"A Voyage to Arcturus" has been described as a Science Fiction version of "Pilgrim's Progress:" a journey through a land of metaphorical landscapes, and encounters with personifications of various moral qualities. Published in 1920, it is among some of the earliest true Sci-Fi Fantasy, and rivals all that has come since.
Maskull, the story's hero, travels from 19th century England to a planet orbiting the star Arcturus, where he grows extra limbs and eyes, and meets a variety of alien humanoids. The women on Tormance are fierce, and have no problem with being assertive. Lindsay's cosmology is inventive and confusing, and never seems to resolve into anything that makes sense; but the wonderful and strange landscapes and characters we meet make up for the lack of a conclusive philosophical resolution.
Many liberties were taken with this reading; I include sound effects, and I abridged the first few chapters, leaving out a lot of the wine and cigars - the real science fiction begins with "Joiwind," when Maskull wakes up on Tormance. [From 'Joiwind' to the end, the reading is word for word.]
I've been reading randomly from this book since 1973, and actually reading it through from beginning to end closely provided some insight into the more exciting central chapters, though not much....
This reading is dedicated to our dear friend Eric Gardner [1954-1980 May He Rest in Peace], who recommended the book to me in those days long ago.
Wikipedia has an extensive page pertaining to 'A Voyage to Arcturus' here.
![[item image]](http://ia331435.us.archive.org/2/items/A_Voyage_To_Arcturus/identifier.jpg?cnt=0 "[item image]")
![[help]](/images/question.gif "[help]")
)