PRE-REVOLUTIONARY RUSSIAN SCIENCE FICTION: An Anthology

by Leland--Ed. & Trans. Fetzer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 30, 1982

Sf roots, Soviet style: eight pieces drawn from the period 1824-1913. The two earliest pieces are travelogues describing the wonders of future Russian empires. Next comes a set of revolutionary yarns: a rather incoherent call for women's equality; a paean to the virtues of socialism thinly disguised as a trip to Mars; and a toast to a similar socialistic utopia. The early 1900s offer two very strange dark visions--one of the collapse of an Antarctic republic caused by an outbreak of mass insanity, another involving the extermination of an orgiastic cult by the socialist revolution. And the one jewel here is Alexander Kuprin's ""Liquid Gold,"" a Verne-style tale of an English scientist-aristocrat's doomed (yet convincing) attempt to collect and bottle sunshine as a source of energy Generally low sf entertainment value, then--but the literary-historical interest is obvious, Fetzer's knowledgeable introductions add context and flavor, and his translations are seamless.

Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1982

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Ardis

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1982

Categories: FICTION