Robert William Cole
Encyclopedia
Robert William Cole was a British author who wrote early 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...

and future war fiction. Cole's works, long out of print and very obscure, can be found at the British Library. They include the following:
  • The Struggle for Empire: A Story of the Year 2236 (1900)

The expanding Anglo-Saxon Empire of Earth collides with a similar empire based on Kairet, a planet of Sirius. Both empires have forgotten spiritual and philosophical values, and are driven largely by greed. Commercial rivalries soon escalate to a devastating interstellar war which results in the destruction of most of the Terran fleet, the invasion of Earth, and other disasters. The book is notable for its depiction of technology including antigravity, interplanetary radio, television, various forms of death ray, industrial transmutation, etc.
  • His Other Self: The Story of a Man with a Past (1906)

A former wastrel who has found love and turned over a new leaf is intermittently possessed by his rakish past self, who does all the things that the hero no longer wants to do - drinking, chasing loose women, etc. - to teach the hero a moral lesson. Eventually the hero is prepared to renounce his fiancée to ensure that her life will be happy, even if he is miserable. This proves that he is worthy of her, the haunting ends, and they marry.
  • The Death Trap (1907)

Germany, France, and Russia go to war with Britain (the French under duress, the others willingly), destroy the British fleet, and invade southern England. Britain is nearly defeated, and comes close to revolution due to profiteering, the actions of German agents and government bungling, but a heroic general leads Britain to victory, aided by the Japanese navy (the Japanese remembering Britain as allies from their war with Russia) who destroy the German fleet at the eleventh hour. France switches sides just before the battle. Technically a future war story rather than a scientific romance; the technology is what was available at the time.
  • The Artificial Girl (1908)

A romantic comedy; a young man disguises himself as his sister and takes her place at a ladies' finishing school, in order to pursue the woman he loves.
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