The Lost World (by Arthur Conan Doyle)
The Lost World is the name of a novel written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1912. The plot of the novel revolves around an expedition to a plateau in South America where prehistoric animals still exist. Although it is supposedly about the existence of these animals, the book concentrates more on the interactions of humans. The novel also introduces readers to the character of Professor Challenger.
In the plot of the novel, a newspaper reporter, Ed Malone, seeks a dangerous mission so that he can impress his girlfriend. His editor sends him to interview Professor Challenger, who is not responsive to journalists and has actually assaulted previous ones sent to interview him. Everyone wants to know if his claims of having journeyed to South America are true. Although the professor does assault Malone, he does reveal his discovery of dinosaurs in South America and invites him to accompany him on his next journey.
With the aid of Indian guides, the group, which includes Lord John Roxton, an adventurer who is familiar with the Amazon region, reaches the plateau. The Indian guides are very superstitious of the area and one of the Indians is Gomez, the brother of a man Roxton killed on a previous journey. After they reach their destination, Gomez destroys the rope bridge trapping the group on the plateau. Even though they had left a man at the base, he is unable to help them.
During their investigation of the area, pterodactyls attack them and Roxton finds some blue clay. A race of ape men capture three of the group and bring them to their village. Here the group discovers there are white men living on the other side of the plateau and that there is a constant war between them and the ape men. Roxton does manage to escape and together with Malone, attempts to rescue his two partners still in captivity. They arrive at the village just in time to prevent their execution. They unite with the human tribe and together they defeat the captors.
The humans do not want the group to leave after they see the power of their guns. The group discovers a tunnel that leads to the outside and the base. When they return to England, many people do not believe the report until they see the live Pterodactyl that professor Challenger brought back with him. The dinosaur escapes and flies out into the ocean. Meanwhile, Roxton has also brought back a sample of the blue clay, which contains diamonds. They divide the proceeds of the diamonds between them. Challenger opens a museum, Roxton plans to return to South America, and Malone returns to his love only to find that she married one of the clerks in his absence. He then volunteers to return with Roxton to the Lost World.