The Other Worlds of Arthur Conan Doyle - Revision history

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	\|author=Thomas R. Tietze		\|author=Thomas R. Tietze
	\|topic=Supernatural		\|topic=Supernatural
			\|summary=The article surveys Arthur Conan Doyle's non-Sherlockian weird fiction, showing how his gothic, occult, and proto–science-fiction stories explore hidden realities beyond rational explanation. It argues that these imaginative other worlds reveal a consistent fascination with ambiguity, psychic phenomena, and unseen forces that anticipate Conan Doyle's later spiritual beliefs.
	}}		}}
	''The Other Worlds of Arthur Conan Doyle'' is an article written by [[Thomas R. Tietze]] published in the [[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (Vol. 1, No. 3) in september 1990.		''The Other Worlds of Arthur Conan Doyle'' is an article written by [[Thomas R. Tietze]] published in the [[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (Vol. 1, No. 3) in september 1990.

TCDE-Team at 10:17, 11 February 2026

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	=== Part Two ===		=== Part Two ===
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			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p45-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 45)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p46-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 46)]]
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			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p50-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 50)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p51-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 51)]]
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			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p53-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 53)]]
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			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p58-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 58)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p59-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 59)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p60-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 60)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p61-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 61)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p62-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 62)]]

	[[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s imagination, besides being intrigued with both preternatural and supernatural intrusions into a materialistic and scientifically definable universe, also produced several stories that, while hinting at the abnormal, are finally resolved by natural explanations. There is no question that some of these are slight efforts. (Three of the five come, after all, early in his career; one of them, [[The Mystery of Sasassa Valley]], was his first publication.) But some are prime [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]] and deserve a wider audience than they have had.		[[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s imagination, besides being intrigued with both preternatural and supernatural intrusions into a materialistic and scientifically definable universe, also produced several stories that, while hinting at the abnormal, are finally resolved by natural explanations. There is no question that some of these are slight efforts. (Three of the five come, after all, early in his career; one of them, [[The Mystery of Sasassa Valley]], was his first publication.) But some are prime [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]] and deserve a wider audience than they have had.

TCDE-Team at 10:09, 11 February 2026

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TCDE-Team at 09:48, 11 February 2026

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TCDE-Team at 15:26, 8 February 2026

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TCDE-Team at 15:19, 8 February 2026

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TCDE-Team at 14:46, 8 February 2026

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TCDE-Team at 14:39, 8 February 2026

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 == The Other Worlds of Arthur Conan Doyle ==
-[[File:Acd-society-journal-1990-09-pxxx-xxx.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (september 1990, p. xxx)]]
+[[File:Acd-society-journal-1990-09-p203-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (september 1990, p. 203)]]
 === Part One ===

TCDE-Team: Created page with "{{Cargo_Research_Articles |date=1990-09-01 |author=Thomas R. Tietze |topic=Supernatural }} ''The Other Worlds of Arthur Conan Doyle'' is an article written by Thomas R. Tietze published in the A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society (Vol. 1, No. 3) in september 1990. The article surveys Arthur Conan Doyle's non-Sherlockian "weird" fiction, showing how his gothic, occult, and proto–science-fiction stories explore hidden realities beyond ra..."

2026-02-08T14:35:53Z

Created page with "{{Cargo_Research_Articles |date=1990-09-01 |author=Thomas R. Tietze |topic=Supernatural }} ''The Other Worlds of Arthur Conan Doyle'' is an article written by Thomas R. Tietze published in the A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society (Vol. 1, No. 3) in september 1990. The article surveys Arthur Conan Doyle's non-Sherlockian "weird" fiction, showing how his gothic, occult, and proto–science-fiction stories explore hidden realities beyond ra..."

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	=== Part Two ===		=== Part Two ===
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p44-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 44)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p45-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 45)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p46-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 46)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p47-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 47)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p48-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 48)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p49-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 49)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p50-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 50)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p51-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 51)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p52-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 52)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p53-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 53)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p54-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 54)]]
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			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p56-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 56)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p57-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 57)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p58-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 58)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p59-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 59)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p60-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 60)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p61-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 61)]]
			[[File:Acd-society-journal-1991-03-p62-the-other-worlds-of-acd.jpg\|thumb\|250px\|right\|[[A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society]] (march 1991, p. 62)]]

