The Poison Belt


Read by Mark F. Smith

(4.3 stars; 521 reviews)

Three years after the events that took place in The Lost World ( http://librivox.org/the-lost-world-by-sir-arthur-conan-doyle/ ), Professor Challenger urgently summons his fellow explorers (Professor Summerlee, Lord John Roxton, and reporter E.D. Malone) to a meeting. Oddly, he requires each to bring an oxygen cylinder with him.

What he soon informs them is that from astronomical data and just-received telegraphs of strange accidents on the other side of the world, he has deduced that the Earth is starting to move through a region of space containing something poisonous to humankind.

Shutting themselves tightly up in Challenger's house, they start to consider what may be done. But as their countrymen start to drop, will their oxygen last long enough to determine and implement a solution? (Summary by Mark Smith)
(3 hr 18 min)

Chapters

THE BLURRING OF LINES 38:52 Read by Mark F. Smith
THE TIDE OF DEATH 38:13 Read by Mark F. Smith
SUBMERGED 37:50 Read by Mark F. Smith
A DIARY OF THE DYING 27:35 Read by Mark F. Smith
THE DEAD WORLD 34:26 Read by Mark F. Smith
THE GREAT AWAKENING 21:40 Read by Mark F. Smith

Reviews

Genre Change for the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle


(4 stars)

Most readers associate Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with his most famous creation, the detective Sherlock Holmes. This book is totally different. It explores an incident in which Earth passes through a band of poison gas which causes the death of all humanity except for the characters who are the focus of the story. The tale is imaginative and reflects Doyle's interest in space and catastrophic events. The story is narrated by Mark Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina who does a great job. Highly recommended.

Bravo from Borneo


(4 stars)

An interesting, if not understated, second book in the Challenger series, which follows on from ACD's masterpiece - The Lost World. This is not so much an adventure into the physical world as depicted in The Lost World, but is instead an adventure made by our audacious heroes into surviving, understanding and responding to a mysterious existential threat from space. Chapeau to Mark Smith; one of the best narrators around. So, now off to find the third book in the series, Land in the Mist.

Interesting story, well read


(4 stars)

A thought-provoking story, for sure. Short enough to keep me engaged, where if it had been longer it might not have. And Mark Smith reads it well, with some good variation of character dialogue. Although I did still find a 1.5x speed provided a more natural flow of the story.


(3 stars)

Fun but not fulfilling. The deep reflective purpose eluded to in the last paragraph was missing from the story. M.F. Smith was excellent as usual. 3 Stars,however, is all I can muster for this failed attempt by Sir Conan Doyle to infuse meaning into materialism.

poison belt


(5 stars)

Familiar cast of characters experience an extraordinary and sobering scenario in this imaginative tale... plot trajectory is unfortunately too acute to allow for an unanticipated twist.. but the didactic denumont suffices. Exemplary reading by Mr Smith, as usual. Thank you, sir.

A apocalype, like I haven't seen before.


(4 stars)

This book is a great story of an apocalypse, wich noone can escape. I was horrifed by the describtions of the choking and sudden death of planet earth. There is no clear escape and it begs the question would it have been better to die? I can recommend this book to anyone interested in a apocalypse story. On a unrelated note. I enjoyed the inclusion of Challengers wife. She humanizes the title character and shows a side of him, wich was not displayed previosly.


(4.5 stars)

Beautifully read by Mark F. Smith of Simpsonville, South Carolina. The subject matter might seem somewhat preposterous to modern thinking and the language a little odd, but this is a fun read / listen. I really enjoyed this short apocalyptic tale and also the resurrection of the superb characters first scribed in 'The Lost World'. Professor Challenger's bombastic nature once again comes the fore. Excellent.

Good Story


(5 stars)

Just as 911 sobered us for awhile and caused us to consider less petty thoughts...this book presents us with a “global 911”...with the scope of The Great Flood...and asks us to do likewise. It’s a clever story idea and is well worth a listen.