Skyjacked! Unheard of, in the early 1930's, but it did happen to four passengers, in Afghanistan, during a civil conflict there. A "mad" Asian pilot, with a gun, does, flying east into the tallest mountains in the world. The aircraft goes above, around and hopefully, not through them. A spectacular view, for those with the guts, to look, beautiful, the Himalayas and frightening. Tibet, an almost unknown land, with few visitors, who return back home, to report their findings, the apparent destination. "Glory" Hugh Conway, a British consul, in some half forgotten, and remote city, in Asia (suffering shell shock, from W.W.1). His vice consul, young hot tempered Charles Mallinson. A missionary Roberta Brinklow, a little past her prime . And the only non British one, on board the plane. American Henry Barnard, mysterious, jovial, a typical citizen of that country, hiding something? Landing at an isolated mountainous spot, not really a runway, getting refueled, by people with lots of guns. The passengers are encouraged, to stay in the plane, they obey them, with not too many arguments. Again in the air, hour after hour, always heading higher and higher into the mountains. The fuel is getting very low and they must land soon. They do, crashing in a valley. Where? Nobody knows, since the pilot soon expires ...No food or appropriate clothes, for this cold climate, no way to get back to civilization ... All see their deaths here, next morning a miracle occurs, people are coming in their direction! An old Chinese man, Chang, with a dozen others, leads them to Shangri-La. But not before mountain climbing dizzy heights, which scare his friends but not Conway, a former mountain climber in the Alps. Ropes are used, stomachs are lost, but at long last, they enter the Valley of the Blue Moon (as the natives call it). With impressive Karakal Mountain (Blue Moon), at 28,000 feet high... Looking terrifying down at the tiny newcomers... An unique, contented, peaceful, enchanting, breathtaking, place. A long ways from the constant wars and upheavals of the world. Sanctuary, for those who need it. With a prosperous Buddhist monastery ( is it still?), overlooking the valley, a majestic view ... below, a few thousand happy inhabitants . The other monks, seldom are seen, Chang gives them food, rooms, books to read and even music, to listen to, in the Lamasery . Played by Lo-Tsen, a talented Manchu girl, a teenager (she seems). The High Lama strangely is European, and looks like he's 100- years -old, but he's older! And doesn't give much information, to the curious Mr.Conway ... Many secrets are kept from the newcomers, questions are asked, when can they leave? How long have they to stay? What's the purpose of this valley? How do they make money? And some of them begin to like the situation here. This Shangri- La, is not a bad place to live in ... A fantasy from the '30, that has appeal, even today, maybe not so strange.
The last time I loved a book as much as I loved this one was when I read Dune. Even though Dune is considered one of the masterworks of science fiction, I'm not really a sci-fi kind of girl, per se, I just love places that are so well-imagined by the author that you can't believe they're not real SOMEWHERE. Lost Horizon presents Shangri-La as such a place. More personally, though, I read this book at the precise right moment in my life. Conway, the main character, has a sort of dispassionate detachment from life as a result of having fought in WWI (the story takes place right after the stock market crash) and has subsequently become an official in the British Government. His job is sort of middle management, not a great deal of responsibility, but it takes him to odd corners of the world where he has opportunities for heroism by virtue of being in foreign, unstable lands during the last years of the British Empire. Basically, he's seen enough to have made him more or less unflappable, and because of this he often is viewed as calm under pressure and courageous; at the end of the day, though, all he really wants is peace and quiet.When the English are evacuating India, Conway and three other passengers have their airplane hijacked, and they are whisked away to Shangri-La. I won't say anymore except that he and his companions find a great deal of mystery there, but Conway also senses immediately that he's found his place of repose.I say I read this book at the exact right moment in my life because I can identify with Conway's dispassion at times. Not that I've seen nearly all of the world or have experienced anything as dramatic as war, but having lived in Asia for two years, I know what it's like to do something out of the ordinary and to then return to the everyday. I know what that hollow space feels like that you long to fill with something else amazing. The fact that his retreat also happens to be a place that reminds us of the evils of being shackled to the march of time and desire is also no small thing for me. The West truly is obsessed with time--doing things faster and more efficiently, and more importantly, getting angry when things aren't done on the timetables we expect. Then there's the element of desire; wanting what we feel we are entitled to, seeking accolades, craving attention and adoration, and everything we are willing to sacrifice for these things. We are willing to sacrifice no less than the wisdom of the world and of this earth. Lost Horizon goes into all of this and much more, and I loved every second of the philosophical exploration wrapped up in gripping mystery. So, in case I haven't been clear enough--read this. It's a quick read, only took me two days, a few hours. It's well worth it.
What do You think about Lost Horizon (2014)?
A British group leaves India in the 1930s by plane, the plane goes down, and thereafter they find themselves in the fabled Shangri-La. In this valley of warmth and beauty in the midst of the Himalayan mountains, they find a people with astounding longevity leading lives of simplicity and wisdom and peace. They eventually find their way out of Shangri-La and back home, but Conway (the main character), consumed by regret for the peace that he left behind, returns in the end. For me, the power of this novel was in the sense of potential peace that is evoked, and that is available to all of us. Metaphorically, I think of the journey each of us travels in search of our own Shangri-La. Toward that end, I am reminded of Nathaniel Hawthorne who said, “Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” Perhaps the same is true of our own Shangri-La...
—Greg
This is a fun read. They did a pretty good job with the film. Given that Hilton was a major screenwriter that makes sense. It is very Victorian in its feel, a sort of Kipling-esque yarn, in which depression era westerners find themselves in a version of paradise. The place is rather communistic, with elements of free love that no doubt raised some eyebrows when it was published. On the other hand, the place is run by a Belgian cleric. On the other hand, their motto is all things in moderation, even ethics. It was a fun, quick read and is recommended for anyone who enjoys 19th century tales of adventure.
—Will Byrnes
I've known of this book was so long as the work that gave us the mysterious Shangri La. Reading this was an utter delight. Hilton is a terrific writer, his descriptions are vivid and his characters are so well developed and fleshed out. Conway, in particular, has become of my my favorite fictional characters now. And Shangri La itself, what a marvelous concept, a quiet serene utopia to espace the loud turbulent world. I loved the way Hilton compares perspectives of the place from the view points of very different characters who enter this mystical land. The whole juxtaposition of the western values and view of the world to eastern, I thought was very interesting and well executed. This small book was very thought provoking and left a very strong impression on me, particularly with the way the author has left it open to personal interpretation. The book deals with subjects that are timeless (and works well for these crazy tumultuous times we live in) and therefore doesn't read as dated, despite being published in 1933. A peace of mind, afterall, is a priceless ageless thing of beauty. I highly recommend this book.My edition of this book is a Reader's Enrichment Series copy from 1960's. An absolutely lovely edition, it includes bio info, notes on the book, select vocabulary and even a spelling improvement exercise, this, of course, being decades before computers and spellchecks. It cost $.60 back when it was published.
—Bandit
