A Columbus of Space (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. An Edwardian Scientific Romance of Spacecraft Voyages, Venusian Cities, Alien Civilizations, and Cosmic DiscoveryBy Garrett P. Serviss
Length8h 36m
About this audiobook
A Columbus of Space is an early twentieth-century scientific romance that transforms interplanetary travel into a drama of discovery, peril, and speculative wonder. Centered on a visionary inventor whose spacecraft carries its passengers beyond Earth, the novel blends adventure narrative with astronomical conjecture, imagining strange worlds, alien societies, and the moral ambiguities of exploration. Its style is lucid, earnest, and explanatory, reflecting the transitional moment between Jules Verne's technological romance, H. G. Wells's philosophical speculation, and the emerging American pulp tradition. Garrett P. Serviss was unusually equipped to write such a work. A journalist, astronomer, and one of the great popularizers of science in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century America, he devoted much of his career to making celestial phenomena intelligible to general readers. His fiction grows naturally from this vocation: it converts lectures on astronomy, planetary science, and technological possibility into narrative form, while also revealing the period's fascination with invention, empire, and cosmic expansion. This book is recommended for readers interested in the origins of science fiction, especially those who value imaginative speculation grounded in the scientific assumptions of its age. It offers not modern realism, but a historically rich vision of wonder.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★ 3.3 (61)
Includes Goodreads
GenreScience Fiction
Length8 hrs 36 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateOct 5, 2018
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5A Columbus of Space
Show all chaptersShow less
6Chapter I. A Marvelous Invention
7Chapter II. A Trip of Terror
8Chapter III. The Planetary Limited
9Chapter IV. The Caverns of Venus
10Chapter V. Off for the Sun Lands
11Chapter VI. Lost in the Crystal Mountains
12Chapter VII. The Children of the Sun
13Chapter VIII. Language Without Speech
14Chapter IX. An Amazing Metropolis
15Chapter X. Imprisonment and a Wonderful Escape
16Chapter XI. Before the Throne of Venus
17Chapter XII. More Marvels
18Chapter XIII. We Fall into Trouble Again
19Chapter XIV. The Sun God
20Chapter XV. At the Mercy of Fearful Enemies
21Chapter XVI. Dreadful Creatures of the Gloom
22Chapter XVII. Earth Magic on Venus
23Chapter XVIII. Wild Eden
24Chapter XIX. The Secret of the Car
25Chapter XX. The Corybantia of the Sun
26Chapter XXI. The Earth
27Analysis
28Reflection
29Memorable Quotes
More from Garrett P. Serviss
SF Ultimate Collection: Space Adventure & Alien Invasion Tales (Annotated)Garrett P. Serviss33h 59m$2 · $0.00
The Second Deluge (Annotated)Garrett P. Serviss11h 7m3.7 (22)$2 · $0.00
Edison's Conquest of Mars (Annotated)Garrett P. Serviss8h 28m4.1 (11)$2 · $0.00
SF Ultimate Collection: Space Adventure & Alien Invasion TalesGarrett P. Serviss33h 55m$1 · $0.00
Edison's Conquest of Mars (Sci-Fi Classic)Garrett P. Serviss7h 34m3.1 (507)$2 · $0.00
SF Ultimate Collection: Space Adventure & Alien Invasion TalesGarrett P. Serviss33h 55m$1 · $0.00
Sci-Fi Boxed Set: Garrett P. Serviss Edition - Space Adventure & Alien Invasion Tales (Annotated)Garrett P. Serviss33h 59m$1.99 · $0.00
