What The B@@K? #20 Lost Horizon by James Hilton

Book Link

What’s Lost Horizon About?

Published in 1933, “Lost Horizon” by James Hilton follows a British diplomat (Hugh Conway) and his companions (Charles Mallinson, Henry Barnard who’s actually a fugitive Chalmers Bryant, and Roberta Brinklow). After their plane crashes in the Himalayas, the party finds themselves in a naturally hidden utopian valley of Shangri-La ran by a lamasery. Two and a half miles above sea level, the fertile valley is home to a society governed by moderation. The residents live centuries past normal life spans. Conway is captivated by Shangri-La’s serenity and the High Lama, who tells the valley’s history from its founding in 1734 by Perrault to its role of preserving knowledge before a global collapse due to war.

The narrative takes a turn when Conway is chosen by the High Lama to be his successor. Barnard and Brinklow decide to stay while Mallinson yearns to leave with a resident called Lo-Tsen with whom he is infatuated. Mallinson pressures Conway to depart despite warnings that leaving Shangri-La will cause rapid aging and death for Lo-Tsen. Torn between his bond to the valley and one of his closest friends, Conway decides to join his friend on the perilous journey over the mountains, travelling 1100 miles east to China. Conway is found later, aged and delirious, suggesting the High Lama’s prophecy was true, but his fate and the existence of Shangri-La are labeled as unclear and unconfirmed by the narrator.

Some themes to be discussed in the full-length podcast:

• Utopia | Dystopia

• Happiness through Moderation

• Time, Aging, and Mortality

Want to know what we’re up to next for this podcast to read ahead?

1. April: Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut

2. May: Animal Farm by George Orwell (Linked Dual Book with 1984)

3. June: Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

4. July: Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card

Questions & Conversation Starters:

In no particular order (reference pages may vary by edition), let us know what you think in the comments section on any/all topics and questions!

1. When did you really get into the story?

2. The group realizes they’ve been travelling with a fugitive (Barnard who’s really Bryant, who ran a Ponzi scheme of sorts on Wall Street). What would you do

3. What did you think of the High Lama’s history lesson of Shangri-La?

4. Not everyone gets the ‘live long lives in moderation’, why aren’t some people able to live long like the pilot of Conway’s party?

5. There is no faith without doubt, is there no moderation either? Is happiness contingent on tension and resistance?

6. Do we glorify tension? Is there too much in the world?

7. Conway never asked for verification of the special drug or evidence the High Lama or anyone else was indeed much older than they claimed. Why?

8. So, is it true? Is it a Utopian or Dystopian society?

Topics we didn’t get to:

1. Is this really soothing, or a reason?

   1. “We’re here because we’re here, if you want a reason. I’ve usually found it a soothing one.” Conway to Mallinson

2. What was Perrault’s vision from the 1780s that he felt was coming and would skip over the Valley of Blue Moon?

Standout Lines:

• “You are wiser than your friends, my dear sir, and therefore you are less impatient.” - Chang

• “The years will come and go, and you will pass from fleshy enjoyments into austerer but no less satisfying realms; you may lose the keenness of muscle and appetite, but there will be gain to match your loss; you will achieve calmness and profundity, ripeness and wisdom and the clear enchantment of memory.” - The High Lama

• “I used up most of my passions and energies during the years I’ve mentioned [1914-1918], and though I don’t talk about it much, the chief thing I’ve asked from the world since then is to leave me alone.” - Conway

Top Books We’re Thinking About Next:

1. Paradise Lost by John Milton (Craig will do webisode)

2. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

3. When Mockingbirds Sing by Billy Coffey is a novel that falls under the genre of Supernatural Fiction. It's a story of a young girl with a special gift and the mysterious events that surround her.

4. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig is a novel that falls under the genre of Philosophical Fiction. It's a thought-provoking exploration of the nature of quality the meaning of life.

5. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is a novel that falls under the genre of Adventure Fiction. It's a classic story about a boy who discovers a treasure map and sets out on a quest.

6. (added by listener request) What If the Constitution Was Never Ratified? By Chuck DeVore

7. TBD – Send us recommendations by commenting!

8. TBD – Send us recommendations by commenting!

9. TBD – Send us recommendations by commenting!

10. TBD – Send us recommendations by commenting!

Season 2 Book List:

1. September: How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe is a novel that falls under the genre of Fantasy. It's a humorous story about a group of adventurers who set out to defeat a demon king.

2. October: Shadow of the Hegemon by OSC

3. November: The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

   • The Time Machine by H.G. Wells is a classic novel that falls under the genre of Science Fiction. It's the story of a scientist who invents a time machine and travels to the future.

4. December: Emergence (by me! Craig T. Stewart) interview with a special guest!

5. January: Anthem by Ayn Rand

6. February: The Emperors Soul by Brandon Sanderson

7. March: Lost Horizon by James Hilton

8. April: Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut

9. May: Animal Farm by George Orwell (Linked Dual Book with 1984)

10. June: Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

11. July: Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card

12. August: TBD