Were it not for his three fantastic novels and one collection of short stories, Edwin L. Arnold would be remembered only as the older son of Sir Edwin Arnold, a poet and Orientologist noted for being among the first to introduce the English to Buddhism. These subjects do not figure in the works of Edwin L. Arnold, whose fiction is idiosyncratic and flawed by most literary standards. He was neither a successful creator of original or memorable characters nor a particularly successful storyteller, and his prose tends toward flatness. Nevertheless, his fiction is also oddly original and innovative; he had a fertile imagination, and his ideas are often ahead of their time. He remains, however, a pioneer, a historical curiosity rather than a landmark, for though his ideas were original, he did little with them. It remained to others to develop, expand, and exploit his suggestions.

Edward Lester...