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 11m3.3 (252)$1.99 · $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 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
Counting Lost StarsKim van Alkemade13h 55m4.4 (22.7K)$33 · $0.00
The German WifeKelly Rimmer13h 49m4.3 (70.3K)$33 · $0.00
The Tattooist of AuschwitzHeather Morris7h 26m4.3 (1.4M)$24 · $0.00
1984Eric Arthur Blair12h 41m4.3 (6.1M)$1 · $0.00
The Unbreakable Heart of Oliva DenaroViola Ardone8h 57m4.3 (14.7K)$29 · $0.00
The Pearl That Broke Its ShellNadia Hashimi13h 47m4.3 (125.6K)$8 · $0.00
Lord of the SilentElizabeth Peters6h 7m4.3 (14.9K)$24 · $0.00
The Little LiarMitch Albom7h 41m4.3 (122.5K)$26 · $0.00
The Benevolent Society Of Ill-Mannered LadiesAlison Goodman15h 33m4.3 (25.5K)$33 · $0.00
The Flight GirlsNoelle Salazar10h 21m4.3 (49.9K)$29 · $0.00
Scandalous WomenGill Paul10h 46m4.4 (1.5K)$29 · $0.00
Daughters of the OccupationShelly Sanders10h 59m4.3 (5.3K)$29 · $0.00
The Woman in the White KimonoAna Johns11h 55m4.3 (47.1K)$29 · $0.00
The Keeper of Hidden BooksMadeline Martin10h 53m4.3 (42.9K)$29 · $0.00
The Complete Western Stories of Elmore LeonardElmore Leonard6h 49m4.3 (4K)$24 · $0.00
The Home for Unwanted GirlsJoanna Goodman9h 59m4.3 (77.5K)$29 · $0.00
Reminiscences of a Stock OperatorEdwin Lefèvre10h 39m4.3 (50.9K)$29 · $0.00
Notes from UndergroundFyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky4h 37m4.3 (313.6K)$1.20 · $0.00
Before the Coffee Gets Cold: A Toshikazu Kawaguchi Book SetToshikazu Kawaguchi18h 55m4.5 (1.4K)$40 · $0.00
PRIMAL 2055 - EscapeJack Silkstone6h 47m4.4 (232)Free
Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen (Annotated)H. Beam Piper8h 23m4.5 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
Philip K. Dick: SF Boxed SetPhilip K. Dick29h 38m4.5 (608)$1 · $0.00
Magician's EndRaymond E. Feist17h 5m4.4 (21.7K)$40 · $0.00
Good OmensNeil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett12h 14m4.4 (1M)$29 · $0.00
The Emperor's FistJay Allan8h 37m4.5 (272)$26 · $0.00
The DispossessedUrsula K. Le Guin13h 26m4.4 (189.3K)$33 · $0.00
1984George Orwell11h 31m4.3 (6.2M)$1.20 · $0.00
Lost ValleyWalt Browning7h 47m4.3 (5.4K)$20 · $0.00
AgincourtBernard Cornwell16h 18m4.3 (41.4K)$40 · $0.00
Frankenstein (The Uncensored 1818 Edition) (Annotated)Mary Shelley9h 25m4.3 (1.7M)$3 · $0.00
The World Wasn't Ready for YouJustin C. Key11h 34m4.4 (812)$5 · $0.00
Godzilla vs. KongGreg Keyes10h 32m4.3 (1.4K)$20 · $0.00
Alas, Babylon (Annotated)Pat Frank12h 32m4.3 (11.6K)$2 · $0.00
Day of WrathWilliam R. Forstchen4h 36m4.3 (1.9K)$14 · $0.00
AbandonedJules Verne7h 42m4.3 (1.1K)$2.30 · $0.00
StargodsIan Douglas12h 15m4.4 (732)$5 · $0.00
Two Plays for VoicesNeil Gaiman2h 4m4.3 (1K)$16 · $0.00
March UpcountryDavid Weber, John Ringo17h 17m4.2 (17.1K)$28 · $0.00
You may also like
News from NowhereWilliam Morris7h 20m3.9 (15K)$10 · $0.00
Again, Dangerous VisionsHarlan Ellison41h 5m4.2 (4.7K)$40
The Sleeper AwakesH. G.8h 39m3.6 (8.2K)$3.50 · $0.00
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 HERLAND TRILOGY: Moving the Mountain, Herland & With Her in Ourland (Complete Edition)Charlotte Perkins Gilman18h 45m3.9 (1.4K)$1.99 · $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
Merlin’s Tour of the Universe, Revised and Updated for the Twenty-First CenturyNeil deGrasse Tyson4h 18m4.1 (3.2K)$15 · $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
A Crystal Age (Dystopian Classic)William Henry Hudson7h 11m3.3 (252)$1.99 · $0.00
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
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
Meda: a Tale of the FutureKenneth Folingsby6h$1 · $0.00
Taking the LaneElly Blue1h 16m3.9 (21)$6