The Moon-Maker

by Arthur Cheney Train

An atomic-powered spaceship on a mission to divert an asteroid from an impending collision with earth might sound like an up-to-date SF scenario...unless the book was written in 1916! This nearly forgotten little classic contains one of the most accurate depictions of space travel ever written---in addition to being funny, suspenseful, exciting and as readable now as it was 90 years ago!This the first reprinting of The Moon-Maker in half a century. Includes the prequel novel, The Man Who Rocked the Earth. Illustrated.

242 pages, Paperback

First published April 16, 2013

About the author

Arthur Cheney Train (1875-1945) was an American lawyer and legal thriller writer, particularly known for his novels of courtroom intrigue and the creation of the fictional lawyer Mr. Ephraim Tutt. In 1919, he created the popular character of Mr. Ephraim Tutt, a wiley old lawyer who supported the common man and always had a trick up his sleeve to right the law's injustices. He also coauthored the science fiction novel The Man Who Rocked the Earth (1915) with eminent physicist Robert W. Wood. After 1922, Train devoted himself to writing. His works include: The "Goldfish" (1914), Tutt and Mr. Tutt (1919) and By Advice of Counsel (1921). Robert Williams Wood (1868-1955) was an American physicist. He was a careful experimenter known for his many contributions to optics including infrared and ultraviolet photography, and the liquid mirror telescope. He was also a writer of science fiction and nonsense verse. He also authored non-technical works. In 1915, Wood co-authored a science fiction novel, The Man Who Rocked the Earth, with Arthur Train. He also wrote and illustrated a book of nonsense verse, How to Tell the Birds from the Flowers.

Reviews

[John Peel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book, actually consisting of two related novels, "The Man Who Rocked The World" and its sequel "The Moon-Maker". Despite their age (the first was written in 1915), they correctly predict a nuclear explosion and detailed travel into space. The second volume also features literature's first female astronaut. Clever, fun and exciting, these two books span the period between Jules Verne and the rise of the SF pulp magazines. Highly recommended.