Ralph 124C 41+ by Hugo Gernsback
"Ralph 124C 41+" is a pioneering science fiction novel set in a utopian future, telling the story of Ralph, a brilliant scientist, and his romantic pursuit of Alice, a Swiss woman. The narrative unfolds in the year 2660 and highlights Ralph's innovative inventions, which are central to the storyline and serve to inspire real-world scientific advancements. As one of a select few honored with a "+" after his name, Ralph grapples with the constraints imposed by the world government, feeling like a "prisoner" despite his achievements. The plot thickens when Ralph saves Alice from an avalanche using advanced technology, leading to a burgeoning romance.
However, their love story faces challenges, as Alice is pursued by two other suitors: the villainous Fernand and a Martian named Llysanorh'. Throughout the tale, Ralph's resourcefulness is tested as he navigates threats to Alice's safety, culminating in dramatic interplanetary confrontations. The story intertwines themes of love, sacrifice, and adventure, underscored by Ralph's ultimate act of defiance against governmental authority. The book's inventive premise and intertwining elements of romance and science fiction have marked it as a significant, albeit often overlooked, work in the history of the genre.
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Ralph 124C 41+
First published: 1925 (serial form, Modern Electrics, 1911-1912)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—utopia
Time of work: 2660
Locale: New York City and outer space
The Plot
Ralph 124C 41+: A Romance of the Year 2660 is an episodic story of a brilliant scientist named Ralph 124C 41+ who woos and rescues the beautiful Alice 212B 423 in a utopian future world. It was the first science-fiction novel to be published in a science magazine. Hugo Gernsback justified its publication there by incorporating lengthy descriptions of Ralph’s and others’ inventions, materials he hoped might stimulate contemporary scientists to produce analogous devices. Now rarely read, Ralph 124C 41+ was once popular and appeared in print five times between 1911 and 1958.
Ralph, renowned for his beneficial inventions, is one of ten men on Earth granted an honorific “+” after his name. The Planet Governor, leader of the world government, personally provides for Ralph, but the scientist resents the restrictions the government imposes on him, calling himself a “prisoner.”
Ralph accidentally has a picturephone conversation with Alice 212B 423, a Swiss woman whose mountain home suddenly is threatened by an avalanche. Ralph broadcasts long-range energy beams to melt the avalanche and save her life. A grateful Alice and her father travel through the Sub-Atlantic Tube to visit Ralph in New York City, and he shows her its scientific marvels, including a weather-controlling Meteoro-Tower, a “scientific restaurant” serving predigested food, a solar power plant, an Accelerated Plant Growing Farm, and a flying “vacation city” in the upper atmosphere.
Soon, Ralph and Alice are in love and plan to marry. Unfortunately, Alice has two other suitors: the sinister Fernand and a kindly humanoid Martian named Llysanorh’. When Fernand employs an invisibility cloak to kidnap Alice, Ralph neutralizes the device and rescues her. Using knockout gas, Fernand kidnaps Alice again and flies into space with her, but Ralph, defying an order from the Planet Governor, leaves Earth in his spaceship. He invents a form of radar to locate Fernand and rendezvous with his ship. He discovers that Llysanorh’ has seized Alice from Fernand to take her to Mars, where he will forcibly marry her.
Ralph creates an artificial comet and aims it at Mars to divert the Martian’s spaceship, but when he catches up with Llysanorh’, he discovers that the unhappy Martian has killed both himself and Alice. After a moment of despair, Ralph improvises a version of his experimental method for reanimating dead bodies, draining Alice’s blood and immersing her in preservative gas. When they return to Earth, Alice is restored to life. She then realizes the true meaning of Ralph 124C 41+’s name: “one to foresee for one.”