Micromegas by Voltaire

“Micromegas” is a 1752 philosophical short story – in a science fictional setting – by Voltaire. It is about an incredibly large being from Sirius that travels to our solar system and is intrigued by what he finds here.

The Best of All Possible Stories

In my 12th grade English class we were required to read Voltaire’s Candide. It was my introduction to the author, and I found it to be deliciously sarcastic! Thus, when I recently learned that he had written a short story that could be considered a pre-cursor to modern science fiction I just couldn’t pass it up. Here is a ridiculous yet delightful story – made all the more interesting if you know a little bit about some of the real historical people mentioned in it. Enjoy!

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

On a planet orbiting the star Sirius lives a spirited and huge young man. At 20,000 feet tall it is no surprise that he lives on a much larger and more sophisticated planet than we do. Not only is he very tall, but he is also ancient and quite curious. Thus he sets out on a voyage of discovery around the galaxy and eventually makes his way to Saturn where he meets a very amenable Saturnian. Well, they chat it up for a while and eventually decide to explore the planets of the inner solar system – which brings them to Earth. They don’t expect to find any life here, but what they do find brings both excitement and humor!

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 13
• Word Count: 7,140
• Did you know that Voltaire frequently made use of his works to criticize intolerance, religious dogma and the French institutions of his day? Yep. You can learn more about this witty author on Wikipedia.

Where You Can Find Micromegas:

• You can read “Micromegas” online, or download it in a variety of formats, at the incomparable Project Gutenberg.
• Special thanks to Listverse for pointing me towards this story in their Top 10 Underrated Sci-Fi Stories Before 1864 list.

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