The Purple Cloud vs The Scarlet Plague: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: End of the world, Classic Literature, Science Fiction, Fiction
The Purple Cloud
Published in 1901, M. P. Shiel's The Purple Cloud is an early "last man" science fiction novel. Foretold by a priest as being against the will of God, Adam Jeffson's Arctic expedition unleashes a terrible fate on the…
vs
The Scarlet Plague
It is the year 2072, sixty years on from the scarlet plague that decimated the earth's population. As one of the few who knew life before the plague, James Howard Smith tries to impart what he knows to his grandsons…
The verdict
- Readers rate The Scarlet Plague highest: The Scarlet Plague 3.8 · The Purple Cloud 3.4.
- The Purple Cloud has the widest readership — 1983 ratings behind its score.
- The Purple Cloud runs the darker storyline; The Scarlet Plague stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Purple Cloud | The Scarlet Plague | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.4 (1983) | 3.8 (1803) |
| Hardcover | 3.5 (6) | 3.5 (34) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.0 (140) |
Reception
| The Purple Cloud | The Scarlet Plague | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1983 | 1803 |
| Editions | 56 | 71 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 4199 | 10485 |
| Reading it now | 161 | — |
| Written reviews | 298 | 1803 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1265 | 856 |
| Pages | 162 | 60 |