Despite the drama of the situation, these outbursts seem too hysterical and unreal, overacted and belligerent. With all these goods coming into Shangri-La, why can’t those same curriers lead the rag-tag group down the mountain and back to civilization? Charles is also coming to terms with the fact that his idol, Hugh, isn’t the swashbuckling hero anymore, and he expresses his disdain with irritating outbursts that derail the scenes and set the reader’s teeth on edge. Meanwhile, Hugh’s vice-consul, the hot-tempered and haughty Charles Mallinson, is eager to leave. He doesn’t really offer any feelings other than a tired desire to join Shangri-La, and he only barely conjures sympathy for his fellow captives

He mostly falls into the role of a narrator and impartial observer, giving us an ear to the High Lama’s story and letting us watch fly-on-the-wall style as everything devolves.

Hugh’s adventurous life has left him burned out and seeking peace, meaning that his ability to feel and share emotion is limited. The problem? Each of the four characters remains constrained by our initial impressions of them, never growing beyond their one-dimensional set-up.

Lost Horizon unfolds slowly as the High Lama reaches out to Hugh and the rest of the group explores the lamasery, looking for an escape. Where do these isolated monks get the money for these luxuries, and how do they get the giant bathtubs up a steep mountain that must be ascended single-file using ropes? Chang is ever so polite, but all their questions go unanswered. The latest in modern plumbing and conveniences. Shangri-La has every conceivable comfort: books and music to sooth the soul. Flying at dangerous altitudes into the serene but remote Himalayan Mountains, making a mysterious stop for an armed refuel, and then crash landing 28,000 feet on the Karakul Mountain leaves the group stranded, freezing, and sure to die until a contingent of men, led by the Chinese Lama Chang, appear and usher them to the isolated lamasery of Shangri-La. When their pilot gets jumped at the last minute and a new man with a gun takes over the plane, however, a very different journey unfolds. A group of four, including the famous World War I hero and current diplomat Hugh Conway, must hastily board a tiny, single engine aircraft to be flown to the relative peacefulness of Peshawar. The situation in Baskul, China has deteriorated into all out warfare. Rating: Lamas, Long Life, and the Moderately Heretical

James hilton lost horizon summary