Summary

In the beginning of Chapter 1, readers find themselves aboard Professor Lucifer’s flying ship, a vessel that he has invented himself, along with many of the other tools and gadgets found upon it. Also aboard the ship is the professor’s friend, Michael, a monk whom he found in Western Bulgaria and lassoed “out of his own back garden” (4). We find Lucifer and Michael in the midst of an engaging philosophical conversation regarding Michael’s devotion to Christianity. Lucifer regards Michael in a fairly belittling manner, referring to his beliefs and traditions as simplistic and irrational. Lucifer champions the cause of science and evolution in the face of the monk’s religious beliefs.

As their discussion progresses, Michael mentions offhandedly that the professor’s flying ship is about to crash into some unnamed object in their path. The...