The Poison Belt

By: Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrated by: Glen McCready

The sequel to The Lost World, Arthur Conan Doyle's Poison Belt reunites the ever-popular Professor Challenger, intrepid journalist Edward Malone, dashing Lord John Roxton, and the querulous Professor Summerlee for yet another adventure.

When a sinister poison envelops the earth, the entire human race teeters on the brink of destruction, forcing the comrades to implement a desperate plan for survival.

A cryptic telegram, a mysterious airborne poison, and an eerie journey around post-apocalyptic London - this is vintage Conan Doyle. Glen McCready's exhilarating reading brings all the tension and excitement of this classic tale vividly to life.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2009 Naxos Audiobooks

Friendship prevails

If you fell in love with the adventurous characters from The Lost World, you’re in for a treat with The Poison Belt. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle reunites Professor Challenger, Lord John Roxton, Professor Summerlee, and journalist Malone for another gripping adventure. Though The Poison Belt is not a sequel to their dinosaur-hunting exploits, it preserves the same charm, chemistry, and camaraderie that made The Lost World so unforgettable.

In this short story, the group witnesses humanity teeter on the brink of extinction. The novel explores both the fragility of life and human resilience, all while showcasing the distinct personalities of its beloved characters. While not as action-packed as The Lost World, The Poison Belt is an engrossing, thought-provoking read. It’s a great little story that proves Doyle’s Challenger series has much more to offer than just dinosaurs.

If you adored the dynamic of these characters in their previous adventure, you'll appreciate this unique journey as well!

Not a sequel

It’s the same characters, but there are no dinosaurs. They do not go back to the Lost World. It all happens in England

Good literature

Starts strong and ends imaginatetively. has slow parts one must suffer through but all in all a good story.

Meh. Great narrator, weak story

I wasn't a huge fan of The Lost World's story arch but loved the characters, especially Lord John.
I found this story even less interesting, and definitely more racists and sexist.
Most of the time is spent blabbing on about how worried they are, without anything actually happening.

The narration is absolutely perfect though.

A Disappointment After The Lost World

The first Professor Challenger story is high adventure: unpredictable, cliffhanging, funny and even touching in spots. The Poison Belt, though five hours shorter than The Lost World, seems much, much longer.

Perhaps the very idea of the book was flawed. Without giving anything away, let’s just say the plot leaves scant room for entertainment. After a suitably intriguing kickoff, there's precious little in the way of action, snappy dialogue, or humorous banter. Moreover, it's obvious that the worldwide disaster described here has to be reversed -- or else, for whom is our hero/journalist/narrator writing? Certainly, Glen McCready did his very best with the script he had, but even his talents couldn’t save this one.