Omega the last days of the world Vol1 Camille Flammarion Books
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This book was digitized and reprinted from the collections of the University of California Libraries. It was produced from digital images created through the libraries’ mass digitization efforts. The digital images were cleaned and prepared for printing through automated processes. Despite the cleaning process, occasional flaws may still be present that were part of the original work itself, or introduced during digitization. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found online in the HathiTrust Digital Library at www.hathitrust.org.
Omega the last days of the world Vol1 Camille Flammarion Books
Camille Flammarion was a French astronomer and a prolific author who wrote both scientific texts and popular literature. His novel La Fin du Monde was published in 1893 and has since been translated into English as Omega: The Last Days of the World. Flammarion was a contemporary of Jules Verne, and both were pioneers of the science fiction novel. Judging by Omega, however, Flammarion is less interested than Verne in telling a crowd-pleasing story, and more concerned with educating people about science. If Verne was 19th-century France’s Michael Crichton, Flammarion was its Carl Sagan.Astronomers have sighted a comet hurtling towards the Earth from the deep reaches of space. Intricate mathematical calculations determine that this comet will pass frighteningly close to our planet, perhaps even colliding with us. Spectrography reveals that the comet is composed primarily of carbonic oxide gas, with a few large, solid “uranolites” and “bolides” mixed in. Even if no catastrophic impact results from these solid meteorites, the comet’s gaseous matter is likely to have deadly effects on the human race, perhaps suffocating us all or igniting our entire atmosphere into flame. An emergency conference is called in Paris, at which experts from many disciplines—scientific, philosophical, religious—debate the effects of the comet and the possible end of life as we know it. Outside in the streets, humanity desperately awaits their verdict on the future of our world.
All of this takes place in the 25th century. At first, 25th-century France doesn’t seem to differ much from its 19th-century past. Gradually, however, futuristic details are revealed such as “domesticated monkeys” and “the inhabitants of Mars.” For the most part, this novel has no characters. As described above, various dignitaries make their speeches, but Flammarion usually refers to the human race or the inhabitants of Paris as a whole. Mostly he describes the scientific properties that govern the Earth and the Universe. He explores every possible outcome of the comet collision, as well as speculating what the end of the world will look like if nature is allowed to run its course. Though the book lacks the heroic narrative one expects from science fiction literature, Flammarion’s novel is nonetheless fascinating. His account of the Earth’s demise is related with the frank and factual delivery of science journalism.
Needless to say, the science is not always accurate. Mars is still described as having seas. Geology is discussed with no awareness of plate tectonics. Flammarion describes the burning of the sun entirely in mechanical (non-nuclear) terms. For him, the sun’s light arises from flame not fusion, because nuclear physics hadn’t been invented yet. Despite these forgivable inaccuracies of a century ago, the novel succeeds in inspiring a wonder for science and the marvelous workings of the natural world. Admittedly, there are a few dull digressions here and there, but Flammarion’s boundless imagination and audacious speculations never fail to impress. Towards the end he includes some romantic passages that unfortunately betray the relentlessly rational, materialistic approach established throughout. I enjoyed the book so much overall, however, that I’m willing to forgive a little gratuitous spiritualism. Anyone who enjoys vintage science fiction or appreciates classic books that weren’t afraid to tackle big ideas should definitely check out Omega. It will not disappoint.
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Tags : Omega: the last days of the world (Vol-1) [Camille Flammarion] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. This book was digitized and reprinted from the collections of the University of California Libraries. It was produced from digital images created through the libraries’ mass digitization efforts. The digital images were cleaned and prepared for printing through automated processes. Despite the cleaning process,Camille Flammarion,Omega: the last days of the world (Vol-1),University of California Libraries,B0080F77PS
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Omega the last days of the world Vol1 Camille Flammarion Books Reviews
This wonderful book was first published in 1893 in French. It was very popular in its time and has been translated to 11 languages. The English translation of 1894 has been reprinted only once. I first read this book in a Foreign language edition a number of years ago, and since then, I have been waiting for a new English edition. This book predates a number of similar apocalyptic novels published later. It served as a source of inspiration for a number of authors such as Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Olaf Stapledon. If you have read Stapledon's "Last and First Men", don't miss Flammarion's gem. You will find many similarities.
