Book excerpt: For more than 100 years, science fiction writers have told tales of alien encounters and fascinating technologies and warned of the dangers of dystopian governments. From Victorians experimenting with time travel to pioneers exploring the depths of space, the stories collected here are a tribute to the imagination of the inventors of the modern science fiction genre. Some tales are filled with boundless optimism for the ingenuity of humanity while others provide fearful warnings of the risks of war and the dangers of technology. In the late 19th century, writers across the world began looking to the future. In France, Jules Verne explored the possibilities of future technology and the wonders of exploration in his novels Journey to the Centre of the Earthand Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. In England, H. G. Wells established himself as one of the founders of science fiction with his novels The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds. They were both also prolific short story writers. Others followed suit. In Bengal, the feminist Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain used her fiction to advance women's rights and education. In the United States, Jack London found science fiction the perfect way to express some of his unique political ideas. By the end of World War I, science fiction had established itself as a major genre. With the birth of the pulp magazine came a slew of accomplished writers - authors such as George Griffith, John Ulrich Giesy, Homer Eon Flint, Cyril G. Wates and others excelled at the short story, able to experiment and create a sense of wonder in their fascinating tales. This collection includes stories by: Grant Allen Stephen Vincent Benét Miles J. Breuer Thornton DeKy Francis Flagg Homer Eon Flint John Ulrich Giesy George Griffith Austin Hall Will Harben Nathaniel Hawthorne Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain Rudyard Kipling Jack London Edward Page Mitchell Garrett P. Serviss Charles B. Stilson Jules Verne Cyril G. Wates Stanley G. Weinbaum H. G. Wells