The Last Fay

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by Honoré de Balzac


  11 Author’s note: “The ancients believed, and many people still believe, that the dead who are not buried lament for a long time, because they cannot enter heaven.”

  12 The djinn are playing écarté; the simpler English version of the game is not as rich in exotic terminology, so some of the translated terms are not employed therein.

  13 When the author improvised this title, he might not have known that there was an actual Duchess of Somerset (with one m) in the early 1820s: the former Lady Charlotte Douglas-Hamilton, who had married the eleventh Duke, Edward Adolphus St. Maur, a noted mathematician. Although Balzac’s fictitious duchess is English, I have retained the French form of her title, in order to emphasize her distinction from the actual duchess.

  14 Joigny is in the département of the Yonne, on the edge of the Forêt d’Othe. It is not obvious why the author has located the duchesse’s residence there, but it might have something to do with the fact that the nearby commune of Villecien is the location of the so-called Château du Fey.

  15 They are in fact, accurately quoted, from Jean Racine’s one and only comedy Les Plaideurs (1668); the advice is offered to the hero, Léandre, by his father, the magistrate Dandin—whose name implies that he is a silly fool.

  16 The reference is to a painting in the Louvre by Jacques-Louis David, Les licteurs rapportent à Brutus les corps de ses fils (1789). The French Revolution broke out before that year’s Salon was opened, and when the newspapers reported that the painting had been proscribed because of its Republican symbolism—Brutus being a staunch defender of the Roman Republic—there was an outcry; it was hung regardless, defended by a cordon of art students, and thus become legendary.

