The Man In The Moone

Written by Francis Godwin

Narrated by Charles Featherstone

In 1638, in the first age of modern astronomy, as the starts opened up to us, the scientists of the time found themselves bound into fantastical visions based on their new knowledge. 

This was perhaps the first 'hard' sci fi, at least based on the cutting edge of knowledge from the time.

Drawing on contemporary theories of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Gilbert, the inhabitants of the Moon in this story are a tall Christian people encountered by a roguish hero who must learn of their lands, and gains items that allow the control of light, heat, and gravity. Described by Edgar Allen Poe as “a singular and somewhat ingenious little book”, it was a direct influence on Jules Verne and HG Wells.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brimir & Blainn
• Release date: Oct 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9798868796869

Francis Godwin

Francis Godwin (1562-1633) was an English divine, science fiction author, and historian. Born in Northamptonshire, he was the son of Thomas Godwin, Bishop of Bath and Wells. In 1583, he earned his master’s degree from Christ Church, Oxford and was appointed subdean of Exeter four years later. In 1590, he embarked on a tour of Wales with antiquarian William Camden. Godwin earned his Doctor of Divinity in 1595 and spent the next several decades working on such theological and historical tracts as Catalogue of the Bishops of England since the first planting of the Christian Religion in this Island (1601), which earned him an appointment as Bishop of the diocese of Llandaff. His posthumously published The Man in the Moone (1638) is considered an important early work of utopian science fiction that would influence generations of writers and political thinkers, including his grandnephew Jonathan Swift.