5 Must-Read Books from the Dawn of Science Fiction
Even though most cultures throughout history have made steady technological advancements over the centuries, science fiction did not take off as a genre until the mid- to late-1800s.
Why? What is required for true science fiction to develop as a literary genre that was not present until the middle of the 19th century?
The answer is this: technological and social change must be rapid enough for people to assume that the future will be different! This did not happen until the Industrial Revolution, which began in the late 18th century and continued into the 19th century and beyond. Before that, most people just assumed that the future would be a continuation of the present. But the rapid scientific and technological advances of the late nineteenth century sparked the imagination of authors all over the world.
The result was a literary form that began with the fantastic novels of Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells. After the turn of the century, the enormously popular pulp magazines of the 1920s and 30s ushered SF into its “Golden Age” and then into its heyday of the 1940s, 50s and 60s.
Here are the Top 5 authors from the infancy of Science Fiction:
#5 - Edward Bellamy
Today, no one has heard of Edward Bellamy, or his Utopian science fiction novel Looking Backwards: 2000-1887. But when it was published in 1888, it was an instant hit and became the third biggest American bestseller of the 19th century, outsold only by Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Ben-Hur. It’s about a futuristic society in which all stubborn social ills have been eradicated and it’s all kum ba ya. Kinda like Star Trek.
#4 - Edgar Allan Poe
Yes, that Edgar Allan Poe: “Quoth the Raven, ‘Nevermore…’ ”) Poe's contribution to SF is admittedly slight, but his 1838 novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket was acknowledged by both Jules Verne and H.G. Wells as a great speculative novel. It’s about an ocean voyage on a whaling vessel called the Jane Grey. Lots of crazy stuff happens and it ends badly.
#3 - Mary Shelley
The only reason she’s not Numero Uno on this list is because her 1818 novel Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus, straddles the line between Gothic horror and biotech science fiction, so it’s a bit difficult to classify. But it is an absolute “must read,” if for no other reason than to understand the numerous movie adaptations:
· Universal Pictures’ Frankenstein, starring Boris Karloff as the Creature
· Hammer Horror’s The Curse of Frankenstein, starring Peter Cushing as Viktor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee as the Creature
· Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, starring Gene Wilder as Viktor Frankenstein and Peter Boyle and the Creature
#2- Jules Verne
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864)
From the Earth to the Moon (1865)
20,ooo Leagues Under the Sea (1871)
#1 - H.G. Wells
The Time Machine (1895) time travel
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896) mad scientist tinkers with animals and humans
The Invisible Man (1897)
War of the Worlds (1898) Earth invaded by space-travelling creatures
First Men in the Moon (1901)
You could easily flip the order of Verne and Wells AND regard all their books as “must reads.” They are both that good and that important to the genre of Science Fiction.
For the best introduction to H.G. Wells, start with The Island of Dr. Moreau or The War of the Worlds. For Verne, start with any of his novels, but be particular about which translation you choose—not all of them are good. Avoid the 1873 Mercier translation of 20,ooo Leagues and choose one of the modern ones. For Journey to the Center of the Earth, avoid the Griffith & Farran translation and choose instead the 1877 edition from Ward, Lock, & Co. Unfortunately, even this translation is not brilliant, but at least it’s available for FREE at Project Gutenberg: https://gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3748/pg3748.html
Give a listen to Clare and her daughter Hannah talking about The Island of Dr. Moreau in this episode of our nerdy podcast, Splanchnics.
Bonus author: Lucian of Samosota (160 A.D.)
I know, I know—super obscure! This is sixteen hundred years before the Industrial Revolution. And who the heck is Lucian of Samosota? He lived in Syria but spoke and wrote in Greek. His book True History (also sometimes translated True Story) is a parody of a work that is currently lost to us, a “travel tale” called Of the Wonderful Things Beyond Thule by Antonius Diogenes. It features journeys to outer space, alien life forms, and other classic SF elements such as interplanetary warfare. It is regarded as the first known text that could be called science fiction and for this reason is sometimes called “proto-science fiction.”
Available for FREE online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45858/45858-h/45858-h.htm
If you’d like to pick up your own copies of these essential works of early SF, consider following this link to my Bookshop.org store and scrolling down to the Science Fiction & Fantasy section. This is an affiliate link, which means you will still receive a discount on your purchase, but Bookshop.org will give me a small commission in return for sending my readers to them. Thank you so much for your support — it means a lot!