“Fantastic Novels Magazine,” July 1948. Cover art by Lawrence.
This issue of “Fantastic Novels” reprints the classic story of a world in chaos, “The Second Deluge” by Garrett P. Serviss, first published as a serial in Cavalier Magazine, July 1911 through January 1912.
“What would you do if – darkness came over the sky and the waters rose over the land and one man entrenched in Manhattan held the key to life and death for every person in the world?” [Prologue]
“An undersized, lean, wizen-faced man, with an immense bald head, as round and smooth and shining as a giant soap-bubble, and a pair of beady black eyes, set close together, so that he resembled a gnome of amazing brain capacity and prodigious power of concentration, sat bent over a writing desk with a huge sheet of cardboard before him, on which he was swiftly drawing geometrical and trigonometrical figures. Compasses, T-squares, rulers, protractors, and ellipso-graphs obeyed the touch of his fingers as if inspired with life . . .
“My God!” he said. “That’s it! That Lick photograph of the Lord Rosse Nebula is its very image, except that there’s no electric fire in it. The same great whirl of outer spirals, and then comes the awful central mass – and we’re going to plunge straight into it. Then quintillions of tons of water will condense on the earth and cover it like a universal cloudburst. And then good-by to the human race – unless – unless – I, Cosmo Versál, inspired by science, can save a remnant to repeople the planet after the catastrophe has taken place.
“Day by day the ark of safety rose higher upon its platform . . .”
[Excerpts from the story]
Sleep tight!
“Fantastic Novels Magazine,” July 1948. Cover art by Lawrence.
This issue of “Fantastic Novels” reprints the classic story of a world in chaos, “The Second Deluge” by Garrett P. Serviss, first published as a serial in Cavalier Magazine, July 1911 through January 1912.
“What would you do if – darkness came over the sky and the waters rose over the land and one man entrenched in Manhattan held the key to life and death for every person in the world?” [Prologue]
“An undersized, lean, wizen-faced man, with an immense bald head, as round and smooth and shining as a giant soap-bubble, and a pair of beady black eyes, set close together, so that he resembled a gnome of amazing brain capacity and prodigious power of concentration, sat bent over a writing desk with a huge sheet of cardboard before him, on which he was swiftly drawing geometrical and trigonometrical figures. Compasses, T-squares, rulers, protractors, and ellipso-graphs obeyed the touch of his fingers as if inspired with life . . .
“My God!” he said. “That’s it! That Lick photograph of the Lord Rosse Nebula is its very image, except that there’s no electric fire in it. The same great whirl of outer spirals, and then comes the awful central mass – and we’re going to plunge straight into it. Then quintillions of tons of water will condense on the earth and cover it like a universal cloudburst. And then good-by to the human race – unless – unless – I, Cosmo Versál, inspired by science, can save a remnant to repeople the planet after the catastrophe has taken place.
“Day by day the ark of safety rose higher upon its platform . . .”
[Excerpts from the story]
Sleep tight!