The Age of Lead
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THE AGE OF LEAD
by Henri Falk
adapted by Brian Stableford
cover by Chabeuh
In the equatorial regions, deaths were multiplying. The victims' epidermis was completely hairless; their skin ulcerated in the regions of the body most hidden from the Sun; with intense conjunctivitis; blepharitis and cataracts. The cause of the scourge was attributed to the Sun. It was probable that some specific solar activity had entered into play--but what? Nothing abnormal was observed. Meanwhile, the Scourge continued its methodical and ineluctable progress...
Mostly forgotten today, Henri Falk was a comedy writer who, not unlike Thorne Smith in America, penned several sardonically humorous speculative fiction stories, three of which have been translated and collected here for the first time. In The Age of Lead, the Sun's increased emission of gamma rays cause a universal scourge, the only remedy of which is lead, which suddenly becomes more valuable than gold. Master of the Three States tells of a scientist who creates a machine that can transform the human body into a liquid or a gas. In The Astonishing Adventure of Sebastian Phlipot, a magician transfers a man's ability to sense pain or pleasure into a small figurine.
Contents:
- The Astonishing Adventure of Sébastien Phlipot (L'Etonnante aventure de Sébastien Phlipot, 1911)
- Master of the Three States (Le Maître des Trois Etats, 1917)
- The Age of Lead (L'Age de Plomb, 1922)
Introduction and Notes by Brian Stableford.