The Purple Cloud

by Shiel, M. P.; Sutherland, John; Sutherland, John

• ISBN13: 9780141196428
• ISBN10: 0141196424
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-11-27
• Publisher: Penguin Classics

Summary

Dark, desolate and fantastical, The Purple Cloud was a pioneer in the genre of apocalyptic novels, and the first great science fiction work of the twentieth century. It inspired authors such as H. P. Lovecraft and Stephen King. The Purple Cloud tells the grandly bleak story of Adam Jeffson: the first man to reach the North Pole and the last man left alive on earth. A sweet-smelling, deadly cloud of poisonous gas has devastated the world, and as Jeffson travels the stricken globe in search of human life, he slowly succumbs to madness, and unleashes fire and destruction on his planet. John Sutherland's introduction discusses M. P. Shiel's dissolute life, the originality of his book and its place within the context of 'last man' novels. This edition also includes a chronology, notes and further reading.

Author Biography

M. P. Shiel (1865–1947) was an author of science fiction and detective stories, most notably The Purple Cloud.

John Sutherland is Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London and wrote the introduction to Chekhov's The Shooting Party for Penguin Classics.