Science fiction existed before the 1929 debut of the newspaper strip "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century." But "Buck Rogers" popularized it and quickly became a multimedia marketing juggernaut, setting the public’s perception of science fiction for decades to come: “that crazy Buck Rogers stuff.” So it is fascinating to read Philip Francis Nowlan’s 1928 novel, "Armageddon 2419 A.D.," which introduced the world to displaced World War I aviator Anthony Rogers and his futuristic wife, Wilma Deering. From reading reprints of the newspaper strip, listening to the radio show, and viewing the various movies and TV shows it inspired, you’d expect a space opera saga. What you get is hard military science fiction that morphs into Burroughsian planetary romance (even though the story takes place entirely in North America) before ending on a note straight out of Robert Howard’s “Children of the Night” tales. "Armageddon 2419 A.D." is definitely a product of its time.
The Story
While searching a Pennsylvania mine for radioactive ores in 1927, former World War I fighter ace Anthony “Tony” Rogers is trapped by a cave-in and succumbs to the radioactive gasses that drew him there in the first place. He is revived by fresh air admitted by another collapse and emerges to find the suburban Pennsylvania landscape is now primeval forest. After living off the land for several weeks, he rescues a green-clad figure being pursued by a trio of thugs armed with what today would be called grenade launchers. The figure, girl-soldier Wilma Deering, takes him back to the mobile headquarters of her “gang” for interrogation and debriefing. Centuries ago, the Han established a global hegemony with their super-science, and Americans have survived as nomadic guerrilla units organized around mob-style “bosses.” Rogers rises in the ranks not by reminding the gangs of their democratic past but by using his practical combat expertise to demonstrate how their existing weaponry can used to defeat the dreaded Han airships, which emerge periodically from the invaders’ fifteen domed cities to hunt the Americans like animals. Rogers persuades the gangs to unite and attack the Han now, before the enemy becomes aware of the Americans’ growing technological and military sophistication.
Nowlan wastes little time on character development. For most of the book, the Han are faceless mooks and American troops exist only to sacrifice themselves heroically at Anthony Rogers’ command. Ultimately the reader gets to know the Big Bad, San-Lan, better than Tony Rogers himself. On the other hand, Nowlan spends whole chapters lovingly describing arcane military hardware and futuristic air and land battles. But the book is short, and he manages to keep the story moving despite the digressions. The tone of the story shifts three-quarters of the way through when Rogers gets captured by the Han and the reader finally gets to meet them face-to-face.
Other reviewers have made much of how Nowlan anticipated such things as the bazooka, guided missiles, and jet aircraft. What strikes me is how uncomfortably close to home his description of decadent Han society hits; although he didn’t intend it, Nowlan could easily have been writing a critique of 21st century American culture. Despite their undeniable artistry, intelligence, and technical prowess the Han are soulless beings living only for personal pleasure and instant gratification. Their advanced technology makes it rarely necessary for them to leave their luxurious condominiums, which are equipped with wall-sized screens on all sides that enable them to beguile their time with endless movies, chat and the city’s intranet. Food, clothing, and other necessities are paid for via electronic funds transfer and are delivered to their apartments. Actual personal contact with another human being is necessary only when one wants to satisfy one’s sexual lusts. “Marriage” is a convenience for men, easily dissolved once they tire of their current favorite. Women, meanwhile, are mercenary seductresses always looking out for a better-heeled catch who can pay for their retirement. Children are turned over to a state daycare/education system as soon as possible so that they don’t distract adults from their pastimes. Since no one’s well-being matters but his own, the typical Han tends to be shallow, cruel and manipulative. They’re a nation of self-centered couch potatoes. The people who have lived under Han domination think genocide is too good for them. Sound familiar?
Is the book racist? No. The Han are the hated invaders, true, but they are not denigrated for any supposed racial failings. They’re not inferior, just not as physically fit and desperate as the feral Americans. They could easily have been Russians or Martians without changing the story. The contrast with depictions of Chinese in Sax Romer’s Fu Manchu novels from the same era is instructional. Ironically, Nowlan’s epilogue hints that the Han may not have been fully human after all, but some sort of alien hybrid. When American diplomats reach China, they learn that the Chinese themselves were overwhelmed by the invaders, who emerged from a meteor crater ready to rumble.
Applicability to Role-playing
"Armageddon 2419 A.D." is a brutal battlefield epic that would seem to be a fit for gritty military RPGs such as Twilight 2000, Combat!, and the like. It presents a world where war is waged by awesomely destructive long-range weaponry but final victory achieved by savage hand-to-hand fighting. There are certainly plenty of gee-whiz set pieces and gadgetry to steal for a pulp sci-fi game, but the book’s outlook is rather grim, in contrast to the rollicking adventurous tone of the newspaper strip that evolved from it (or of TSR’s Buck Rogers Adventure Game that was based on the comics). Buck Rogers may be a larger than life action paragon, but in Tony Rogers’ reality trying to be a hero will get you wounded, captured, or worse.
Conclusion
Part of the fun of reading vintage science fiction is discovering what the author did and didn’t foresee. Nowlan’s gadgetry remains highly improbable but those 1930s visions of jumping belts, rocket pistols, and ethereal labyrinthine alien cities have stuck in popular culture. His depiction of post-apocalyptic North America jives with Alan Weisman’s “The World Without Us.” And his account of a decadent high-tech society holds up a mirror to our own.
Rating
Style 3 (Average) – Nowlan is no William Shakespeare. Unfortunately, he’s not Edgar Rice Burroughs or Robert E. Howard either. The brevity of "Armageddon 2419 A.D." helps it overcome his shortcomings but one wishes he loved his characters as much as he loved their gear. It says something that the newspaper strip (which he also wrote) fleshed out Buck and Wilma far more thoroughly than the two Anthony Rogers novels.
Substance 4 (Meaty) – Whatever else you say about the novel, you can’t deny its far-reaching influence. It created a sci-fi phenomenon.