  FRENCH SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY COLLECTION

  105 Adolphe Ahaiza. Cybele

  102 Alphonse Allais. The Adventures of Captain Cap

  02 Henri Allorge. The Great Cataclysm

  14 G.-J. Arnaud. The Ice Company

  152 André Arnyvelde. The Ark

  153 André Arnyvelde. The Mutilated Bacchus

  61 Charles Asselineau. The Double Life

  118 Henri Austruy. The Eupantophone

  119 Henri Austry. The Petitpaon Era

  120 Henri Austry. The Olotelepan

  130 Barillet-Lagargousse. The Final War

  180 Honoré de Balzac. The Last Fay

  103 S. Henry Berthoud. Martyrs of Science

  23 Richard Bessière. The Gardens of the Apocalypse

  121 Richard Bessière. The Masters of Silence

  148 Béthune (Chevalier de). The World of Mercury

  26 Albert Bleunard. Ever Smaller

  06 Félix Bodin. The Novel of the Future

  173 Pierre Boitard. Journey to the Sun

  92 Louis Boussenard. Monsieur Synthesis

  39 Alphonse Brown. City of Glass

  89 Alphonse Brown. The Conquest of the Air

  98 Emile Calvet. In A Thousand Years

  40 Félicien Champsaur. The Human Arrow

  81 Félicien Champsaur. Ouha, King of the Apes

  91. Félicien Champsaur. The Pharaoh’s Wife

  133 Félicien Champsaur. Homo-Deus

  143 Félicien Champsaur. Nora, The Ape-Woman

  03 Didier de Chousy. Ignis

  166 Jacques Collin de Plancy. Voyage to the Center of the Earth

  97 Michel Corday. The Eternal Flame

  113 André Couvreur. The Necessary Evil

  114 André Couvreur. Caresco, Superman

  115 André Couvreur. The Exploits of Professor Tornada (Vol. 1)

  116 André Couvreur. The Exploits of Professor Tornada (Vol. 2)

  117 André Couvreur. The Exploits of Professor Tornada (Vol. 3)

  67 Captain Danrit. Undersea Odyssey

  149 Camille Debans. The Misfortunes of John Bull

  17 C. I. Defontenay. Star (Psi Cassiopeia)

  05 Charles Derennes. The People of the Pole

  68 Georges T. Dodds. The Missing Link and Other Tales of Ape-Men

  125 Charles Dodeman. The Silent Bomb

  49 Alfred Driou. The Adventures of a Parisian Aeronaut

  144 Odette Dulac. The War of the Sexes

  145 Renée Dunan. The Ultimate Pleasure

  10 Henri Duvernois. The Man Who Found Himself

  08 Achille Eyraud. Voyage to Venus

  01 Henri Falk. The Age of Lead

  51 Charles de Fieux. Lamékis

  108 Louis Forest. Someone Is Stealing Children In Paris

  31 Arnould Galopin. Doctor Omega

  70 Arnould Galopin. Doctor Omega & The Shadowmen

  112 H. Gayar. The Marvelous Adventures of Serge Myrandhal on Mars

  88 Judith Gautier. Isoline and the Serpent-Flower

  163 Raoul Gineste. The Second Life of Dr. Albin

  136 Delphine de Girardin. Balzac’s Cane

  146 Jules Gros. The Fossil Man

  174 Jimmy Guieu. The Polarian-Denebian War 1

  175 Jimmy Guieu. The Polarian-Denebian War 2

  176 Jimmy Guieu. The Polarian-Denebian War 3

  177 Jimmy Guieu. The Polarian-Denebian War 4

  178 Jimmy Guieu. The Polarian-Denebian War 5

  179 Jimmy Guieu. The Polarian-Denebian War 6

  57 Edmond Haraucourt. Illusions of Immortality

  134 Edmond Haraucourt. Daah, the First Human

  24 Nathalie Henneberg. The Green Gods

  131 Eugene Hennebert. The Enchanted City

  137 P.-J. Hérault. The Clone Rebellion

  150 Jules Hoche. The Maker of Men and his Formula

  140 P. d’Ivoi & H. Chabrillat. Around the World on Five Sous

  107 Jules Janin. The Magnetized Corpse

  29 Michel Jeury. Chronolysis [NO LONGER AVAILABLE]

  55 Gustave Kahn. The Tale of Gold and Silence

  30 Gérard Klein. The Mote in Time’s Eye

  90 Fernand Kolney. Love in 5000 Years

  87 Louis-Guillaume de La Follie. The Unpretentious Philosopher

  101 Jean de La Hire. The Fiery Wheel

  50 André Laurie. Spiridon

  52 Gabriel de Lautrec. The Vengeance of the Oval Portrait

  82 Alain Le Drimeur. The Future City

  27-28 Georges Le Faure & Henri de Graffigny. The Extraordinary Adventures of a Russian Scientist Across the Solar System (2 vols.)

