A Crystal Age (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A DystopiaBy William Henry Hudson
Length7h 12m
About this audiobook
William Henry Hudson's A Crystal Age is a late-Victorian utopian romance in which a nineteenth-century Englishman awakens in a remote future society purged of industrial noise, urban corruption, and competitive individualism. Combining speculative fiction with pastoral lyricism, the novel imagines a communal, agrarian civilization organized around ritual, restraint, and reverence for nature. Its prose is delicate, sensuous, and often elegiac, placing it within the tradition of utopian writing while also questioning the emotional costs of perfected social harmony. Hudson, born in Argentina to American parents and later settled in England, was a naturalist, ornithologist, and literary observer of unusual sensitivity. His lifelong intimacy with birds, landscapes, and nonhuman life profoundly shaped his imagination. A Crystal Age reflects both his distrust of mechanized modernity and his conviction that civilization had severed humanity from the rhythms of the living world. The book's dream of simplicity is therefore ecological as much as political. Readers interested in early science fiction, Victorian utopian thought, or environmentally attuned literature will find A Crystal Age a subtle and haunting work. It is recommended not merely as an historical curiosity, but as a poetic meditation on desire, innocence, social order, and the fragile possibility of living beautifully within nature.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★ 3.1 (246)
Includes Goodreads
GenreDystopia, Science Fiction
Length7 hrs 12 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateAug 24, 2020
LanguageEnglish
More from William Henry Hudson
The Purple LandWilliam Henry Hudson10h 10m3.8 (1.6K)$1 · $0.00
A Crystal Age (Dystopian Classic)William Henry Hudson7h 2m3.3 (252)$2 · $0.00
The Purple Land (Annotated)William Henry Hudson11h 3m4.2 (112)$1.99 · $0.00
Green MansionsWilliam Henry Hudson9h 30m$12 · $0.00
Famous Missions of CaliforniaWilliam Henry Hudson1h 5m3.5 (14)$1 · $0.00
The Road to Gundagai (The Matilda Saga, #3)Jackie French12h 31m4.6 (1.2K)$33 · $0.00
1984 & Animal Farm (Annotated)George Orwell15h 54m4.5 (220.8K)$3.99 · $0.00
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd & The HollowAgatha Christie14h 6m4.6 (440)$33 · $0.00
The Lincoln MoonMichael Price Nelson7h 38m4.5 (708)$17
The Rose CodeKate Quinn16h 2m4.4 (493.7K)$33 · $0.00
Crack in the SkyTerry C. Johnston21h 57m4.6 (329)$35
The Castilian PomegranateAnna Belfrage15h 35m4.6 (280)$23
My Dear HamiltonStephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie23h 7m4.4 (63.6K)$46 · $0.00
Sweet Home Highland ChristmasMay McGoldrick, Jan Coffey2h 54m4.5 (1.2K)$7 · $0.00
Better Lucky and GoodLarry Jeram-Croft8h 7m4.5 (1.2K)$23
Red ClayCharles B. Fancher10h 35m4.4 (6.6K)$25
Philip K. Dick: SF Boxed SetPhilip K. Dick29h 38m4.5 (608)$1 · $0.00
The Act of DisappearingNathan Gower12h 23m4.4 (3.4K)$8 · $0.00
Beyond the Crescent SkyA. L. Sowards13h 6m4.5 (335)$27