A Columbus of Space (Unabridged)Garrett P. Serviss8h 26m3.3 (61)$1 · $0.00
The Second Deluge (Dystopian Novel)Garrett P. Serviss10h 57m3.5 (127)$2 · $0.00
Before the Coffee Gets Cold: A Toshikazu Kawaguchi Book SetToshikazu Kawaguchi18h 55m4.5 (1.4K)$40 · $0.00
PRIMAL 2055 - EscapeJack Silkstone6h 47m4.4 (232)$14 · $0.00
Good OmensNeil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett12h 14m4.4 (1M)$29 · $0.00
The Emperor's FistJay Allan8h 37m4.5 (271)$26 · $0.00
The DispossessedUrsula K. Le Guin13h 26m4.4 (189.3K)$33 · $0.00
1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four)George Orwell11h 10m4.3 (5.3M)$7 · $0.00
Lost ValleyWalt Browning7h 47m4.3 (5.4K)$20 · $0.00
The Best of H. G. Wells: The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine & The Invisible ManH. G. Wells14h 58m4.3 (3K)$2 · $0.00
AgincourtBernard Cornwell16h 18m4.3 (41.4K)$40 · $0.00
Frankenstein (The Uncensored 1818 Edition) (Annotated)Mary Shelley9h 25m4.3 (1.7M)$3 · $0.00
The World Wasn't Ready for YouJustin C. Key11h 34m4.4 (812)$5 · $0.00
Godzilla vs. KongGreg Keyes10h 32m4.3 (1.4K)$20 · $0.00
Alas, Babylon (Annotated)Pat Frank12h 32m4.3 (11.6K)$2 · $0.00
Day of WrathWilliam R. Forstchen4h 36m4.3 (1.9K)$14 · $0.00
StargodsIan Douglas12h 15m4.4 (732)$5 · $0.00
Two Plays for VoicesNeil Gaiman2h 4m4.3 (1K)$16 · $0.00
The Mysterious IslandJules Verne22h 13m4.2 (87.3K)$2 · $0.00
March UpcountryDavid Weber, John Ringo17h 17m4.2 (17.1K)$28 · $0.00
Freedom’s FireBobby Adair7h 50m4.3 (7.6K)$20 · $0.00
Armageddon 2419 A.D (Annotated)Philip Francis Nowlan7h 16m4.3 (1K)$2 · $0.00
You may also like
All Around the MoonJules Verne11h 20m3.8 (9.5K)$2.30 · $0.00
All Around The MoonJules Verne11h 32m3.7 (9.3K)$2.30
From the Earth to the MoonJules Verne4h 46m3.9 (48.5K)$2.30 · $0.00
The Moon-VoyageJules Verne12h 38m3.8 (39.9K)$2 · $0.00
The Master Mind of MarsEdgar Rice Burroughs5h 47m3.9 (5.2K)$2 · $0.00
ApolloCharles Murray, Catherine Bly Cox18h 15m4.6 (3.9K)$30
A Princess of MarsEdgar Rice Burroughs7h 23m3.9 (95.4K)$17
The Greatest Adventure Books of All Time - Jules Verne Collection (Annotated)Jules Verne331h 22m4.6 (1.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Moon-VoyageJules Verne12h 41m3.8 (40.4K)$2.30 · $0.00
From the Earth to the Moon; and, Round the MoonJules Verne10h 47m4.0 (19.3K)$2.30
Tau ZeroPoul Anderson7h 44m3.9 (22.6K)$17 · $0.00
All Around the MoonJules Verne11h 27m3.8 (10K)$1.20 · $0.00
The Master Mind of MarsEdgar Rice Burroughs6h 16m4.0 (6.5K)$17
The Mastermind of MarsEdgar Rice Burroughs5h 46m4.0 (6.3K)$2.30
Across the Airless WildsEarl Swift10h 8m4.3 (1.3K)$29 · $0.00
60 Space Sci-Fi BooksJules Verne, Percy Greg, David Lindsay, Edward Everett Hale, John Jacob Astor, Murray Leinster, H. Beam Piper, Frederik Pohl, Fritz Leiber, Irving E. Cox, Philip K. Dick, Richard Stockham, H. G. Wells, E. E. Smith, Edwin Lester Arnold, Gustavus W. Pope311h 15m4.0 (54)$2 · $0.00
Captain Cake: Meet the Candy CrewChris Skinner13m4.6 (22)$6 · $0.00
20 Sci-Fi Adventure NovelsEdwin Lester Linden Arnold, Jules Verne, John Ames Mitchell, John Munro, Robert W. Chambers, Guy Thorne, David Franklin Powell, George Allan England, Garrett Putman Serviss, Mrs. Loudon, Charles B. Stilson, Charles Willing Beale, Luis Senarens, George Chetwynd Griffith, William Le Queux, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Romyn Dake184h 48m4.1 (18)$1.99
Across the Zodiac (Annotated)Percy Greg18h 16m4.1 (11)$2.99 · $0.00
A Columbus of SpaceGarrett Putman Serviss7h 15m3.3 (61)$2 · $0.00