About this book
Jordens Inre by Otto Witt thrusts listeners into a daring 1912 vision of Russia where science, politics, and national ambition collide. This Swedish science fiction novella follows a singular, obstinate scientist whose bold discoveries elevate a Tsarist Russia unbroken by revolution, provoking admiration, scandal, and sharp attacks on the scientific establishment itself.
Set just before the First World War, the story blends speculative science with alternate‑history atmosphere: lavish St. Petersburg salons, proud aristocracy, and the intoxicating optimism of early modern science. Themes of genius versus institution, the moral cost of progress, and the cultural role of scientific authority run throughout, while Witt’s brisk narrative and satirical edge capture both the era’s faith in technology and its blind spots. The prose reflects the period’s imagination about what science might achieve for nations and individuals alike, without revealing the plot’s surprises.
Ideal for listeners who relish classic speculative fiction, early 20th‑century science writing, and alternate‑history curiosities, Jordens Inre offers a compact, provocative glimpse of pre‑war scientific fantasy and the spirited ideas that shaped early science fiction.
