The first great science fiction novel of the twentieth century—now available from Penguin Classics   Strange, macabre, and, fantastical, M. P. Shiel's  The Purple Cloud  is a landmark work that heralded the genre of apocalyptic fiction. It tells the grandly bleak story of Adam Jeffson—the first man to reach the North Pole and the last man left alive on earth. A sweet-smelling cloud of poisonous gas has devastated the world, and as Jeffson travels the stricken globe in search of human life, he slowly succumbs to madness, unleashing fire and destruction on his planet. A new introduction by literary scholar John Sutherland explores  The Purple Cloud 's apocalyptic themes and Shiel's colorful private life. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. “Fantastic, weird, macabre . . . imaginative, fascinating, convincing, as some dreadful nightmare . . . a remarkable piece of work . . . head and shoulders above the average tale of fantastic adventure.” — The New York Times Book Review “Delivered with a skill and artistry falling little short of actual majesty.” — H. P. Lovecraft “The first great science fiction novel of the science fiction century.” — John Clute M. P. Shiel  (1865–1947) was an author of science fiction and detective stories, most notably  The Purple Cloud . John Sutherland  is Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College London and wrote the introduction to Chekhov's  The Shooting Party  for Penguin Classics.