the heads of cerberus by francis stevens

With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Francis Stevens' The Heads of Cerberus is a classic work of American science fiction reimagined for modern readers. With her eye on the present, writing at a time of war and increasing political division, Stevens tells a story about a future both strange and all too familiar, warning her readers about the dangers of unchecked power through the guise of fantasy and adventure. Names have been replaced by identification numbers and annual contests run by the ruthless overseer leave families torn apart by violence and death. This book is notable because it was a pioneer for time travel/ parallel worlds. Somehow, the city has come under complete totalitarian control, forcing the vast majority of its poor citizens to live in constant fear of death and imprisonment. The Heads of Cerberus is a 1919 scientific fiction novel where after inhaling a grey dust, people are transported from Philadelphia hundreds of years into the future to a dystopian society that exists in the same location. Bennett wrote a number of highly acclaimed fantasies between 19 and has been called 'the woman who invented dark fantasy. Before they can find out what it is or where it came from, they are transported to the year 2118. Gertrude Barrows Bennett (18831948) was the first major female writer of fantasy and science fiction in the United States, publishing her stories under the pseudonym Francis Stevens.

In 1918, three friends from Philadelphia discover a strange powdery substance. Noted for its satirical tone and dystopian themes, The Head of Cerberus remains central to Stevens' reputation as a pioneering author of fantasy and science fiction. Originally serialized in The Thrill Book, a popular pulp magazine, The Heads of Cerberus was recognized as 'perhaps the first science fiction fantasy to use the alternate time-track, or parallel worlds, idea' by anthologist and critic Groff Conklin. It was the first book published by Polaris Press. The novel was originally serialized in the pulp magazine The Thrill Book in 1919, and it was first published in book form in 1952 by Polaris Press in an edition of 1,563 copies. Bennett, the first major female writer of fantasy and science fiction, has been called 'the woman who invented dark fantasy.The Heads of Cerberus (1919) is a science fiction novel by Francis Stevens. The Heads of Cerberus is a science fiction novel by American writer Francis Stevens. One of the first dystopian science fantasies, it was written by Gertrude Barrows Bennett (1883–1948) under the pseudonym Francis Stevens. The time-travelers emerge into Philadelphia's brutal totalitarian state, where the city hall is a temple, a statue of William Penn is worshipped as an idol, and the citizens are crushed under the religious tyranny of the Penn Service and its Superlatives. Once inhaled, however, the dust exhibits extraordinary powers, transporting a trio of adventurers from the early twentieth century to the year 2118.

Capped by a silver figure of Cerberus, the three-headed hound that guards the gates of Hell, an ancient glass vial contains ordinary-looking dust.

The heads of cerberus by francis stevens