The Germ Growers

The Germ Growers : The Strange Adventures of Robert Easterley and John Wilbraham is a 1892 science fiction novel by the Irish/Australian author Robert Potter.^[1]

The Germ Growers : The Strange Adventures of Robert Easterley and John Wilbraham

Author	Robert Potter
Language	English
Genre	Science fiction
Publisher	Melville, Mullen and Slade: (AU) Hutchinson & Co: (UK)
Publication date	1892
Publication place	Australia
Media type	Print
Pages	274 pp.
Text	The Germ Growers : The Strange Adventures of Robert Easterley and John Wilbraham at Wikisource

It was originally published as being written by "Robert Easterley and John Wilbraham", but these are both pseudonyms of the actual author, Robert Potter.^[2]

Synopsis

While exploring the remote country of north-western Australia Robert Easterley and John Wilbraham discover a settlement populated by human-like creatures who possess advanced scientific knowledge and technology, being able to create invisible airships. In reality these human-like creatures are shape shifting aliens. Their chief occupation is the cultivation of malignant germs that they carry to various parts of the earth. These germs infect the human population with diseases such as smallpox and cholera in order to wipe out humanity and colonize the earth. These aliens are lead by Signor Niccolo Davell. The two men are captured by the creatures and must find some way to make their escape. And save the world before it’s too late. ^[3][4]

Publication

The novel was first published in Australia by Melville, Mullen and Slade. Sometime in late 1892. Later in the same year or simultaneously, it was published in Britain by Hutchinson & Co. The UK publication is notable because it was the only edition to have illustrations, specifically four drawn by W. Hatherel. ^[5]

Critical reception

At the time of the book's release a reviewer in The Australian newspaper made much of the book's "Christian" themes labelling this "a new version of...the fall of man, and the redemption." They concluded: "It should be said in conclusion that The Germ Growers is written in a clear and flowing style, and that merely as a book of adventure and incident it can be read with pleasure, even by those who may not feel much interest in the writer's theories or in the theological questions discussed in its pages."^[6]

The reviewer in Table Talk also saw the major religious overtones of the plot: "The motif of his book is the suggestion of a theory whereby all the evil of the world may be accounted for by the working of semi-invisible agents, who, in secluded and inaccessible portions of the globe work out their nefarious designs. Through a knowledge of hidden laws of nature these evil genii are able to disappear at will, and to render the machinery wherewith they scatter poison germs or catch up evil-minded persons suitable to act as their underlings invisible save for a mysterious shadow."^[7]

Legacy

The novel is the earliest known alien invasion story, predating H.G Wells's The Crystal Egg by 5 years and his more famous novel The War of the Worlds by 6 years. But the book has largely fallen into obscurity, overshadowed by The War of the Worlds. What also doesn’t help the it’s case is that the novel contains racist depictions of Australian natives. And it’s heavy handed religious allegory.

It is unknown if H.G Wells was inspired by this novel or not. In 1894 he published the short story "The Stolen Bacillus" which also deals with the topic of bioterrorism.

^[8] However the idea for The War of the Worlds came from a discussion with his brother Frank, about Imperialism and Social Darwinism and the potential impact of a sudden arrival of a superior being from another planet.^[9] It's possible that the two stories were just a example of two people coming with a similar idea at around the similar time. It is also important to note that The Germ Growers was known in some circles in Australia but didn’t do so well in Britain and was very obscure even at the time.

With the author’s death on July 12th, 1908,^[10] the book fell into the public domain worldwide on January 1st, 1979. It fell into the public domain in America 50 years earlier.

See also

• 1892 in Australian literature
• extraterrestrial
• The Crystal Egg – The 2nd oldest known alien invasion story
• The War of the Worlds – The 3rd oldest known alien invasion story