A Cornerstone of Early British Sci-Fi

It arrived in the wee hours of the morning. Had an express train derailed? Were the Germans bombing the British countryside again? The truth was beyond Professor Toddleben’s wildest dreams . . .

The professor’s quaint estate of Applewood had unceremoniously become home to an extraterrestrial visitor. Saurus, an iguana-like creature borne Earthward from the stars, hatches from a leathery shell and demonstrates both a superlative mind and telepathic abilities. Professor Toddleben and his assistants learn to communicate with him—and from there the plot only thickens!

Recognized as the first work to use science-fiction to comment on the philosophical state of man and his creations, Phillpott’s 1938 novel offers a penetrating look into humanity—and a message that continues to resonate with science-fiction lovers everywhere.