The Poison Belt

In his second novella following Professor Challenger, Arthur Conan Doyle intermingles science fiction with almost apocalyptic thriller in The Poison Belt. Set in a backdrop of Victorian values, Challenger and his companions attempt to delay their death for as long as possible as Earth moves into a “belt” of deadly ether, only to discover at the end of their oxygen supply that the truth of the ether’s effect on Earth and its inhabitants—both living and machine—are far worse than they could have anticipated. Thrilling and packed with goodies for the science-fiction lover.