David Lindsay

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A Voyage to Arcturus

The book I think is most underrated: David Lindsey, A Voyage To Arcturus.

That shattering, intolerable, and irresistible work

Lindsay's engrossing book, a mixture of metaphysics and surreal dream-quest, stands as one of the great originals.

'Extraordinary' Philip Pullman 
 
Following one man's journey from earth to an alien landscape of ethereal beauty and existential terror, A Voyage to Arcturus is a profound questioning of the nature of evil. Dreamlike and philosophical, this landmark cult novel has influenced generations of writers. 
 
'That shattering, intolerable and irresistible work' C. S. Lewis 
 
'A Nietzschean Pilgrim's Progress ... Lindsay's engrossing book, a mixture of metaphysics and surreal dream-quest, stands as one of the great originals' Guardian

David Lindsay (1876-1945) was a Scottish novelist. His initial career, as an insurance clerk in London, was interrupted by his service in World War One. After the war, Lindsay moved to Cornwall to pursue writing. His first novel, A Voyage to Arcturus, sold poorly but over time became a cult favourite and had a profound influence on generations of writers and critics, including C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Harold Bloom, and Philip Pullman. It is now considered a masterpiece of metaphysical science-fiction, and David Lindsay a pioneer of the form.

After journeying across the stars, a man from Earth finds himself lost among the scarlet deserts, black cliffs and semi-sentient oceans of Tormance, a world lit by the star Arcturus. Pulled northward by the sound of drums, and undergoing strange physical transformations, the Earthman's adventures with the planet's inhabitants begin to shine with arcane significance - ending finally in startling and unforgettable revelations. 
 
At once an extraordinary odyssey across a bizarre alien world, a visceral exploration of human thought and behaviour, and a unique metaphysical examination of the cosmos, David Lindsay's masterpiece is a pioneering work of science fiction that has influenced generations of writers, including C.S Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Philip Pullman.

A Voyage to Arcturus

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