Book Review Club: Lost Horizon

Lost Horizon: A Novel
by James Hilton
pub. 1933. 1936

Thanks to James Hilton, the concept of Shangri-La is so ingrained in our culture that I almost couldn't believe I had never read the book or seen the movie. So I decided to do something about that. Fortunately, it's considered a classic so it was an easy matter to find a copy of the book at the local library and the movie at Netflix.(And I think this must have been the original American cover. Love the 25 cent price!)

The story starts with a group of old school chums discussing Robert Conway, an old friend who went missing while being evacuated from a war zone. The plane he was in disappeared in the North of India. One of the men, a novelist, surprises them all by saying he had unexpected encountered Conway in a mission hospital in China suffering from amnesia. On a boat home, Conway's memory returned and he told his friend an extraordinary story before disappearing again.

The narrative then switches to Conway's (third person) point of view as we see the kidnapping and subsequent events through his eyes. After crashing in the Himalayas, they are taken in by Chang, a representative of a lamasery called Shangri-La. Perched high on a mountain, the luxurious lamasery overlooks the beautiful "valley of the blue moon" where people live in unimagined harmony. The philosophy of Shangri-La is moderation in all things. The people are moderately industrious, moderately obedient and moderately chaste. And the High Lama who rules over all is moderately strict.

Conway, who is a veteran of the Great War and more than a little world-weary, quickly falls under the spell of Shangri-La, but his assistant, the young Mallinson, fails to adapt. He wants to leave immediately, but they must wait for a party of porters who keep to no particular schedule. In the meantime, both men are falling under the spell of Lo Tsen, a lovely Manchu woman who is a talented pianist. And that is all I will say about the plot.

The book is beautifully written, with a lot of philosophical discussions. I think it is superb literature, though it falls a little short as storytelling. I would have liked to know more about Lo Tsen and her feelings about the two Englishmen, esp. given the ultimate choice she makes, which was never explained to my satisfaction.

The movie was filmed in 1937 and was apparently quite an undertaking. It was directed by Frank Capra and stars the wonderful Ronald Colman as Conway, though this Conway was more ambitious than the one in the book. There were a number of changes to other characters in the film. Conway's assistant Mallinson became his brother George. (That kind of made sense give what happens later.) The biggest change was the disappearance of Lo Tsen, probably because an interracial love affair would have been taboo in 1937. Instead, there were two white women at the lamasery: Sondra, played by Jane Wyatt who falls in love with Conway, and Maria, a young Russian woman patterned after Lo Tsen who falls for George.

Watching the movie, I kept thinking: why on earth did they film it in black and white? It would have been so gorgeous in technicolor. Then it dawned on me that the film was made two years before Gone With The Wind, the first full-color movie. Even in black and white, the film is beautiful. The version I watched has been remastered from original clips. At one point, it was shortened, and they found a complete 132-minute copy of the audio, but not all of the film, so in places, the visuals are filled in by photographic stills. I really enjoyed both book and movie.

What would you have done if you'd been in that plane with Conway? Brave the snows of the Himalayas to get home or stay and enjoy the utopian paradise that was Shangri-La? I'm afraid I'd be inclined to stay.

Don't forget to check out the other reviews, and scroll down to find out about my March giveaway and to read an excerpt from my new release, Tova's Dragon.

Linda

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@Barrie Summy

March Giveaway

In honor of my Irish roots, I'm holding a giveaway this month.  

The prize is winner's choice of an electronic download of any of my backlisted titles by Linda McLaughlin or my Lyndi Lamont pseudonym (erotic romance). To enter, comment on this post or send an email to lyndilamont@yahoo.com with March giveaway in the subject line.

Winner will be chosen on the Monday after St. Patrick's Day.

Linda

Tova's Dragon Now Available

My new release from Amber Heat is now available. Tova's Dragon is fantasy erotic romance featuring an earth mage and a sexy dragonshifter. It's part of the Riding The Dragon AmberPax released on March 19.

