Science fiction works: Lord of the World: novels, stories

The collection of one of the founders of Soviet science fiction literature, Alexander Romanovich Belyaev, includes seven novels and stories, including "Lord of the World" and "The Head of Professor Dowell," as well as several stories, sketches, and articles by the writer. The texts are printed according to the first newspaper, magazine, and book editions, along with the published illustrations. Most of them are done by the remarkable artist Georgy Fitin. Alexander Romanovich Belyaev is one of the founders of Soviet science fiction. The future writer's father wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and become a priest. In 1904, Alexander graduated from the Smolensk Seminary, but he refused the role of a spiritual pastor and entered the Yaroslavl Law School. Returning to Smolensk, he became a sworn attorney. He could have become a good lawyer - Belyaev was an excellent speaker. Moreover, he had a lively temperament and extraordinary artistic talent. However, the legal profession, "all this judicial formalism and casuistry," as Belyaev wrote, did not satisfy him. Only literature could provide him with the space for unrestricted creativity. Alexander Romanovich started with reports on theatrical productions. He wrote about musical premieres and published feuilletons. Success came when the writer was already over forty. In 1925, he published the story "The Head of Professor Dowell," which he later turned into a novel. The author considered this work partly autobiographical since he had to spend three years in a cast, fighting a spinal disease. However, Belyaev overcame his illness, and the forced immobility prompted him to describe how a head without a body feels. Then came the novels "The Island of Lost Ships," "The Last Man from Atlantis," "The Struggle in the Ether"... During this time, Belyaev collaborated with the magazines "Vsemirny Sledopyt," "Borba Mirov," and "Vokrug Sveta." In 1928, a new all-Union success - his novel "Amphibian Man" was published. Herbert Wells wrote that he was somewhat envious of the success of Belyaev's novels, and there were quite a few of them before the war began. In the 1930s, Belyaev became fascinated with space. He began corresponding with Tsiolkovsky and dedicated his novel "Star KETs" to him. Belyaev's last book published during his lifetime was the novel "Ariel." It was published shortly before the start of the Great Patriotic War. In this edition, all the texts of Belyaev's works are presented in their original magazine versions, which often differ from the versions included in the writer's collected works. Sometimes, the magazines have a different ending, as in "The Head of Professor Dowell," for example. The book uses illustrations from the first magazine publications of the writer's novels and stories. Most of them are done by the remarkable artist Georgy Fitin. In this respect, this edition is unique - it will allow fans of Belyaev's science fiction to experience the same emotions and impressions that the first readers of his novelties in periodicals received, to become owners of rare texts and illustrations.