My Islands by Grant Allen (1899)
The novel My Islands by Grant Allen tells the story of a young man who travels to various islands in search of adventure and self-discovery. Along the way, he encounters a variety of characters and experiences that shape his understanding of himself and the world around him. The book explores themes of identity, belonging, and the human condition through its vivid descriptions of exotic locations and intriguing characters.
By Grant Allen · First published 1899 · Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Natural History · 6,310 words
First lines
About the middle of the Miocene period, as well as I can now remember (for I made no note of the precise date at the moment), my islands first appeared above the stormy sheet of the North-West Atlantic as a little rising group of mountain tops, capping a broad boss of submarine volcanoes. My attention was originally called to the new archipelago by a brother investigator of my own aerial race, who pointed out to me on the wing that at a spot some 900 miles to the west of the Portuguese coast, just opposite the place where your mushroom city of Lisbon now stands, the water of the ocean, as seen in a bird's-eye view from some three thousand feet above, formed a distinct greenish patch such as always betokens shoals or rising ground at the bottom. Flying out at once to the point he indicated, and poising myself above it on my broad pinions at a giddy altitude, I saw at a glance that my friend was quite right. Land making was in progress.
What this Textopian page supports
My Islands is listed on Textopian as a short story by Grant Allen, dated 1899 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Grant Allen
- Date: 1899 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Natural History, Adventure, Philosophical Fiction
- Length: 6,310 words
- Structure: 1 section, 48 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for My Islands by Grant Allen
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering My Islands?
- How does this short story by Grant Allen fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Science Fiction first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- The Sea Voyage by Charles Lamb
- A Backblockers Pleasure Trip by Edward S. Sorenson
- Missing A Story Of The South Pacific by John Arthur Barry
- The River Of Dreams by Louis Becke
- A Journey Of Little Profit by John Buchan
- The Land Of The Hibiscus Blossom by Hume Nisbet
Genres
- Science Fiction — The narrative involves an aerial being observing the geological and biological evolution of islands over millennia, a concept rooted in speculative science.
- Fantasy — The story features a non-human narrator with the ability to live for thousands of years and observe natural phenomena, which is a fantastical element.
- Natural History — The detailed descriptions of geological and biological processes reflect a focus on natural history and evolution.
- Adventure — The exploration of new islands and the observation of their development provide an adventurous aspect to the narrative.
Tags
island · adventure · exploration · nature · travel · landscape · culture · ocean · seafaring · romance · discovery · solitude