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The Crack of Doom

by Robert Cromie (1856–1907)

  • Free to read
  • 3 hours to read
  • 21 chapters
  • Reading level: 7th grade

"The Crack of Doom" by Robert Cromie is a novel written in the late 19th century. The narrative centers on Arthur Marcel, a British traveler who meets the enigmatic Herbert Brande during a sea voyage. As Marcel becomes embroiled in Brande's mysterious society, he finds himself drawn to Brande's sister, Natalie, and grapples with the implications of their association with a group that seems to hold sinister secrets about the nature of the universe and the fate of mankind. The opening of the book introduces us to Arthur Marcel, who, while on a ship heading for Queenstown, encounters Herbert Brande, whose cynical views on the universe spark a profound conversation. Their meeting hints at deeper themes as Marcel learns about Brande's newly formed "Cui Bono Society." The narrative quickly shifts towards Marcel's obsession with Brande's sister, Natalie, and the peculiar elegance of her character, which contrasts sharply with her brother's cold rationalism. Tension grows as the plot establishes the society's unsettling aims, presenting a tantalizing blend of romance, scientific intrigue, and existential dread.

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  • Science fiction
  • Paranormal fiction
  • Nuclear explosions

Read the opening

Chapter I

THE UNIVERSE A MISTAKE!

"The Universe is a mistake!"

Thus spake Herbert Brande, a passenger on the Majestic, making for Queenstown Harbour, one evening early in the past year. Foolish as the words may seem, they were partly influential in leading to my terrible association with him, and all that is described in this book.

Brande was standing beside me on the starboard side of the vessel. We had been discussing a current astronomical essay, as we watched the hazy blue line of the Irish coast rise on the horizon. This conversation was interrupted by Brande, who said, impatiently:

"Why tell us of stars distant so far from this insignificant little world of ours—so insignificant that even its own inhabitants speak disrespectfully of it—that it would take hundreds of years to telegraph to some of them, thousands to others, and millions to the rest? Why limit oneself to a mere million of years for a dramatic illustration, when there is a star in space distant so far from us that if a telegram left the earth for it this very night, and maintained for ever its initial velocity, it would never reach that star?"

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Contents

  1. Preface
  2. Chapter I
  3. Chapter II
  4. Chapter III: "It Is Good to Be Alive."
  5. Chapter IV
  6. Chapter V
  7. Chapter VI
  8. Chapter VII
  9. Chapter VIII
  10. Chapter IX
  11. Chapter X
  12. Chapter XI
  13. Chapter XII: "No Death — Save in Life."
  14. Chapter XIII
  15. Chapter XIV
  16. Chapter XV: "If Not Too Late!"
  17. Chapter XVI
  18. Chapter XVII: "This Earth Shall Die."
  19. Chapter XVIII
  20. Chapter XIX
  21. Conclusion

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About this edition

This free edition of The Crack of Doom by Robert Cromie comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #26563, released 2008-09-08. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Science-Fiction & Fantasy, Romance, Novels, British Literature.

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