Vaila
By M.P. Shiel
1896
First Published
3.08
Average Rating
41
Number of Pages
Matthew Phipps Shiel (1865-1947), was a prolific British writer of fantastic fiction, remembered mostly for supernatural & scientific romances, published as novels, short stories & serials. He wrote under the pen name Gordon Holmes. After working as a teacher & translator he broke into the fiction market with a series of short stories published in The Strand & other magazines. His early literary reputation was based on two collections of short stories influenced by Poe published in the Keynote series by John Lane, Prince Zaleski (1895) & Shapes in the Fire (1896), considered by some critics as the most flamboyant of the English decadent movement. His 1st novel was The Rajah’s Sapphire (1896), based on a plot by Wm Thomas Stead, who probably hired him to write the novel. Around 1899-1900 Shiel conceived a loosely linked trilogy of novels which have been described as possibly the 1st future history series in science fiction. Shiel’s lasting literary reputation is largely based on Notebook 3 of the series which was serialized in The Royal Magazine in abridged form before book publication as The Purple Cloud (1901). He also wrote The Lord of the Sea (1901).
Avg Rating
3.08
Number of Ratings
12
5 STARS
0%
4 STARS
50%
3 STARS
17%
2 STARS
25%
1 STARS
8%
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