  07 Jules Lermina. Mysteryville

  25 Jules Lermina. Panic in Paris

  32 Jules Lermina. The Secret of Zippelius

  66 Jules Lermina. To-Ho and the Gold Destroyers

  127 Jules Lermina. The Battle of Strasbourg

  15 Gustave Le Rouge. The Vampires of Mars

  73 Gustave Le Rouge. The Plutocratic Plot

  74 Gustave Le Rouge. The Transatlantic Threat

  75 Gustave Le Rouge. The Psychic Spies

  76 Gustave Le Rouge. The Victims Victorious

  109-110-111 Gustave Le Rouge. The Mysterious Doctor Cornelius

  96 André Lichtenberger. The Centaurs

  99 André Lichtenberger. The Children of the Crab

  135 Listonai. The Philosophical Voyager

  157 Ch. Lomon & P.-B. Gheusi. The Last Days of Atlantis

  167 Camille Mauclair. The Virgin Orient

  72 Xavier Mauméjean. The League of Heroes

  78 Joseph Méry. The Tower of Destiny

  77 Hippolyte Mettais. The Year 5865

  128 Hyppolite Mettais. Paris Before the Deluge

  83 Louise Michel. The Human Microbes

  84 Louise Michel. The New World

  93 Tony Moilin. Paris in the Year 2000

  11 José Moselli. Illa’s End

  38 John-Antoine Nau. Enemy Force

  156 Charles Nodier. Trilby * The Crumb Fairy

  04 Henri de Parville. An Inhabitant of the Planet Mars

  21 Gaston de Pawlowski. Journey to the Land of the Fourth Dimension

  56 Georges Pellerin. The World in 2000 Years

  79 Pierre Pelot. The Child Who Walked On The Sky

  85 Ernest Peroch
on. The Frenetic People

  161 Jean Petithuguenin. An International Mission to the Moon

  141. Georges Price. The Missing Men of the Sirius

  165 René Pujol. The Chimerical Quest

  100 Edgar Quinet. Ahasuerus

  123 Edgar Quinet. The Enchanter Merlin

  60 Henri de Régnier. A Surfeit of Mirrors

  33 Maurice Renard. The Blue Peril

  34 Maurice Renard. Doctor Lerne

  35 Maurice Renard. The Doctored Man

  36 Maurice Renard. A Man Among the Microbes

  37 Maurice Renard. The Master of Light

  169 Restif de la Bretonne: The Discovery of the Austral Continent by a Flying Man

  170 Restif de la Bretonne: Posthumous Correspondence 1

  171 Restif de la Bretonne: Posthumous Correspondence 2

  172 Restif de la Bretonne: Posthumous Correspondence 3

  41 Jean Richepin. The Wing

  12 Albert Robida. The Clock of the Centuries

  62 Albert Robida. Chalet in the Sky

  69 Albert Robida. The Adventures of Saturnin Farandoul

  95 Albert Robida. The Electric Life

  151 Albert Robida. Engineer Von Satanas

  46 J.-H. Rosny Aîné. The Givreuse Enigma

  45 J.-H. Rosny Aîné. The Mysterious Force

  43 J.-H. Rosny Aîné. The Navigators of Space

  48 J.-H. Rosny Aîné. Vamireh

  44 J.-H. Rosny Aîné. The World of the Variants

  47 J.-H. Rosny Aîné. The Young Vampire

  71 J.-H. Rosny Aîné. Helgvor of the Blue River

  24 Marcel Rouff. Journey to the Inverted World

  158 Marie-Anne de Roumier-Robert. The Voyages of Lord Seaton to the Seven Planets

  132 Léonie Rouzade. The World Turned Upside Down

  09 Han Ryner. The Superhumans

  124 Han Ryner. The Human Ant

  181 Han Ryner. The Son of Silence

  122 Pierre de Selenes. An Unknown World

  19 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 1. News from the Moon

  20 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 2. The Germans on Venus

  63 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 3. The Supreme Progress

  64 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 4. The World Above the World

  65 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 5. Nemoville

  80 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 6. Investigations of the Future

  106 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 7. The Conqueror of Death

  129 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 8. The Revolt of the Machines

  142 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 9. The Man with the Blue Face

  155 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 10. The Aerial Valley

  159 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 11. The New Moon

  160 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 12. The Nickel Man

  162 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 13. On the Brink of the World’s End

  164 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 14. The Mirror of Present Events

  168 Brian Stableford (Ed.). 15. The Humanisphere

  42 Jacques Spitz. The Eye of Purgatory

  13 Kurt Steiner. Ortog

  18 Eugène Thébault. Radio-Terror

  58 C.-F. Tiphaigne de La Roche. Amilec

  138 Simon Tyssot de Patot. Voyages and Adventures of Jacques de Massé

  104 Louis Ulbach. Prince Bonifacio

  53 Théo Varlet. The Xenobiotic Invasion (w/Octave Joncquel)

  16 Théo Varlet. The Martian Epic; (w/André Blandin)

  59 Théo Varlet. Timeslip Troopers

  86 Théo Varlet. The Golden Rock

  94 Théo Varlet. The Castaways of Eros

  139 Pierre Véron. The Merchants of Health

  54 Paul Vibert. The Mysterious Fluid

  147 Gaston de Wailly. The Murderer of the World

  English adaptation and introduction Copyright 2016 by Brian Stableford.

  Cover illustration Copyright 2016 by Mike Hoffman.

  Visit our website at www.blackcoatpress.com

  ISBN 978-1-61227-547-5. First Printing. August 2016. Published by Black Coat Press, an imprint of Hollywood Comics.com, LLC, P.O. Box 17270, Encino, CA 91416. All rights reserved. Except for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The stories and characters depicted in this novel are entirely fictional. Printed in the United States of America.

 

 

 


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