The Fire People

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

25780

Title

The Fire People

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Ray Cummings' science fiction classic follows an Earth journalist who travels to Mercury to aid its oppressed inhabitants against a tyrannical ruler. Featuring winged women, interplanetary travel, and a battle for freedom, this 1922 novel blends adventure with early sci-fi concepts of alien societies and atmospheric physics.

Summary up to 500 words

Set in 1940, Ray Cummings' *The Fire People* opens with the mysterious arrival of red-and-green glowing meteors on Earth, which Professor Newland theorizes are signals from intelligent life on Mercury. The protagonist, Alan, a reporter for the *Boston Observer*, is summoned to Mercury by Miela, a winged woman from the planet's Light Country. There, he learns of a tyrant named Tao, who plans to invade Earth to enslave humanity. To stop him, Alan and Miela organize a resistance of fifteen hundred winged women. They capture Tao's emissaries and confront the tyrant himself. Realizing that direct combat is difficult, the protagonists discover a massive deposit of sulfur near the city. Using their light-rays, they ignite the sulfur, creating a deadly cloud of toxic fumes that forces Tao's forces to flee and ultimately kills them. Tao attempts to escape in an interplanetary vehicle but is destroyed by the protagonists' light-rays. With the threat neutralized and laws changed to protect the women's wings, Alan returns to Earth in 1942. He reunites with his father and fiancée, leaving Miela behind to rule the liberated nation of Mercury. The story blends scientific speculation with adventure, exploring themes of tyranny, resistance, and the preservation of freedom.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25780.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg25780.epub

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Downloaded at

2026-07-04 02:27 UTC

Categories

• Science Fiction