The Purple Cloud
M. P. Shiel, J. J. Cameron and Brian Stableford's The Purple Cloud (1901) is a horror and adventure fiction novel. Readers will find themes of end of the world, natural disasters, arctic regions and apocalyptic fantasies.
26 Open Library readers have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 56 editions. On Project Gutenberg it was downloaded 948 times in the last 30 days.
It runs to roughly 252 pages — 4–5 hours of reading at an average pace. It is in the public domain, so you can read it free on Project Gutenberg or listen to the 11 h 51 min LibriVox audiobook.
About The Purple Cloud
Published in 1901, M. P. Shiel's The Purple Cloud is an early "last man" science fiction novel. Foretold by a priest as being against the will of God, Adam Jeffson's Arctic expedition unleashes a terrible fate on the world - a mysterious purple cloud that spreads far into the heavens and across the earth. Jeffson returns to the horror of finding the entire crew dead onboard his ship, and, as he gradually realizes, the entire population of the planet has been wiped out. Descending into a madness, he burns cities, declares himself a monarch with no subjects, attempts to create an enormous golden palace for God and for himself. But everything changes as he discovers he is not the only person left, stumbling upon a naked young woman without any knowledge of the world that once stood.
Free audiobook
The Purple Cloud — LibriVox recording, 11 h 51 min in 33 sections.
Public-domain recording by volunteer readers. Listen online, download MP3s or stream from the Internet Archive.
Opening line
“In May of this year the writer received as noteworthy a packet of papers as it has been his lot to examine-from a friend, Dr. Arthur Lister Browne, M A., F R C P.-consisting of four notebooks, crowded with those giddy shapes of "shorthand," whose ensemble resembles startled swarms hovering on the wing-scribbled in pencil, and without vowels: so that their deciphering has been no holiday.”
Quick answers
Who wrote The Purple Cloud?
The Purple Cloud was written by M. P. Shiel, J. J. Cameron and Brian Stableford and first published in 1901.
What genre is The Purple Cloud?
It is usually shelved as Horror, Adventure, Victorian Science Fiction and Classic Fantasy.
How long is The Purple Cloud?
The median edition has 252 pages, about 4–5 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.
Is The Purple Cloud free to read?
Yes. It is in the public domain in the United States and can be read free on Project Gutenberg in EPUB, Kindle and HTML formats.
Is there a free audiobook of The Purple Cloud?
Yes — LibriVox volunteers recorded it; the recording runs 11 h 51 min.
What books are similar to The Purple Cloud?
Readers who like it often enjoy Dracula, A Princess of Mars and The Jewel of Seven Stars.
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