The Purple Cloud is a science fiction novel written by M. P. Shiel. The story follows the journey of Adam Jeffson, a British adventurer who becomes the sole survivor of a deadly purple cloud that wipes out all life on Earth except for him. As he travels across the desolate world, Jeffson grapples with loneliness, madness, and the moral implications of being the last human alive. As he explores the ruins of civilization and the remains of humanity, Jeffson discovers that he is not entirely alone. He encounters strange ...
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The Purple Cloud is a science fiction novel written by M. P. Shiel. The story follows the journey of Adam Jeffson, a British adventurer who becomes the sole survivor of a deadly purple cloud that wipes out all life on Earth except for him. As he travels across the desolate world, Jeffson grapples with loneliness, madness, and the moral implications of being the last human alive. As he explores the ruins of civilization and the remains of humanity, Jeffson discovers that he is not entirely alone. He encounters strange creatures and other survivors, some of whom are friendly, while others are dangerous and unpredictable. As Jeffson's journey continues, he becomes increasingly obsessed with the idea of finding a way to repopulate the Earth. He experiments with cloning and artificial insemination, but his attempts are fraught with ethical dilemmas and ultimately fail. The Purple Cloud is a gripping and thought-provoking novel that explores themes of isolation, survival, and the nature of humanity. It is a classic of early science fiction and remains a beloved work in the genre to this day.Do you know much about the philosophy of the hypnotic trance? That was the relation between us--hypnotist and subject. She had been under another man before my time, suffered from tic of the fifth nerve, had had most of her teeth drawn before I saw her, and an attempt had been made to wrench out the nerve on the left side by external scission.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
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Great book of another story about the end of the world (reccurent to this period of time ~1930)
I just finished reading Earth abides and it is as good as this one, though different.
klarkash
Feb 19, 2008
Mind-bending Prose at the End of the World
This flawed but still magnificent 1901 work was an early "end of the world" novel, exerting an influence on Stephen King's "The Stand" among many others. Shiel's work is distinguished by indescribably ornate prose and a wide range of erudite references. The power of "The Purple Cloud" is also its downfall; the last third of the novel can't match the first sections, in which Shiel paints, with insane visionary power, the enduring modern fantasy of finding oneself the last man alive on earth. The protagonist Adam Jeffson is the first to reach the North Pole, where his presence seems to trigger a bizarre phenomenon of natural vengeance for his hubris- descending by ship from the pole, he finds not a single soul alive, as a lethal cloud of purple poison has spread over the earth, obliterating all life in its path. Jeffson, borne on waves of Shiel's billowing, decadent poetry of the damned, begins his own campaign of obliteration, burning the dead cities of the earth. Shiel achieves a heightened, widescreen glory unencumbered by plausibility- you will love or hate this book depending on your appreciation for verbal audacity and 50-cent words. Fans of Poe, Lovecraft, and Clark Ashton Smith will find much to appreciate here.
