Camille Flammarion 1 hr 27 min read

As a comet bears down on the Earth, humanity confronts the prospect of cosmic catastrophe, an astronomical tale of the heavens' indifferent power.

Camille Flammarion's 1893 story ('Comet and Earth'), by the great French astronomer-popularizer, blends real science with visions of planetary doom. Lyrical, awe-filled period SF. Read it for a scientifically grounded tale of comet and world from a master who made astronomy sing.

In its time

Published in 1893, during the 1890s, wells arrives.

Reading it

1 hr 27 min read (a novella, a full arc in one sitting or two).