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French Tales of the Red Planet 2

edited by J.-M. & Randy Lofficier
translated by Brian Stableford & & J.-M. Lofficier

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The French have always had a strong affinity for interplanetary fiction, but none of the celestial bodies have attracted more attention than the planet Mars.

Our first volume offered a sample of Martian journeys mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries. In this second tome, we present four remarkable novels from the early part of the 20th century, published between 1906 and 1925: Arnould Galopin's Doctor Omega, Gustave Le Rouge's ground-breaking The Prisoner of the Planet Mars, the team of L. Miral & A. Viger 's The Ring of Light, and finally J.-H. Rosny Aîné's classic The Navigators of Space.

Each is ground-breaking in its own way and all are in many respects way ahead of what American magazines were publishing at the time. (Let us remember that Amazing Stories was not launched until 1926.)

These stories are all unique and highly original and provide exemplars of the rich tradition of fantastic voyages, in the broad spectrum of French fantastic literature.

Contents:
Introduction by J.-M. & Randy Lofficier
Arnould Galopin: Doctor Omega (1906) (translated by J.-M. Lofficier)
Gustave Le Rouge: The Prisoner of the Planet Mars (1908)
L. Miral & A. Viger : The Ring of Light (1922)
J.-H. Rosny Aîné: The Navigators of Space (1925)

Cover by David Lecossu

Published by Black Coat Press in July 2025
ISBN: 978-1-64932-403-0

The Brian Stableford Website