 Original book cover | |
| Author | Robert Cromie |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Frederick Warne & Co. |
Publication date | 1890 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
A Plunge into Space is an 1890 science fiction novel by Irish author Robert Cromie. It describes a voyage to Mars, where Earthlings find a utopia that is so perfect as to be boring. It received mostly positive reviews upon release and likely sold well. The second edition was published in 1891 with a preface attributed to the French science fiction author Jules Verne; modern scholars have concluded that it was likely written by somebody else. Cromie later accused fellow writer H. G. Wells of plagiarising key plot elements from the book for his 1900–1901 serial The First Men in the Moon; Wells denied ever having heard of Cromie or the book.
Modern critical assessments of the book have been largely negative. Scholars have commented on its place in science fiction history, both in terms of how it relates to other works of its time and aspects that have recurred in later works by other authors. Aside from the utopian motif, imperialism has also been identified as an important theme.