Viger, A
Entry updated 12 September 2022. Tagged: Author.
Pseudonym of French geophysicist and author Alphonse Berget (1850-1933), almost certainly the instigator of and senior collaborator in the sf novel L'Anneau de Lumière: grand roman scientifique d'aventures (6 November 1921-4 February 1922 Le Petit Parisien; 1922; trans Brian Stableford as The Ring of Light 2018) with Léon Miral, both signing variously as Miral-Viger, or L Miral and A Viger. The tale, which begins just before the onset of World War One, is an exercise in Alternate History whose Jonbar Point is the departure on a Fantastic Voyage of exploration through the Solar System of a French Spaceship powered by a nuclear rocket (see Power Sources), and crewed by a Vernian admixture of usefully contrasting characters (see Jules Verne). Mars is Utopian, but the team eventually rockets onwards to Saturn (see Outer Planets), soon becoming involved there, now that the Great War has begun on Earth, in fighting off a similar German expedition. Miral-Viger published two further tales, like the first in feuilleton format: "Le Bataille de l'or" ["The Battle of Gold"] (14 August-8 November 1923 Le Petit Parisien) and "La Loi de Mars" ["The Law of Mars"] (20 August-16 October 1924 Le Petit Parisien) [JC]
Thomas Claude Xavier Alphonse Berget
born Sélestat, Alsace, France: 24 November 1850
died Paris: 28 December 1933
works (selected)
- L'Anneau de Lumière: grand roman scientifique d'aventures (Paris: Paul Tallandier, 1922) with Léon Miral as Miral-Viger [first appeared in feuilleton form 6 November 1921-4 February 1922 Le Petit Parisien: binding unknown/]
- The Ring of Light (Encino, California: Hollywood Comics/Black Coat Press, 2018) with Léon Miral as Miral-Viger [trans by Brian Stableford of the above: pb/Phil Cohen]
links
- Internet Speculative Fiction Database (Miral-Viger)
- Picture Gallery
previous versions of this entry