War in the 20th Century
The War in the 20th Century or La Guerre au vingtième siècle in the original French is an 1883 science fiction short novel written and illustrated by Albert Robida. It is the third illustrated short novel by the same name published by Robida, with the other two being published in 1869 and 1883. Robida is considered to be the first Science Fiction illustrator, and this piece in particular is often lauded for its robust illustrations. The novel was written in 1869, before being published in La Caricature (1880–1904) in 1883, and then again in 1887. The novel was republished in English in 1998 in an anthology called Around the World. Plot summary The novel opens with a brief recollection of the novels alternate history, including a civil war in the Danubian provinces (modern day Romania), an attempt by the United States to invade the country by sea, and the destruction of Corsica by China. From the short historical brief, it goes on to detail the experiences of a young soldier from Toulouse, Fabius Molinas. As the reader is introduced to Molinas, a "telephone bulletin" tells of an emerging casus belli occurring on 25 June 1945, and the subsequent assignment of