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In this famous nineteenth-century novel, a cosmic spirit named Lumen reveals the scientific wonders of the celestial universe to Quaerens, a young seeker of knowledge. Within its pages, the reader encounters empirical observations about the nature and speed of light mixed with vivid speculations about such diverse subjects as reincarnation, time travel, the reversibility of history and the ecospheres of alien planets. Lumen is the first science fiction novel to imagine (3o years before Einstein's theory of relativity) the differences in perception that might result from traveling at velocities close to and beyond the speed of light.
"Stableford's
nicely introduced and annotated translation of Lumen calls attention
to Flammarion's important role in the history of science fiction.
This is a key text that should be read by all who want to understand
how intersections of science and fiction came to prominence in liturature
from the 19th century onwards."
Paul Alkon, Leo S. Bing Professor of English, University of Southern
California
Cover illustration by Gustave Doré
Published in 2002 by Wesleyan University Press
ISBN:0-8195-6567-9 - cloth
ISBN:0-8195-6568-7 - pbk
