The Mad Planet

Description

In the late 1910s and early 20s, it was already quite clear that the pollution created by the world’s major industries could become a problem in the faraway future, even if it didn’t seem disastrous right away. This premise inspired many science-fiction stories later on, and one particular novella written by one of the giants of early sci-fi: Murray Leinster.

Although Leinster usually introduces us to strange alien worlds where everything seems to escalate quite quickly, The Mad Planet is actually Earth in this case. The story is centered around humanity at the end of the 21st century, and speaks of the catastrophic influence that growing levels of CO2 had in throwing the planet’s ecosystem into unbalance.

In Leinster’s book, humanity faces a grim future where the air is essentially poisoned by large quantities of carbon dioxide, and people are forced to reach for the highlands and mountains in order to benefit from improved air supply. The valleys have essentially become unbearable, and much of humanity was already destroyed because of the lack of livable land. Old cities have become overrun by jungles, and the people have fled to the highlands, while fighting each other for the tiniest piece of livable land they can find. But the most pressing problem might be one that you haven’t even thought of…

Leinster’s story is remarkably ahead of its time particularly due to the scientifically accurate depiction of many of the most destructive effects of pollution – some of which we already experience today.

Although it was published in 1920, the remarkable thing about The Mad Planet is that parts of it might still be plausible, while the story itself illustrates a powerful lesson about preserving our planet, as well as our humanity. Even if you just want an exciting tale that will remind you of the pulp era, Leinster’s Mad Planet might be just what you’re looking for.
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