Lost Horizon by James Hilton

This book, first published in 1933, is a kind of throwback to the kind of late-Victorian and Edwardian adventure novels exemplified by those of [a: H. Rider Haggard|4633123|H. Rider Haggard|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1298296700p2/4633123.jpg], but also includes, for example, [b:The Heart of Darkness|909011|"Exterminate All the Brutes" One Man's Odyssey into the Heart of Darkness and the Origins of European Genocide|Sven Lindqvist|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328752407l/909011.SX50.jpg|894148] by [a:Joseph Conrad|3345|Joseph Conrad|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1403814208p2/3345.jpg]. It follows the convention of a story within a story, where several gentlemen gather for cigars or port after dinner in a club or restaurant and one of them tells a story of his own adventures, or those of a mutual acquaintance. The story often involves a far-away place with a society cut off, either partly or completely from the outside world -- in this case a monastery called Shangri-La in a hidden valley in Tibet.

By the time James Hilton wrote this story, most such stories had already moved into the realm of science fiction, and had moved to other planets, other solar systems, other galaxies, or even other dimensions as most of the surface of our planet had been mapped.

This story is one of the better examples of the genre, and probably one of the last of those set on earth, so much so that the name of its hidde3n place, Shangri-la, has become part of popular culture, and has found its way in to pop songs and the names of holiday resorts and the like.

"Lost Horizon" by James Hilton is a touchstone of early 20th Century adventure stories that deserves its reputation beyond the iconic 1930s film and the equally infamous 1970s musical adaptation. The story is a mystery that bring the reader along and has quite a bit to say about the nature of time, eternity, and the futile quest of utopia

The book follows a group of Westerners who get kidnapped mid-flight over the Himalayas and crash-land at the edge of Shangri-La, a green, Buddhist-inspired utopia in the middle of the mountains. The main character, Conway, a British diplomat, tries to unravel the mystery of the valley and comes to a startling revelation as to the nature of the valley and its residents.

The book reflects its time period in many ways. The idea of a peaceful utopia that would preserve the learning and wisdom of millennium would have been appealing to a world on the edge of the Second World War. Many people were seeking clarity and many of the ideas and solutions that Hilton presents here will be ones that you will continue to think. Many might point out that there are certain Oriental tropes in the story - a dashing Westerner who stumbles upon a wise Eastern civilization that has deeper wisdom than the West. The Westerner has to choose between the rational West and the mystical East. The offer he is made the end may come off as a white savior with the fate of humanity on his shoulders. I do think this is a oversimplified reading of a book I greatly enjoyed but I acknowledge these things here and that these elements may make for stilted reading today.

What makes the book resonate today is that it balances the adventure and the deep thinking well. It is enjoyable and thought-provoking. It has the adventure and pacing of stories like "The 39 Steps" by John Buchanan and "The Prisoner of Zenda" by Anthony Hope. But it also engages in deep question of a book like "The Razor's Edge" by W. Somerset Maugham, whose main character who is on a quest to find meaning after the First World War. What connects Maugham and Hilton is the question of whether one can merge the best thinking of East and West. Both texts are not slavishly Orientalist (hence why they continue to be resonate books today) - there is a genuine attempt to try to understand the problems of modern life and the tools we have in a globalized world.

All seriousness aside, let yourself forget the film (and please forget the musical) and read the book.