The first great science fiction novel of the twentieth century—now available from Penguin Classics Strange, macabre, and, fantastical, M. P. Shiel's The Purple Cloud is a landmark work that heralded the genre of apocalyptic fiction. It 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 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, unleashing fire and destruction on his planet. A new introduction by literary scholar John Sutherland explores The Purple Cloud's apocalyptic themes and Shiel's colorful private life. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

The Purple Cloud (Penguin Classics)

Literature & Fiction

Shiel, M.P.

United States

Penguin Classics

The Lord of the Sea

Souvenir Press / Nightowl Books

Prince Zaleski (Literature of mystery and detection)

Dramas & Plays

Arno Press

First published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Yellow Danger Ssf V7 (Sources of Science Fiction, Future War Novels of the 1890S, 7)

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Routledge

The purple cloud

Literary

Paperback Library

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

The Purple Cloud

BiblioLife

Contemporary

Gollancz

"If now a swell from the Deep has swept over this planetary ship of earth, and I, who alone chanced to find myself in the furthest stern, as the sole survivor of her crew . . . What then, my God, shall I do?" The Purple Cloud is widely hailed as a masterpiece of science fiction and one of the best "last man" novels ever written. A deadly purple vapor passes over the world and annihilates all living creatures except one man, Adam Jeffson. He embarks on an epic journey across a silent and devastated planet, an apocalyptic Robinson Crusoe putting together the semblance of a normal life from the flotsam and jetsam of his former existence. As he descends into madness over the years, he becomes increasingly aware that his survival was no accident and that his destiny—and the fate of the human race—are part of a profound, cosmological plan.

The Purple Cloud (Bison Frontiers of Imagination)

Science Fiction

Bison Books

Prince Zaleski by M. P. Shiel, Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Detective, Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology

Prince Zaleski

Classics

Wildside Pr

The Invisible Voices (Short Story Index Reprint Series)

Ayer Co. Pub

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Books by Shiel, M.P.