Book description
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
Aine 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. Rosny "belongs somewhere between
Jules Verne and H. G. Wells. (He is) one of the true originals of
science fiction."--Paul Kincaid, Interzone J.-H. ROSNY AINE, or
Joseph-Henri Boex (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. DANIELE 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.
