Four Stars

While literary fantasy is not my favorite genre, I thought Hilton's Lost Horizon was well-written and readable. He was ahead of his time in writing about his utopian landscape with its contemporary overtones. Readers will benefit from learning the origin of Shangri-La and appreciate the story structure. The connection to current culture's embrace of self-actualization, mysticism, and simplicity is prophetic. Although I would not want to live in this confined setting, visiting for awhile was a pleasure.