How "The Lost World" Started the Dinosaur Adventure Genre

Before Jurassic Park thrilled moviegoers...
Before Godzilla stomped through Tokyo...

There was The Lost World — a wild, imaginative novel written in 1912 by Arthur Conan Doyle, the same brilliant mind behind Sherlock Holmes.

Long before CGI or theme parks full of cloned raptors, Doyle asked a thrilling question:
What if dinosaurs still existed somewhere, hidden from the modern world?

His answer became one of the first and most influential dinosaur adventure stories ever written.
Packed with mystery, jungle danger, bold explorers, and of course, prehistoric monsters, The Lost World helped shape science fiction and pop culture for over a century.

Let’s step into this forgotten land and see why the adventure still holds up today.

A Beginner’s Guide to The Lost World

The Lost World is a fast-paced story full of mystery, adventure, and prehistoric wonder. It begins in London, where a young journalist named Edward Malone wants to prove himself — not just as a reporter, but as someone brave and bold. When he hears about a strange scientist with wild stories about living dinosaurs, he sees his chance.

“Do you think, Sir, that you could possibly send me on some mission for the paper? I would do my best to put it through and get you some good copy.”

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That scientist is Professor George Edward Challenger — a big man with a big beard and an even bigger opinion of himself. Most people think he’s crazy. He claims to have found a hidden plateau deep in the South American jungle where dinosaurs and ancient creatures still survive. But he has no proof, only his word. The scientific world laughs at him.

“Went to South America on a solitary expedeetion two years ago. Came back last year. Had undoubtedly been to South America, but refused to say exactly where. Began to tell his adventures in a vague way, but somebody started to pick holes, and he just shut up like an oyster. Something wonderful happened — or the man’s a champion liar, which is the more probable supposeetion.

The Lost World, Arthur Conan DoyleOpen book

To silence his critics, Challenger plans a return expedition — and Malone convinces him to take him along. Two more men join the team: the serious and skeptical Professor Summerlee, and the brave adventurer Lord John Roxton, a man who has seen danger before and is not afraid to face it again.

Together, this unlikely group sets off for the Amazon rainforest, where they journey deeper and deeper into the unknown. Along the way, they face natural obstacles, strange animals, and the growing possibility that Challenger might actually be telling the truth.

“I believe every single word he said to you was the truth,” said he, earnestly, “and, mind you, I have something to go on when I speak like that. South America is a place I love, and I think, if you take it right through from Darien to Fuego, it’s the grandest, richest, most wonderful bit of earth upon this planet.

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The story is told through Malone’s eyes, in the form of a journal and letters he sends back home. As the journey continues, the question becomes: What’s really out there? And even if they find it… will anyone believe them?

How The Lost World Changed Everything

By the late 1800s, people were digging up enormous fossilized bones — the remains of creatures no one had ever seen before. This was the start of the dinosaur discovery era, especially in England and North America. These discoveries shocked the world. Suddenly, the Earth wasn’t just a few thousand years old — it was ancient, and full of monsters.

This shift in thinking changed everything. It inspired writers to imagine what life might have looked like millions of years ago — or what might happen if those creatures still existed today. Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth (published in 1864) was one of the first to explore these ideas in fiction, and it likely inspired Doyle’s own dinosaur story decades later.

When The Lost World was published in 1912, it added something new: not just fantasy, but science-based adventure. Arthur Conan Doyle didn’t just make up creatures — he gave them names, explained them using evolutionary theory, and placed them in a realistic setting, like the Amazon rainforest. It felt possible. Maybe, just maybe, there was still a place like this on Earth.

This book didn’t just entertain readers — it opened a door. It helped create a whole new genre: the dinosaur adventure. The idea that somewhere out there, in a remote place untouched by modern life, creatures from the past might still exist — that was powerful. It sparked the imaginations of writers, filmmakers, and fans for generations to come.

Without The Lost World, we might never have had Jurassic Park, Godzilla, even Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs or countless dinosaur-themed books, games, and films. Even the phrase “a lost world” became part of everyday language, used to describe secret places, ancient civilizations, or unspoiled nature.

Over the years, The Lost World has been adapted into films, TV shows, radio plays, video games, and comic books. The character of Professor Challenger, with his booming voice and bigger-than-life personality, became a kind of “anti-Sherlock Holmes” — emotional, loud, and always dramatic. He remains one of Doyle’s most colorful creations.

The Lost World Vs Jurassic Park

Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World didn’t just start a genre — it practically invented the rules for dinosaur adventure stories. Decades before CGI and cloned velociraptors, Doyle imagined a world where dinosaurs still roamed in secret. And that idea lives on in Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, and beyond.

Let’s look at just how deep the connection goes:

1. Hidden Place Full of Dinosaurs

• The Lost World: A secret plateau in South America, isolated from the modern world.
• Jurassic Park: A private island off the coast of Costa Rica, closed to the public.

Both are wild, untouched ecosystems where humans don’t belong — until they do.

2. The First Dinosaur Reveal

• In Doyle’s story, the moment of seeing a live dinosaur is shocking and almost spiritual.
• In Jurassic Park, Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler gasp as they watch a Brachiosaurus rise up to eat from a tree.

That emotional beat — “This can’t be real… but it is” — comes straight from Doyle’s pages.

3. The Explorer Team

• The Lost World sends a group of men: Professor Challenger (the bold leader), Summerlee (the skeptic), Malone (the journalist), and Roxton (the adventurer).
• Jurassic Park has Dr. Grant (scientist), Ian Malcolm (skeptic), and John Hammond, the visionary entrepreneur (the “Challenger” figure) — each with their own mix of belief, doubt, and ego.

Both groups argue, explore, and face danger together, with science and pride on the line.

4. Bringing the Dinosaur Back to Civilization

• Doyle’s characters return to London with a live creature — and it causes chaos in front of a shocked audience.
• In The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), a T-Rex is shipped to San Diego, breaks loose, and runs wild through the city.

Same idea. Same chaos. A direct tribute.

5. The Deeper Message

• Doyle warns that nature doesn’t belong in cages — and that truth doesn’t always bring peace.
• Jurassic Park famously reminds us: “Life finds a way.”

Both stories say: we are not in control — and maybe never were.

So next time you watch dinosaurs chase jeeps or roar from the shadows, remember: Doyle did it first — with ink and imagination.

Final Thought

What makes The Lost World special is that it still feels exciting today. Its influence can be seen everywhere — in pop culture, in science fiction, and even in how we imagine dinosaurs and prehistoric life. Arthur Conan Doyle didn’t just write a fun story. He changed the way we dream about the past.

If you like dinosaurs, danger, or dramatic speeches from men with mustaches… this is the book for you.

👉 Read The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle on WholeReader