The Poison Belt and Other Professor Challenger Stories

Summoned from London, journalist Edward Malone, narrator of Arthur Conan Doyle’s prehistoric-adventure novel The Lost World, finds himself reunited with his erstwhile travelling companions at the country home of their leader, the indomitable Professor Challenger, who, confining his guests in a sealed room with the cylinders of oxygen they have brought at his request, informs them that the Earth is passing through an immense miasma of poisonous ether that will likely extirpate all life. And so the isolated inmates begin a grim and terrifying vigil – but will the toxic vapour dissipate before their limited supply of oxygen is exhausted?

Presented here with two short stories representing further thrilling episodes in the illustrious career of Conan Doyle’s other great anti-hero, Professor Challenger – ‘The Disintegration Machine’ and ‘When the World Screamed’ – The Poison Belt is a tour de force of speculative fiction that is the equal of any of the author’s best-known works.

The Poison Belt and Other Professor Challenger’s Stories is part of Alma Classics Arthur Conan Doyle Collection which includes: Tales of Adventure and Medical Life, Tales of Long Ago, Tales of Terror and Mystery, Tales of Twilight and the Unseen, The Lost World and The Tragedy of the Korosko.

Alma Classics is committed to making available a wide range of literature from around the globe. Most of the titles are enriched by an extensive critical apparatus, notes and extra reading material, as well as a selection of photographs. The texts are based on the most authoritative edition and edited using a fresh, accessible editorial approach. With an emphasis on production, editorial and typographical values, Alma Classics aspires to revitalize the whole experience of reading classics.

About the Author

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) is the celebrated author of many adventure novels, including The Lost World and The Poison Belt, and the creator of the hugely popular detective stories of Sherlock Holmes.