Book details
A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder
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Stored record
Metadata
- Gutenberg ID
- —
- Title
- A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder
- Language
- en
- Book source
- Global Grey
- Description max 80 words
-
James De Mille's Victorian lost-world adventure follows a crew stranded in the Antarctic who discover a copper cylinder containing a manuscript describing a hidden civilization. This society of 'Kosekin' worships darkness, poverty, and death, viewing life, wealth, and love as evils. The narrative blends social satire with speculative fiction, exploring inverted moral values and philosophical questions about human nature.
- Summary up to 500 words
-
Stranded in a calm Antarctic sea, the crew of Lord Featherstone's yacht, the *Falcon*, discover a mysterious copper cylinder floating in the water. Inside, they find a manuscript detailing a hidden civilization beneath the ice. The narrator, a member of the crew, is swept away and transported to this subterranean world inhabited by the Kosekin. This society operates on a complete inversion of Western values: they revere darkness, poverty, and death while despising light, wealth, and life. Love is viewed as a destructive force leading to separation, and the ultimate goal of existence is to attain the 'blessing' of death. The narrator encounters the Kohen, a figure who has fallen from poverty to great wealth only to seek a return to destitution, and Almah, a woman who shares this inverted worldview. The society is structured around a pyramid of status where the poor are the elite and the rich are the outcasts. After witnessing their bizarre rituals and learning of their impending sacrifice, the narrator and Almah are elevated to rulership. In a twist of self-sacrifice consistent with their culture, they agree to live in the light and embrace wealth, effectively destroying the society's core beliefs. The story concludes with the narrator and Almah escaping the caverns as the sun rises, leaving the Kosekin to their darkness.
- LLM editorial rating
- 4.2/5
- Download URL
- https://www.globalgreyebooks.com/ebooks2/james-de-mille_strange-manuscript-found-in-a-copper-cylinder.epub
- Local file path
-
data/epubs/url-c64fd0a379b0f59a.epub - Downloaded at
- 2026-06-30 17:48 UTC
People
Authors
- James De Mille
Classification
Categories
No categories stored.