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The Coming Race
- Narrated by: William Hope
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
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The Coming Race
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Summary
Edward Bulwer-Lytton's book is ostensibly a work of Science Fiction. It deals with an underground race of advanced beings, masters of Vril energy - a strange power that can both heal and destroy - who intend to leave their subterranean existence and conquer the world. But the original book has been seen by many as a barely concealed account of Hidden Wisdom, a theory that has attracted many strange bed-fellows, including the French author Louis Jacolliot, the Polish explorer Ferdinand Ossendowsky, and Adolf Hitler.
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Editor reviews
This post-Darwinian novel was published in the same year as The Descent of Man. Written in the Victorian era, it was an influential work of science fiction. The ideas contained within were borrowed/endorsed by an assortment of interesting historical figures. An American engineer slips into a subterranean world, where he encounters a race of humans known as the Vril-ya. The Vril-ya escaped an aboveground catastrophe by hiding in this underground, where they discovered an energy that comes to shape their civilization into a utopia, barring one issue. Narrator William Hope enlivens the first-person narrative with his clean American accent and conversational tone. Hope’s sincere and accessible voice helps to normalize the story and to illuminate its philosophical themes.
Critic reviews
What listeners say about The Coming Race
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ray Smith
- 22-07-22
The Coming Race
Fantastic story, well worth a listen, truth or fiction, who knows. is there really life inside our planet, are we sharing and don't even know.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Alexander Torstensson
- 08-03-23
Great classic
A lovely utopian work of literature. It’s a little slow at times ( the author dedicates an entire chapter on the linguistic nature of the utopian society ), but a pretty fun and interesting story nevertheless.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr J Hudson
- 31-01-23
Neglected Masterpiece?
Don't be put off by the title. This book could change your world-view. It is a work of fiction, right?
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Emma
- 21-10-18
Worth a listen
I discovered this book while watching a documentary about the Nazi interest in the occult and their hopes to harness a free energy source called vril. The documentary explained how this book was a partial inspiration behind vril.
I have a scientific rather than historic or literary. For me I loved this book for the beautiful use of the english language in it's proper and quaint form. The narrator too, was excellent. The story was interesting and descriptive enough to allow visualisations of his journey and surroundings. I was eager enough to know how the story would unfold and conclude.
Perhaps in some small parts the story was ever so slightly dull, I had to rewind to re-listen as my attention drifted off elsewhere, but this was an infrequent occurrence. Overall it's a very pleasant read.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- James F Dawes
- 12-11-17
Not aged well.
Very much of it's time. Definitely worthy of academic discourse and study rather than entertainment.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- PB
- 07-05-23
Happy to leave it behind
Not great science fiction. Large irrelevant, meandering sections, and an annoying childish protagonist with some politics thrown in.
Apparently Bovril is a blend of bovine and vril.
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