In the first of a trilogy titled Le Vingtième Siècle (1883), or The Twentieth Century, author Albert Robida describes the daily life of Parisians from 1952 to 1959 and exposes the numerous inventions that revolutionized the means of communication and transport. The novel falls into the genre of scientific fantasy, while being a learning novel… ~ [Le Vingtième Siècle (roman) – Wikipedia (fr)]. In the second short novel, La Guerre au vingtième siècle (1887), or The War in the 20th Century, after a short historical brief, Robida details the experiences of a young soldier from Toulouse, Fabius Molinas… a 2nd Class Gunner in the 6th Squadron of the 18th Territorial Balloonists… Molinas describes so called “flying foggers”, air ships which spread a concealing fog onto the French border to help conceal the emerging war effort. It is also noted that the fog carries a nauseating odor, a harbinger of the various warfare practices which followed… Molinas goes behind enemy lines disguised as a “chemical officer” and destroys infective products… Molinas is put in charge of submarines, which he proceeds to sink after taking out multiple enemy vessels… and airships…
First Appearance Le vingtième siècle (1883) by Albert Robida
First Publisher Georges Decaux
Appearance List Le vingtième siècle (1883) by Albert Robida — first verified French book edition, published in Paris by Georges Decaux [Internet Archive], [Smithsonian]; Le vingtième siècle: roman d’une Parisienne d’après-demain, 2e édition (1883, E. Dentu); La Guerre au vingtième siècle, le conflit australo-mozambiquois serialized in La Caricature (1883); La Guerre au vingtième siècle (1887, Georges Decaux); Le vingtième siècle (1981 French reprint from Slatkine, Geneva); The Tale of the Next Great War, 1871–1914: Fictions of Future Warfare and Battles Still-to-Come (1995) ed. I. F. Clarke — English anthology includes “La Guerre au Vingtième Siècle” in translation; The Road to Science Fiction, Vol. 6: Around the World (1998) ed. James E. Gunn — English anthology includes “The War of the Twentieth Century”; The Twentieth Century (2004) trans. Philippe Willems, ed. Arthur B. Evans, in English, Wesleyan University Press; The Engineer Von Satanas (2015, Black Coat Press) by Albert Robida, adapted by Brian Stableford, includes both novels [Black Coat Press – Read a chapter].
Sample Read La Guerre au vingtième siècle (1887) [Gallica (BNF)]
Description In the first of a trilogy titled Le Vingtième Siècle (1883), or The Twentieth Century, author Albert Robida describes the daily life of Parisians from 1952 to 1959 and exposes the numerous inventions that revolutionized the means of communication and transport. The novel falls into the genre of scientific fantasy, while being a learning novel… ~ [Le Vingtième Siècle (roman) – Wikipedia (fr)]. In the second short novel, La Guerre au vingtième siècle (1887), or The War in the 20th Century, after a short historical brief, Robida details the experiences of a young soldier from Toulouse, Fabius Molinas… a 2nd Class Gunner in the 6th Squadron of the 18th Territorial Balloonists… Molinas describes so called “flying foggers”, air ships which spread a concealing fog onto the French border to help conceal the emerging war effort. It is also noted that the fog carries a nauseating odor, a harbinger of the various warfare practices which followed… Molinas goes behind enemy lines disguised as a “chemical officer” and destroys infective products… Molinas is put in charge of submarines, which he proceeds to sink after taking out multiple enemy vessels… and airships…
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