Four hundred years from now the population of Earth awaits a comet whose coming is feared to mark the end of all human life. How this will happen exactly is a matter of speculation. Among the thinkers of this 25th century society debate rages over whether we will burn, freeze, suffocate or drown. It just so happens that the human race survives, and the end of the world, eagerly awaited throughout history, is postponed yet again.
The Earth goes on to become an ancient planet, undergoing all manner of metamorphoses, spawning countless civilizations which flourish and die. Over millions of years physical and mental changes ensure humanity evolves into a species far superior to its hopelessly inadequate ancestors before passing away, leaving the Earth a barren husk studded with the ruins of an earlier age. While we are burdened with the knowledge that all things pass, we take comfort in knowing that creation is neverending.
The illustrations in "Omega" are good, though a couple are vaguely amusing. One can't help grinning at the fleet of aircraft that resemble flying sail boats. I suppose people in the 25th century will feel the same way when they look back at the SF illustrations done in the late twentieth. Maybe "Omega" would seem less dated without the illustrations, although some of the science described in the writing is also inaccurate. No matter. As Einstein once said, imagination is more important than knowledge, and this book is without question imaginitive.
If "Omega" hadn't been written where would Olaf Stapledon have got his inspiration for "Last and First Men"? It's always ironic when a "groundbreaking" work gets its inspiration from an earlier, more obscure source; just as an inventor gets the credit for someone else's idea, so too an original novel lies forgotten in the wake of its more popular successor. Until now.
"Omega" is an interesting book, although it probably won't become compulsory reading for English students. It might seem a bit deep for those looking for a gripping story with interesting characters. In terms of scope and vision, "Omega" is in the same class as anything written by H.G. Wells.
Camille Flammarion was a French astronomer and a prolific author who wrote both scientific texts and popular literature. His novel La Fin du Monde was published in 1893 and has since been translated into English as Omega The Last Days of the World. Flammarion was a contemporary of Jules Verne, and both were pioneers of the science fiction novel. Judging by Omega, however, Flammarion is less interested than Verne in telling a crowd-pleasing story, and more concerned with educating people about science. If Verne was 19th-century France’s Michael Crichton, Flammarion was its Carl Sagan.
Astronomers have sighted a comet hurtling towards the Earth from the deep reaches of space. Intricate mathematical calculations determine that this comet will pass frighteningly close to our planet, perhaps even colliding with us. Spectrography reveals that the comet is composed primarily of carbonic oxide gas, with a few large, solid “uranolites” and “bolides” mixed in. Even if no catastrophic impact results from these solid meteorites, the comet’s gaseous matter is likely to have deadly effects on the human race, perhaps suffocating us all or igniting our entire atmosphere into flame. An emergency conference is called in Paris, at which experts from many disciplines—scientific, philosophical, religious—debate the effects of the comet and the possible end of life as we know it. Outside in the streets, humanity desperately awaits their verdict on the future of our world.
All of this takes place in the 25th century. At first, 25th-century France doesn’t seem to differ much from its 19th-century past. Gradually, however, futuristic details are revealed such as “domesticated monkeys” and “the inhabitants of Mars.” For the most part, this novel has no characters. As described above, various dignitaries make their speeches, but Flammarion usually refers to the human race or the inhabitants of Paris as a whole. Mostly he describes the scientific properties that govern the Earth and the Universe. He explores every possible outcome of the comet collision, as well as speculating what the end of the world will look like if nature is allowed to run its course. Though the book lacks the heroic narrative one expects from science fiction literature, Flammarion’s novel is nonetheless fascinating. His account of the Earth’s demise is related with the frank and factual delivery of science journalism.
Needless to say, the science is not always accurate. Mars is still described as having seas. Geology is discussed with no awareness of plate tectonics. Flammarion describes the burning of the sun entirely in mechanical (non-nuclear) terms. For him, the sun’s light arises from flame not fusion, because nuclear physics hadn’t been invented yet. Despite these forgivable inaccuracies of a century ago, the novel succeeds in inspiring a wonder for science and the marvelous workings of the natural world. Admittedly, there are a few dull digressions here and there, but Flammarion’s boundless imagination and audacious speculations never fail to impress. Towards the end he includes some romantic passages that unfortunately betray the relentlessly rational, materialistic approach established throughout. I enjoyed the book so much overall, however, that I’m willing to forgive a little gratuitous spiritualism. Anyone who enjoys vintage science fiction or appreciates classic books that weren’t afraid to tackle big ideas should definitely check out Omega. It will not disappoint.
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