutely nothing happens in 99% of a plot that can be summed thusly: a man survives a rolling purple cloud which kills everyone else, and he spends the rest of his life burning cities to the ground. Now this in itself does not disqualify a book from being a classic or even from retaining a modicum of interest. When any novel is written such that the majority of action is internal, then I expect the author to do something with that internalized thought. George Stewart in his novel EARTH ABIDES wrote of a similar theme, but he made the reader care about his protagonist by allowing him to grow, to learn, to finish the work with a deeper understanding of himself and the upside-down world in which he inhabited. The protagonist of THE PURPLE CLOUD, ironically named Adam, reacts only by turning Ahab, seeking out cities to torch, but unlike Melville, who gives Ahab a missing leg to serve as motive, Shiel does nothing comparable for Adam. Instead, what the reader sees is that Adam is not a sane man, a flaw which might be an excuse for an irrational character but not for an irrational author. As the years of Adam's self-imposed Odyssey continue, the names of the cities begin to blur, to become one, finally enabling one to visualize that Adam's goal is misplaced; he seeks to immolate the entire earth rather than man's former domination of bits and pieces of it. Since Adam is alone, Sheil is forced to use a prose style that eschews dialogue and focuses on first person point of view description of a burning world. This technique of writing begins to pall long before the final pages. Surprisingly enough, he does find another human being, a young girl, whom he unpredicatbly names Leda. It is with this stuttering Leda-Eve that he plans to repopulate the earth. He closes the book with a stern warning to all future generations: 'Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.' My reaction to this bit of philosophical fluffery was to paraphrase: 'Though any author may slay me with terminal ennui, yet will I not praise Him.' Note to overenthusiastic reviewers: save your praise for books that say something worthwhile.

If you can handle the purple prose, you might like The Purple Cloud. Other than that, be prepared to read a story where the hero, Adam (was there ever any doubt?), goes it alone for most of the novel.

Frankly, I liked the book best when Adam had to deal with people, so that means the beginning and end. At the start, Adam goes from reluctant participant in a North Pole expedition that promises both glory and wealth, to someone who remains silent when he suspects his fiance, Clodagh (think Neferteri, from Heston's The Ten Commandments), of smoothing his way onto the expedition roster by poisoning rivals, to someone willing to kill and hide the body, out on the ice, during the final windswept run for the top of the world. The opening struggles of Adam are perhaps the most exciting, and they also force him to be a survivor, while at the same time laying him bare as a man of questionable character.

But the purple cloud changes everything, wreaking worldwide destruction, as Adam treks back from the north, alone. Once he re-enters the domain of civilized humanity again, he watches as the evidence slowly mounts: the real loneliness is just beginning, all the people are dead.

Thus begin the prolonged middle sections of the novel, where I feel we lose touch with Adam's psyche, where the emphasis is on what he is doing, not why he is doing it. It's very odd: The narrative is in the first-person singular, and yet it's as if we watch Adam swing from city-burner to pious temple-builder and back again--over decades, in fact--but it's like watching an unpredictable madman do both sacred and profane things, without knowing why. True, he appears mad, but the narrative itself remains clear, mostly sensible, if florid. Adam, then, becomes a very active whirlwind--almost like the living tail end of the purple cloud--and the only thing that really becomes clear, at one point, is that he does become content to be king of a dead world. Then he meets Leda.

The introduction of a second survivor of the apocalypse does help revitalize the book, and some of Adam's old complexity in dealing with people resurfaces. Just how will he treat Leda? It becomes clear, as he educates her and communicates with her once she knows words, that he is highly resistant to repopulating the world. In fact, he begins to think of murder.

This is a novel that actually fits in well with other scientific romances, long and short, of the time, most notably, works by Jack London, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and of course H. G. Wells. It is a fairly quick read despite the language, and Adam's movements across a barren landscape are, I suppose, an interesting way to try and understand what has happened to his mind. But the evidence suggests that the purple cloud traps us on a world with a madman, who may be too far gone even when the last woman arrives to try and save him.

Interesting but somewhat unsatisfying reading, visionary for its time.

No one has yet succeeded in reaching the North Pole, and a new British expedition is mounted. As our protagonist, Adam, returns from the arctic, all the humans and many of the animals he encounters are dead. Adam travels all over the world, looking for other living people and, understandably, going kind of bonkers.

I wanted to like this book more. Early in the book, Adam finds himself in many morally challenging situations, but he has these voices in his head that more or less compel him to act in certain ways, so the reader is prevented from really entering into any moral struggles with him. I liked the writing, but each place Adam goes is essentially like the rest--everyone's dead--and I kept waiting for something interesting to happen. Near the end, something finally did, but then I mostly wanted to slap Adam around for being so dense.

Maybe I'm just jaded from reading too many post-apocalyptic stories and that's why I'm not more enthusiastic about this book. If you're new to this sort of story, you might find this book to be a powerful exploration of loneliness and the meaning of human society and human life.