His most impactful piece of writing is probably Vril, the Power of the Coming Race, a story about mystical beings who live inside the Earth. Theosophists such as Helena Blavatsky accepted this book as part of the secret occult truth of the world. Theosophists ideas about the “root races” such as the “Aryans” led to a lot of Nazi beliefs. So strange how a proto-science fiction book anonymously published in 1871 can help lead to one of the most brutal regimes in the history of the world.
BDMac2 t1_j8pqgwb wrote
Reply to comment by EmbraceableYew in TIL that the phrase "It was a dark and stormy night" was the opening line to an actual novel published in 1830, but runs on for another 51 words: "It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents — except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which..." by dylancatlow
His most impactful piece of writing is probably Vril, the Power of the Coming Race, a story about mystical beings who live inside the Earth. Theosophists such as Helena Blavatsky accepted this book as part of the secret occult truth of the world. Theosophists ideas about the “root races” such as the “Aryans” led to a lot of Nazi beliefs. So strange how a proto-science fiction book anonymously published in 1871 can help lead to one of the most brutal regimes in the history of the world.