Three Science Fiction Novellas: From Prehistory to the End of Mankind

Three ground-breaking works from a master of modern science fiction

To the short list that includes Jules Verne and H.G. Wells as founding fathers of science fiction, the name of the Belgian writer J.-H. Rosny aîné must be added. He was the first writer to conceive, and attempt to narrate, the workings of aliens and alternate life forms. His fascination with evolutionary scenarios, and long historical vistas, from first man to last man, are important precursors to the myriad cosmic epics of modern science fiction. Until now, his work has been virtually unknown and unavailable in the English-speaking world, but it is crucial for our understanding of the genre. Three wonderfully imaginative novellas are included in this volume. ＂The Xipehuz＂ is a prehistoric tale in which the human species battles strange geometric alien life forms. ＂Another World＂ is the story of a mysterious being who does not live in the same acoustic and temporal world as humans. ＂The Death of the Earth＂ is a scientifically uncompromising Last Man story. The book includes an insightful critical introduction that places Rosny’s work within the context of evolutionary biology.

J.-H. ROSNY AÎNÉ, or Joseph-Henri Boëx (1856-1940), was born in Brussells, Belgium and wrote prolifically and in a variety of genres: science fiction, fantastic and supernatural tales, prehistoric novels of the ＂lost race＂ variety (from which the film The Quest for Fire was made), and a series of realistic narratives in the tradition of Emile Zola’s naturalistic novel. DANIÈLE CHATELAIN is a professor of French at the University of Redlands, and author of Perceiving and Telling: A Study of Iterative Discourse. GEORGE SLUSSER is a professor of comparative literature and curator of the Eaton Collection at the University of California, Riverside. Chatelain and Slusser’s copublications include the translation of Balzac’s The Centenarian and the edited volume Transformations of Utopia: Changing Views of the Perfect Society. They live in Highland, California.