	[[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s imagination, besides being intrigued with both preternatural and supernatural intrusions into a materialistic and scientifically definable universe, also produced several stories that, while hinting at the abnormal, are finally resolved by natural explanations. There is no question that some of these are slight efforts. (Three of the five come, after all, early in his career; one of them, [[The Mystery of Sasassa Valley]], was his first publication.) But some are prime [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]] and deserve a wider audience than they have had.		[[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s imagination, besides being intrigued with both preternatural and supernatural intrusions into a materialistic and scientifically definable universe, also produced several stories that, while hinting at the abnormal, are finally resolved by natural explanations. There is no question that some of these are slight efforts. (Three of the five come, after all, early in his career; one of them, [[The Mystery of Sasassa Valley]], was his first publication.) But some are prime [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]] and deserve a wider audience than they have had.

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	==== I ====		==== I ====

	That the boundaries of nature needed enlargement in order accommodate newly discovered facts is implicit in several stories, particularly the Professor Challenger series. Challenger, an Assyrian-bearded giant, whose intellect and ego are equally outsized, was, next to [[Sherlock Holmes]], [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s most popular creation and was the author's preferred brainchild. The massive Challenger makes a habit of declaring that what the majority of his scientific colleagues assert is impossible is, nevertheless, true, and he takes an alarming pleasure in throwing representatives of the fourth estate down flights of stairs. Though the fiction anticipates the facts of [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s own espousal of occult "truths", and his own battles with the press, it is not difficult to see Challenger as his creator's fantasy extension; the suggestion is even less speculative when we recall that [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]] himself donned a Challenger disguise in order to play the role in a faked portrait of the Challenger expedition which was to appear as the frontispiece of the book The Lost World. [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]] is also reported as dressing up as the volcanic character on another occasion in order to play a practical joke on his brother-in-law, Raffles author, E.W. Hornung. (4)		That the boundaries of nature needed enlargement in order accommodate newly discovered facts is implicit in several stories, particularly the [[Professor Challenger]] series. [[Professor Challenger\|Challenger]], an Assyrian-bearded giant, whose intellect and ego are equally outsized, was, next to [[Sherlock Holmes]], [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s most popular creation and was the author's preferred brainchild. The massive [[Professor Challenger\|Challenger]] makes a habit of declaring that what the majority of his scientific colleagues assert is impossible is, nevertheless, true, and he takes an alarming pleasure in throwing representatives of the fourth estate down flights of stairs. Though the fiction anticipates the facts of [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s own espousal of occult "truths", and his own battles with the press, it is not difficult to see [[Professor Challenger\|Challenger]] as his creator's fantasy extension; the suggestion is even less speculative when we recall that [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]] himself donned a [[Professor Challenger\|Challenger]] disguise in order to play the role in a faked portrait of the [[Professor Challenger\|Challenger]] expedition which was to appear as the frontispiece of the book [[The Lost World]]. [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]] is also reported as dressing up as the volcanic character on another occasion in order to play a practical joke on his brother-in-law, Raffles author, [[Ernest W. Hornung\|E. W. Hornung]]. (4)

	Challenger's adventures begin with The Lost World, serialised in The Strand Magazine in 1912. He has recently returned from a South American expedition which has revealed the existence of a hitherto unknown plateau inhabited by prehistoric creatures, believed by orthodox scientists to have been long extinct. (Photographs of some of the beasts which Challenger produces are pronounced by the grave minions of science to be fraudulent.		[[Professor Challenger\|Challenger]]'s adventures begin with [[The Lost World]], serialised in The Strand Magazine in 1912. He has recently returned from a South American expedition which has revealed the existence of a hitherto unknown plateau inhabited by prehistoric creatures, believed by orthodox scientists to have been long extinct. (Photographs of some of the beasts which [[Professor Challenger\|Challenger]] produces are pronounced by the grave minions of science to be fraudulent.