The Consequences of FearJacqueline Winspear10h 28m4.4 (26.1K)$29 · $0.00
At the Foot of the Cherry Tree: The bestselling, heart-warming novel based on a true story of forbidden love & heartbreak SHORTLISTED FOR THE DYMOCKS 2023 BOOK OF THE YEARAlli Parker10h 8m4.4 (5.6K)$29 · $0.00
When Nietzsche WeptIrvin D. Yalom MD15h 26m4.4 (81.4K)$23
The Oceans and the StarsMark Helprin21h 37m4.4 (4.8K)$30
The Extinction Cycle Boxed Set, Books 1–3Nicholas Sansbury Smith25h 30m4.4 (3K)$30
Presidential MissionUpton Sinclair26h 46m4.5 (310)$40
Sponsored Apocalypse 2Blaise Corvin10h 3m4.6 (1.5K)$25
Coup D’EtatC. R. Daems9h 12m4.6 (1.2K)$20
Judgment DayRick Partlow10h 44m4.6 (2.6K)$20
ViniumS. H. Jucha14h 7m4.6 (2.5K)$23
AdventSeth Ring13h 20m4.5 (3.6K)$27
Sons of War 4: SoldiersNicholas Sansbury Smith, Tom Abrahams12h 54m4.6 (507)$25
Hell to PayMichael Anderle7h 50m4.6 (362)$20
A Civil CampaignLois McMaster Bujold18h 49m4.5 (30.4K)$32
Warrior’s FateWalt Browning10h 37m4.5 (1.6K)$20
The RisenErica Stevens10h 17m4.5 (1.2K)$20
100 Years to ExtinctionPeter Solomon14h 48m4.8 (62)$27
Amazing Tales Volume 1Max Williams et al.4h 5m4.7 (183)$2.30
Scars of RebellionAnthony J. Melchiorri12h 56m4.6 (347)$25
The Galaxy, and the Ground WithinBecky Chambers9h 56m4.5 (55.2K)$29 · $0.00
AvengerBlair Howard9h 54m4.5 (2.5K)$23
Core’s AttackS.E. Smith5h 57m4.5 (2.1K)$17
TimelessR. A. Salvatore12h 30m4.5 (8K)$33 · $0.00
The Extinction New Zealand Series Box SetAdrian J. Smith23h 7m4.5 (1.3K)$30
The Quantum ChainNick Jones12h 59m4.5 (6K)$23
Thud!Terry Pratchett12h 29m4.4 (108.4K)$8 · $0.00
You may also like
News from NowhereWilliam Morris7h 20m3.9 (15K)$10 · $0.00
The Sleeper AwakesH. G.8h 39m3.6 (8.2K)$3.50 · $0.00
Again, Dangerous VisionsHarlan Ellison41h 5m4.2 (4.7K)$40
The Sleeper AwakesH. G. Wells8h 36m3.6 (9.5K)$2.30 · $0.00
News from NowhereWilliam Morris8h 13m3.9 (13.3K)$1.80 · $0.00
Tales of the Jazz AgeF. Scott Fitzgerald10h 8m3.9 (10.7K)$2.30 · $0.00
The Country of the Blind, and 32 Other Stories (The original unabridged edition) (Annotated)H. G. Wells19h4.2 (4.7K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Greatest SF Stories of Philip K. DickPhilip K. Dick29h 33m4.4 (325)$2 · $0.00
Vanishing WorldSayaka Murata5h 48m3.6 (19.7K)$30
The Herland Trilogy: Moving the Mountain, Herland, With Her in Ourland (Utopian Classic) (Annotated)Charlotte Perkins Gilman19h 4m4.0 (42)$2 · $0.00
Dance for TwoAlan Lightman4h 40m3.9 (296)$17
A Modern Utopia (Complete Edition) (Annotated)H. G. Wells12h 9m4.1 (12)$1.99 · $0.00
A Crystal Age (Dystopian Classic)William Henry Hudson7h 2m3.3 (252)$2 · $0.00
The Guardians and two more StoriesIrving E. Cox3h 26m$2.30
Looking Backward From 2000 to 1887 by Edward Bellamy8h 10m3.5 (9.9K)Free
A Traveler from Altruria & Through the Eye of the Needle (Dystopian Classics) (Annotated)William Dean Howells15h 27m$2 · $0.00
Taking the LaneElly Blue1h 16m3.9 (21)$6
Meda: a Tale of the FutureKenneth Folingsby6h$1 · $0.00
The Greatest Sci-Fi Books - Clifford D. Simak EditionClifford D. Simak12h 51m4.4 (22)$2 · $0.00
New Amazonia (Annotated)Elizabeth Burgoyne Corbett5h 55m3.4 (96)$1.99 · $0.00