Alice, Girl of the Future, also known as Alice, the Girl from Earth, is a collection of science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 stories for children by Kir Bulychev

Kir Bulychev

Kir Bulychev or Bulychov was a pen name of Igor Vsevolodovich Mojeiko , who was a Soviet and Russian science fiction writer and historian. He received a Master's degree in 1965 and a Ph.D. in 1981 and wrote his first science fiction story in 1965...

, published in 2002. It is part of a series of stories about Alisa Seleznyova (or 'Alice'), the first of which was published in the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 in 1965.

Plot summary

One of the stories in the collection is about the journey of Alisa and the Three Captains. A long time ago, the Three Captains roamed the universe, leaving behind traces of themselves and spreading the word and tools of progress. The Earth

Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...

 is prosperous and technologically advanced, living in peace with the rest of the galaxy. Alice's father starts on a quest to find the one remaining Captain after a conversation with an alien friend of his.

Literary significance and reception

Larry Chamberlain was critical of Alice, Girl of the Future in his review for School Library Journal

School Library Journal

The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...

 saying "this books best audience will be colleagues of the author, a historian in the U.S.S.R." , Don D'Ammassa in his review for Chronicle magazine said this about this collection of stories "they're filled with quirky humor, absurd situations, grotesque creatures, and a good natured view of the universe at large."

Adaptations

There have been numerous Television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 and Movie adaptations featuring the character Alisa Seleznyova, including:

• Mystery of the Third Planet, a 1981 animated movie.
• Guest from the Future, a 1985 five-part TV miniseries.
• Lilac Ball
  Lilac Ball
  The Lilac Ball is a 1987 Soviet science-fiction children's movie starring Natalya Guseva as Alisa Seleznyova, a character she had previously played in the TV miniseries Guest from the Future.-Plot:...
  
  , a 1987 movie
• Alice's Birthday
  Alice's Birthday
  Alice's Birthday , is a 2009 Russian animated feature film directed by Sergey Seryogin and produced by Master-film studio. The animated film is based on a story by Kir Bulychyov about Alisa Seleznyova, a young girl living in the second half of the 21st century...
  
  , a 2009 animated movie.

The most successful adaptation in the USSR was Guest from the Future. Both live-action adaptations feature the actress Natalya Guseva as Alice.