	In order to vindicate himself, Challenger challenges the scientific community to finance an expedition to prove that his story is a lie. They agree, and one of literature's most delightful, satiric, and suspenseful novels leaps into action. In a lively combination of Jonathan Swift, H.G. Wells, and Rider Haggard, The Lost World celebrates scientific genius in defence of British Imperialism, as it illustrates the genocide of a race of ape-men and establishes the supremacy of a population of "Indians" — clearly a "higher" type. It also presents a satire of the trivial controversies which engage learned scientists in the face of more practical considerations — such as survival. In the closing chapters, the explorers return from their dangerous adventures. Then, before a hall filled with sceptical scientists, they demonstrate the existence of the still-living prehistoric animals: Challenger has brought back a live pterodactyl, and he releases it in the crowded hall!		In order to vindicate himself, [[Professor Challenger\|Challenger]] challenges the scientific community to finance an expedition to prove that his story is a lie. They agree, and one of literature's most delightful, satiric, and suspenseful novels leaps into action. In a lively combination of Jonathan Swift, H. G. Wells, and Rider Haggard, [[The Lost World]] celebrates scientific genius in defence of British Imperialism, as it illustrates the genocide of a race of ape-men and establishes the supremacy of a population of "Indians" — clearly a "higher" type. It also presents a satire of the trivial controversies which engage learned scientists in the face of more practical considerations — such as survival. In the closing chapters, the explorers return from their dangerous adventures. Then, before a hall filled with sceptical scientists, they demonstrate the existence of the still-living prehistoric animals: [[Professor Challenger\|Challenger]] has brought back a live pterodactyl, and he releases it in the crowded hall!

	[[The Poison Belt]] (1913), relates Challenger's attempt to save a world passing through an astronomical belt of chemicals which will destroy all life on earth.		[[The Poison Belt]] (1913), relates [[Professor Challenger\|Challenger]]'s attempt to save a world passing through an astronomical belt of chemicals which will destroy all life on earth.

	Interestingly, [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]] forgoes an opportunity to speculate on what it would be like to be the last people on earth. Instead, the survivors learn that the effects of the poison are only temporary; the world comes back to life in a fictional representation of Resurrection Day. (5)		Interestingly, [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]] forgoes an opportunity to speculate on what it would be like to be the last people on earth. Instead, the survivors learn that the effects of the poison are only temporary; the world comes back to life in a fictional representation of Resurrection Day. (5)

	In [[When the World Screamed\|When The World Screamed]] (1928), Challenger has developed a theory that the earth is a sensate organism and endeavours to prove it by driving a shaft into the nerve-centre of the planet. The title tells the rest. [[The Disintegration Machine]] (1929), has Challenger learning of an unscrupulous scientist who has invented a device to disintegrate matter on a wide scale. Fortunately, the machine has a re-integration lever. Seeing the international implications of the device, Challenger tricks the inventor into stepping into the machine, pulls the disintegrating lever, and (as [[Sherlock Holmes]] often does) takes the law into his own hands by not bringing back the mad scientist.		In [[When the World Screamed\|When The World Screamed]] (1928), [[Professor Challenger\|Challenger]] has developed a theory that the earth is a sensate organism and endeavours to prove it by driving a shaft into the nerve-centre of the planet. The title tells the rest. [[The Disintegration Machine]] (1929), has [[Professor Challenger\|Challenger]] learning of an unscrupulous scientist who has invented a device to disintegrate matter on a wide scale. Fortunately, the machine has a re-integration lever. Seeing the international implications of the device, [[Professor Challenger\|Challenger]] tricks the inventor into stepping into the machine, pulls the disintegrating lever, and (as [[Sherlock Holmes]] often does) takes the law into his own hands by not bringing back the mad scientist.

	These stories indicate [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s interest in the relation of mind and matter, with a strong suggestion that matter is a kind of limited, temporary phenomenon, while mind is universal and eternal. In all five stories, things or people or animals, assumed to be dead, are shown to be really alive.		These stories indicate [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s interest in the relation of mind and matter, with a strong suggestion that matter is a kind of limited, temporary phenomenon, while mind is universal and eternal. In all five stories, things or people or animals, assumed to be dead, are shown to be really alive.
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	These tales represent [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s increasing interest in what would later be called science fiction and establish him, with Verne, Wells, and a handful of others, as a pioneer of a developing genre. Still, there is an ever-present theme of the Great Man asserting a truth, essentially spiritual, which the world at large sees fit to reject: There were more things, after all, in heaven and earth, than contemporary science wished to allow.		These tales represent [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s increasing interest in what would later be called science fiction and establish him, with Verne, Wells, and a handful of others, as a pioneer of a developing genre. Still, there is an ever-present theme of the Great Man asserting a truth, essentially spiritual, which the world at large sees fit to reject: There were more things, after all, in heaven and earth, than contemporary science wished to allow.

