The book "Purple Cloud" by Matthew Shiel is a science fiction literary apocalypse, which describes the events after the explosion of the Vimana volcano in Africa, which led to a harmful cloud of purple gas that destroyed all the living world. The novel tells the story of Rederik Mutt, a sole survivor who wanders the wastelands of the world, gradually losing his mind from loneliness and despair. The book "Purple Cloud" is an important chapter in the history of English science fiction and shows the theme of the deadly threat that can arise from human destructive influence on nature.