This prophetic classic novel features one of the first journeys to Mars in science fiction literature. This special edition also includes 22 illustrations from the original 1906 French publication.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fantastic Tale: Dr. Omega,
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This review is from: Doctor Omega - Collector's Edition (Paperback)
It begins in a small village in Normandy, France in 1905. The narrator, Denis Borel, suddenly wealthy by the standards of the time has purchased a small cottage and retired from the hectic life of Paris. Alone except for the company of a manservant and a gardener, he spends his days playing his beloved Stradivarius violin and enjoys his solitude and music. Then one night, as he sits in his gazebo thinking about music, a strange light fills the night sky and a thunderous roar shakes the valley.He learns from a neighbor that a hanger belonging to Dr. Omega has exploded. Borel knew nothing of Dr. Omega but learns quickly that others know of him and consider him something more than eccentric. According to his gardener.... "'He's an old gentleman with white hair dressed in black. There's something odd about him. The farmers think he's some kind of warlock, that he's got powers...Some are afraid of him, they think he has the evil eye....They avoid him like the plague....'" (Page 17) After another night of strange dreams he sees Dr. Omega walking nearby and he becomes an obsession for Borel. He can't get the man out of his mind and constantly wonders what Dr. Omega is doing. He eventually goes to see the damage for himself and meets Dr. Omega. After a few more days and more visits with Dr. Omega he is stunned to learn that Dr. Omega is building a ship out of some strange metal and it planning to go to Mars. Dr. Omega wants Borel to make the trip with him. "'I am looking for a man of courage to be my companion on a fantastic voyage-the word is not too strong-an extraordinary journey that I have long labored to make possible.'" (Page 33) Dr. Omega wants Borel to make the trip not just to Mars, but a visit to a Mars of the distant past, as the spaceship will cross space as well as time. Borel agrees and what follows is his narrative of the shipbuilding process, launch, and resulting numerous perilous adventures on Mars. Reminiscent of Jules Verne, it truly is a fantastic voyage across space and time that catapults the reader into a world that might have been. Fans of Doctor Who will surely note the amazing description of Dr. Omega and his ship, Cosmos, and the many similarities. And maybe that is why this reader enjoyed the book so much. Or maybe it is because as part of classic pulp fiction, it harkens back to a wonderful time, when anything was possible in the intermingled worlds of science fiction and fantasy. Unlike many movies and novels of today that set a scene of cataclysmic destruction with a planet destroyed by chemical, biological, nuclear, or something else, this novel presents wondrous possibilities while occasionally mixing in for the more critical reader a little social commentary. In short, this was simply a wonderful novel written in a style that just isn't done anymore. The added black and while illustrations from the original French publication in 1906 in the collector's edition are a very nice touch. They, along with the surrounding incredible story, make the collector's edition well worth owning as well as passing down to children. With all the violence and negativity reflected in today's fiction, regardless of the genre, it is very refreshing to read a work full of the potential of the human race and full of wonder.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely fascinating,
This review is from: Doctor Omega - Collector's Edition (Paperback)
I was amazed by the uncanny smilarities between Doctor Omega and the Other Doctor. For a novel written in 1906, this is remarkably prescient. A wonderful sf classic.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The mysterious Doctor Omega,
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This review is from: Doctor Omega - Collector's Edition (Paperback)
An adventure in a style similar to H. G. Wells, this is the story of Denis Borel and his uncommon meeting with the mysterious Doctor Omega. Borel has recently retired and settled in a small village in Normandy, France. He soon becomes curious about a neighbor whose inventions are the cause of explosions and excitation in his newly adopted home. His neighbor, Doctor Omega, is building a vessel that can traverse time and space with plans to explore Mars' past.There are a number of similarities with this Doctor and that other Doctor of BBC fame. This includes a textual likeness between William Hartnel and Omega and a common relationship with a young niece. Omega is also the name of a time lord in the Doctor Who series but it's obvious that Omega and this one could not be the same. There are also references to a race of people of whom Omega is a member and allusions that he is in fact trapped and unable to use the more powerful vessels that his people have access to. All of this seems very similar to the newer doctor we know and love but it's hard to know how much of this is the invention of Arnould Galopin and how much has been added for interest by Randy Lofficier. Quarks, atomic relationships, and science that should have been unknown to Galopin makes it into this tale as part of Lofficier's update. Thus some of the exciting similarities between this and the Doctor Who series come off as less amazing given how many liberties appear to be have been taken with the source material. While this edition may be more interpretive than interpreted, it's a fun story and well written.
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