E. C. Large (1902–1976)

Besides the genres of the detective novel and the spy novel which were pioneered by the end of the Nineteenth, beginning Twentieth Century, so is the genre of the science fiction novel. «Sugar in the Air», published in 1937, is an example of an early science fiction novel. This copy was a first edition.

As so often, this early novel has a quaint bearing on our modern predicament. The main novelty lies in the commercial exploitation of artificial photosynthesis binding carbondioxide from the atmosphere with water to produce carbohydrates, hence the title «Sugar in the Air». Of course air pollution and global warming do not play a role in the novel. A peculiar and less appealing feature of the novel is the fact that the author, apparently quite randomly likes to include all kinds of technical terminology and other unusual and difficult vocabulary in the book. These words are not related to technical or chemical processes in the novel and I do not really understand why this is done other than making the book more impressive and difficult to understand.

The book wasn't very exciting but should perhaps be read as a curiosity, first, because it's an early example of a science fiction novel, secondly, maybe one day the atmosphere becomes so saturated with CO2 that commercially binding this greenhouse gas does become a feasible option.… (mehr)