	Because [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]] preferred Challenger to Holmes, he used the bellicose scientist in preference to the careful detective, as the principal character investigating the claims of Spiritualism. [[The Land of Mist]] (1926) is a weak novel, and really a work of propaganda. It is riddled with factual errors, indicating [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s notoriously cavalier treatment of details at least with regard to developments in psychical research. Moreover, its exhortatory tone reveals his resentment of those who held an antagonistic view of Spiritualism.		Because [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]] preferred [[Professor Challenger\|Challenger]] to Holmes, he used the bellicose scientist in preference to the careful detective, as the principal character investigating the claims of Spiritualism. [[The Land of Mist]] (1926) is a weak novel, and really a work of propaganda. It is riddled with factual errors, indicating [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s notoriously cavalier treatment of details at least with regard to developments in psychical research. Moreover, its exhortatory tone reveals his resentment of those who held an antagonistic view of Spiritualism.

	But [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s interests in borderland scientific discoveries, as well as his apparent acceptance of a non-physical component within the human personality, had figured significantly in an earlier work, [[The Ring of Thoth]] (1890). In this tale, a reclusive scholarly expert (a type frequently figuring in [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s gothic fiction) meets a man who has lived for four thousand years; an Ancient Egyptian, who has discovered a formula capable of extending human life indefinitely. One of the earliest imaginative works to explore the psychological stress of eternal life in a physical body, The Ring of Thoth tells feelingly of a man who watches all that he knows and loves gradually pass away while he continues to live, unable to find the release of death. Though this is, ostensibly, a weird tale, still the protracted life and the release from it, are brought about by chemical compounds and not occult spells.		But [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s interests in borderland scientific discoveries, as well as his apparent acceptance of a non-physical component within the human personality, had figured significantly in an earlier work, [[The Ring of Thoth]] (1890). In this tale, a reclusive scholarly expert (a type frequently figuring in [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s gothic fiction) meets a man who has lived for four thousand years; an Ancient Egyptian, who has discovered a formula capable of extending human life indefinitely. One of the earliest imaginative works to explore the psychological stress of eternal life in a physical body, [[The Ring of Thoth]] tells feelingly of a man who watches all that he knows and loves gradually pass away while he continues to live, unable to find the release of death. Though this is, ostensibly, a weird tale, still the protracted life and the release from it, are brought about by chemical compounds and not occult spells.

	Two other stories blend science and the occult by suggesting the possibility of alternative life forms above and beneath the earth, both the results of purely biological processes, yet unrecognised by orthodox scientists. In [[The Terror of Blue John Gap]] (1910), one of [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s most frequently anthologised non-Sherlockian stories, Dr. James Hardcastle, convalescing on the verge of a nervous breakdown, becomes convinced that a mysterious force lives within a cave just outside a remote English village. Entering the cave, he finds evidence of a huge animal which leaves great sponge-like footprints in the moist earth. This beast, he conjectures, has emerged from its lair to steal sheep and even catch and kill people. Moved by the idea that only he can save the world from this subterranean monster, Hardcastle plunges into the depths of the cave and finds a huge, blind, bear-like thing which instantly attacks him. He shoots it as it charges towards him. Blacking out, the man cannot be sure that he has indeed killed the monster, and the rescue party which has discovered him has seen no signs of the dead animal. When he recovers sufficiently, he closes off the cave's opening, secure in the knowledge that he has saved humanity from the depredations of a form of life that has developed, he theorises, along parallel, but different, evolutionary lines within the earth while the outside world has remained unaware of its existence.		Two other stories blend science and the occult by suggesting the possibility of alternative life forms above and beneath the earth, both the results of purely biological processes, yet unrecognised by orthodox scientists. In [[The Terror of Blue John Gap]] (1910), one of [[Arthur Conan Doyle\|Conan Doyle]]'s most frequently anthologised non-Sherlockian stories, Dr. James Hardcastle, convalescing on the verge of a nervous breakdown, becomes convinced that a mysterious force lives within a cave just outside a remote English village. Entering the cave, he finds evidence of a huge animal which leaves great sponge-like footprints in the moist earth. This beast, he conjectures, has emerged from its lair to steal sheep and even catch and kill people. Moved by the idea that only he can save the world from this subterranean monster, Hardcastle plunges into the depths of the cave and finds a huge, blind, bear-like thing which instantly attacks him. He shoots it as it charges towards him. Blacking out, the man cannot be sure that he has indeed killed the monster, and the rescue party which has discovered him has seen no signs of the dead animal. When he recovers sufficiently, he closes off the cave's opening, secure in the knowledge that he has saved humanity from the depredations of a form of life that has developed, he theorises, along parallel, but different, evolutionary lines within the earth while the outside world has remained unaware of its existence.