Out of the Primitive

"Out of the Primitive" by Robert Ames Bennet is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story begins with a dramatic rescue mission off the southeast coast of Africa, where Lord James, the Earl of Avondale, is aboard a steamer searching for survivors of a shipwreck involving the "Impala". The primary focus is on Lord James and his friends as they struggle to locate the castaways, especially the women—a scenario filled with tension and uncertainty about the fate of those aboard the ill-fated vessel. The opening portion of the novel sets the stage with Lord James eager to find his friend Tom and the lovely Genevieve Leslie, who are among the survivors. As the ship navigates through the treacherous waters, the crew observes various signs that hint at the presence of castaways along the coast. The atmosphere is thick with concern and urgency as they spot a signal flag and smoke rising from the shore, igniting a glimmer of hope in Lord James. This tension is quickly compounded as he prepares to meet the survivors and is soon confronted with the reality of their ordeal, as well as the complicated feelings that emerge between the characters, foreshadowing deeper relational dynamics as the story unfolds. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Robert Ames Bennet (1870–1954) was an American writer of westerns and science fiction. Early in his career Bennet wrote short stories, drama scripts, and novels for a variety of genres under the pen name Lee Robinet. By the 1930s he was primarily a western writer, penning such stories as Caught in the Wild, Go-Getter Gary, and Guns on the Rio Grande. Several of his novels were made into films, including "Finders Keepers" and "Out of the Depths". His Thyra: A Romance of the Polar Pit is considered a classic of the Lost World genre and is listed in 333: A Bibliography of the Science-Fantasy Novel a collection of the best efforts in Science-Fantasy up to and including 1950.