Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s "The Coming Race" is a seminal work of science fiction that explores a vast, subterranean civilization. The story is narrated by a wealthy American miner who accidentally falls through a fissure into a deep, underground world. He discovers the land of the Vril-ya, a highly advanced race of beings who resemble humans but are far more physically and intellectually powerful. Their society is utopian, having eliminated poverty, war, and crime. The key to their power and social structure is a mysterious energy force called Vril, a form of limitless energy that can be harnessed for healing, construction, or, with terrifying ease, complete destruction. The narrator observes their culture, which is devoid of traditional government and instead governed by a principle of absolute reason and the ever-present threat of Vril. He forms a complex relationship with a young Vril-ya female, Zee, whose intellectual and physical prowess far surpasses his own. As he learns more, he comes to understand that the peaceful existence of the Vril-ya is maintained only because their power makes conflict unnecessary; any dissent can be instantly annihilated. The narrator eventually realizes that he is seen as an inferior being and a potential disruption, and that his life may be in danger. Edward Bulwer-Lytton uses this subterranean world to critique his own society and to pose a chilling prophecy: that this superior "coming race," with its command of Vril, is destined to one day emerge and supplant humanity on the surface world.

Table of Contents:

• The Coming Race. Part 1

• The Coming Race. Part 2

• The Coming Race. Part 3