S. Fowler Wright (1874–1965)

Arrgh! my computer crashed in the middle of writing this, sigh! Start again.

So short version. An odd mix of fantasy and high seas adventure. The plot of a pulp but much better and more thoughtful writing style.

With its mix of perspectives to tell the story and the history of this mysterious island it reminded me of the series 'Lost' and not unlike that show the build up meant i was somewhat disappointed by the end.
But its still really quite good, pretty decent romance and adventure i thought, some racism but mostly in the subtext so many may not even notice it.

Its mysteries while not explored to the extent you would want will mean i won't be forgetting it anytime soon. In the end really good and the 3 stars are mostly due to the high expectations it gave me from its early chapters and never quite fulfilled.… (mere)

Sydney Fowler Wright’s The World Below, published in 1929, is a time travel tale clearly patterned on H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine template: a time traveler relating his fantastical adventures to a skeptical cadre of friends and associates. And as in Wells’s story, far in the future human life on earth has evolved into a pair of separate and competing species. Wright’s strength lies in his beautifully detailed descriptions of the future world’s landscapes, creating a uniquely immersive experience for the reader. The action sequences are exciting and have a real swashbuckling flair, but these moments are few and very far between, as the primary downfall of the book is the frequent treatises on philosophical subjects (government, libertarianism, capitalism, socialism, justice, logic/reason, etc.) that, while intrinsically intriguing, routinely bring the story itself to a screeching halt. The World Below consists of two-thirds of an intended trilogy, with the concluding section never written.… (mere)

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

During his profitable pirating career, Captain Sparrow discovered an unknown South Pacific island that appeared to consist entirely of rocky cliffs but contained a lushly fertile inland landscape. It could only be accessed at high tide from a small hidden recess high in the cliffs. Sparrow and his crew, who were wanted all over the world for their crimes, made the island a hideout where they stowed heaps of gold bars and lots of guns and ammunition. Before his last voyage, Sparrow left some of his crew, several Chilean women, and his young son on the island. But Sparrow had tempted fate one time too many; he and his remaining crew were caught and hanged. Not knowing what happened to their leader and the rest of his men, the pirates and women left on the island degenerated into illiteracy and lawlessness.

A couple of generations later, Charlton Foyle, drifting alone in a lifeboat, happens upon the island�??s hidden recess. After gaining access to the interior of the island, he discovers several oddities: huge flesh-eating birds, satyrs and, most interesting of all, a pretty young French woman named Marcelle who was marooned two years earlier and has been hiding from the pirates in the forest. Marcelle is excited to have a civilized companion but canƒ??t show herself because sheƒ??s naked. When she tries to steal clothing to cover her indecency, sheƒ??s caught by the pirates and is about to be forced to marry their brutish leader, the grandson of Captain Sparrow. Will Charlton, the refined Englishman, come and save her?

The Island of Captain Sparrow, published in 1928, is a classic lost world fantasy which contains many of the themes found in similar stories written in the early 1900s. Charlton Foyleƒ??s adventure is thrilling and the world he discovers is both beautiful and horrible. Because of S. Fowler Wrightƒ??s lovely descriptive prose, I felt like I was drifting in the boat, exploring the caves, and peeking through the trees with Charlton. I was truly anxious during the scenes in which Marcelle and Charlton encountered the degenerate pirates. Itƒ??s too bad that the plot gradually fizzled after the climax; I wish it had ended more strongly.

One noticeable annoyance with Wrightƒ??s story, and this is surely due to the time period during which it was written, is the glaring racism and classism. There are several reminders from the narrator that the islanders were brutes because they were descended from 1. Europeans of the lowest class, and 2. Chileans:

It is doubtless true that the men and women that Captain Sparrow had landed upon the island had been subnormal both in intellect and in moral stability. That is a reasonable supposition considering their occupation and antecedents.

The physical features of the islanders are often described as offensive and contrasted with the attractive features of Charlton and Marcelle who are upper-class Europeans. At one point, Charlton notices that Marcelle, who had been running around the island naked before he arrived, has a suntan. But he quickly assures us that she is tanned ƒ??only lightlyƒ? for which he thanks the shady forest. Fortunately, ƒ??only the soles of her dust-stained feet were very dark.ƒ? Another time, Charlton uses a metaphor to suggest that he and Marcelle are like the mighty trees that struggle to push through the ƒ??strifeƒ? and ƒ??parasitesƒ? of the forest canopy to rise above the rest of the ƒ??savageƒ? jungle. This Eurocentrism is ugly, but perhaps not surprising since S. Fowler Wright, an Englishman, lived from 1874 to 1965.

The audio production I listened to was performed by Napoleon Ryan, a British comedy screen actor. As far as I can tell, this is his first audiobook performance. His presentation was genuine and he has a terrific voice ƒ?? even his voice for Marcelle was completely convincing. I hope Mr. Ryan will continue narrating audiobooks.

The Island of Captain Sparrow is a relatively short book (only 7 hours) which is fast-paced and exciting. If you you can look past the Eurocentrism, itƒ??s an entertaining example of an old lost world fantasy.… (mere)