Exploring the cultural history of Promethean Horror, this book delves into the emergence of a gothic sub-genre in the twentieth century. It analyzes how post-modern interpretations of Modernist "Promethean" themes have influenced a diverse array of gothic, fantasy, and science fiction literature. Through this examination, the text highlights the evolution and significance of these tropes in contemporary storytelling.
Amid a century devastated by war, space exploration was perhaps mankind's greatest achievement of the twentieth century. Yet remarkably, in a world where most technology progresses constantly, space exploration appears to have gone backwards. Man has not returned to the moon since 1972; the space shuttle programme has finished and not been replaced; much-vaunted promises of space tourism have not become realistic. In this remarkable book, David Ashford looks back at the story of space exploration, identifying the factors that were a driving force behind the eye-catching programmes of the cold war, and showing how now new driving forces are needed. Using his own extensive experience as a practitioner and researcher of space exploration, Ashford then outlines a new, realistic roadmap for achieving the new space age soon and at an affordable cost. This accessible and readable book will appeal both to students and general readers, giving a fascinating introduction to space exploration - and what matters most about it.