Last and First Men vs The Poison Belt: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: English Science fiction, Science Fiction, Fiction
Last and First Men
“... For love of France was the undoing of the French. They prized the truly admirable spirit of France so extravagantly, that they regarded all other nations as barbarians.”
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One of the most succinct and accurate renderings of mankind's present state of mind and future progression. It documents the future of man from the start of WW2 and continues until the Sun engulfs the earth, and beyond.…
The Poison Belt
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Being an account of another adventure of Prof. George E. Challenger, Lord John Roxton, Prof. Summerlee and Mr E. D. M alone, the discoverers of "The Lost World".
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Last and First Men has the widest readership — 7206 ratings behind its score.
- Last and First Men runs the darker storyline; The Poison Belt stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Last and First Men | The Poison Belt | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (7206) | — |
| Hardcover | 3.7 (39) | 3.1 (17) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (11) | 4.0 (98) |
Reception
| Last and First Men | The Poison Belt | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 7206 | 98 |
| Editions | 72 | 345 |
| Citations | 45 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 16739 | — |
| Reading it now | 789 | — |
| Written reviews | 681 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 5402 | 770 |
| Pages | — | 83 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Last and First Men or The Poison Belt?
The Poison Belt has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Poison Belt 3.9/5, Last and First Men 3.8/5).
Which is harder to read: Last and First Men or The Poison Belt?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Last and First Men: Challenging; The Poison Belt: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
Last and First Men: 4 film adaptations; The Poison Belt: no film adaptation on record.