Blurb:

Tova, an earth mage, rejuvenates through sex magic. She's on a mission to save her homeland, but her magical energy is running low--closing in on empty. How is she to know the handsome half-naked man she encounters is not only a condemned man, but also a dragonshifter? Talk about hot and steamy sex. And nothing is simple after that...

Kane has always loved Velosian women and their sex magic. Tova's warmth stirs his passions and her courage touches his heart, but he dreads telling her of his true nature, certain she will recoil. But Tova is made of sterner stuff.

Together, Kane and Tova have the power to save Velosia. If they survive, can an earth mage find happiness with a dragonshifter? In a land where sex and magic are intertwined, anything may be possible. 

EXCERPT #1:

CHAPTER 1

Once upon a time, in the land of Velosia, lived a young earth mage. Tova, for that was her name, dwelt in harmony with the plants of the fields and the animals of the earth. She felt vibrations in the earth and heard whispers on the wind, basked in the sun and gloried in the rain.

There was but one element that disturbed her. Whene’er storm clouds gathered and thunder rumbled in the distance, she trembled in dread. And when light flashed in the sky, she hid, for the lightning seemed to follow her every movement. The air crackled around and through her, and in her heart, she feared one day it would strike her dead, as it had her father.

In this time also appeared the Outlaw Kane, last of the dragonlords of Velosia, a man-beast who changed shape at will. Back from exile, he bided his time in his aerie high in the mountains, until the day Tova came seeking his help.

And so begins the tale of the Lightning Maiden and the Outlawed Dragon.

*          *          *

Seek help of the Lord of Drakkenberg. Only he can aid you. You must fly with the dragon.

Her grandmother’s words rang in Tova’s head as she climbed the path into the mountains. Why had Mutti Zee sent her on a fool’s errand? Everyone knew the dragonfolk had abandoned Velosia years ago, driven away by Bruno of Grimmdorn’s crusade against them. Until he was accused of putting the king and queen under an enchantment and forced to flee. Now Bruno was back at the head of a mercenary army, if Mutti Zee’s vision was correct. And Tova knew it was. She’d felt the vibrations in the earth.

And somehow it was up to her to save the kingdom.

Stopping to rest her tired legs, she gazed at the path ahead. It grew steeper and narrower the higher it wound into the mountains. She was glad she’d worn men’s breeches and a tunic with her sturdy boots. A gown and petticoats would be but a hindrance.

She raised her gaze to the sky. “Why me? I’m no hero.” But there was no answer, just clouds forming to her left. She shook her head. Now she was talking to herself, like mad Magnus, the village idiot.

Turning back to the path, she started climbing again. The castle was visible now, high on a cliff, its turrets silhouetted against the sky. For centuries, the dragon lords had resided in the castle, ruling the isolated mountain communities. People in those areas were known as dragonfolk, though Tova knew not why. True, dragon motifs decorated the doorframes of their houses, and rumor had it they worshipped some kind of serpent god.

Over the years, many travelers through the mountains had claimed to see large winged creatures flying in the sky at sunrise, and others swore they’d seen men and women change shape and fly into the night. Old wives tales, no doubt. On the rare occasions she’d seen the dragonfolk, they’d looked much like everyone else. But they kept apart, and visitors to the area were discouraged. It was all a great puzzle, but one she had no time to ponder. Too much was at stake and her chances of reaching Castle Novita in time to warn the king were slim at best.

A shadow blocked the sun, and she looked up to see an enormous bird silhouetted against the sky. Goddess, she’d never seen such a large raptor. It turned and the sun’s rays glinted on its shiny red-gold wings and barbed tail. Halting, she stared after it, shaken to the core of her being.

No, it couldn’t be. There was no such thing as dragons.

Tova's Dragon
by Lyndi Lamont
Genres: Fantasy / Shapeshifter / Fairy Tales / Witchcraft / Magic
Heat Level: 3
Length: Novella (20k words)

Buy Link: http://www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat/TovasDragon.html
http://www.lindamclaughlin.com/ / Lyndi Lamont