Across the Milky Way, or, Frank Reade, Jr.'s great astronomical trip with his air-ship "The Shooting Star"

The Earth was far away, and as yet invisible, owing to the mighty bank of fleecy clouds. The white cold rays of the sun shot across the Star's deck. It became plain to the aerial voyagers that they were indeed in another world. Asuperstitious person would have been deeply impressed. 

AUTHOR:

Luis Philips Senarens published under the pseudonym “Noname” among other pseudonyms include: Kit Clyde, W. J. Earle, Police Captain Howard, Don Jenardo, andNed Sparling. Although in his obituary he claimed to have used 27 pseudonyms. He was said to have published his first book at 14 in the Boys of New York and was the editor in chief for Tousey’s publications from 1985 to 1923. He began writing the Frank Reade series after Harry Enton ceased writing. “Noname” created the young inventor Frank Reade Jr. and his adventures. Other stories he wrote were for the Boys of New York, Happy Days and Jack Wright for the series Boys of New York, Boys Star Library & Golden Weekly. He contributed his work to Old King Brady with Secret Service and Young Wild West Weekly.  He was later published in the Pictorial Printing Co.’s Nickel Library and Border Boys Library. (Cox 237)

CHARACTERS:

Professor Dunderberry Dean – of the National School of Sciences who “has spent two-thirds of his time at the mirror of the society’s huge telescope, trying to compute the orbit of a newly-discovered comet”

Frank Reade Jr. – Famous inventor who perfected the submarine boat and the electric horse.

Barney O’Shea – Is Frank Reade Jr.’s Irish companion who is also known as an up and coming genius.

Pomp – is referred to as Frank’s Negro companion and is the mechanic among Frank’s inventions.

Rinaldo Ray – A claimed classmate of Professor Dunderberry and a crank scientist of theology

SETTING:

The setting begins with the professor who overhears of Frank Reade Jr.’s adventure in the skies. They begin the story in Readestown when the professor meets with the young inventor before they depart in “The Shooting Star”. They ascend into the atmosphere and the bulk of the story is taken in space. They eventually come back to Earth and land in Arizona.

PLOT SUMMARY:

Professor Dunderberry Dean is observing a comets orbit and reads in the news of the young inventor, Frank Reade Jr.’s air-ship and his adventures. The professor contacts the young inventor and inquires of an adventure into space to allow the professor a better view of the comet in the name of science. The morning before the departure a man by the name of Rinaldo Ray barges into Frank’s private office for a request of his own. He claims in the name of science to allow him to board “The Shooting Star” into space for spiritual reasons (so he can communicate and validate the existence of paradise in the heavens, where spirits come to rest).

            Frank Reade Jr. does not allow Ray to come on board and Pomp, Barney, Frank and the Professor take off into space. After they’ve observed the comet’s orbit they notice Ray has been on board as a stowaway. Realizing they are drifting away from Earth with no means to get home Ray becomes severely manic and sick. After a few days, Ray decides to join the spirit world and walks out onto the deck of the air-ship in the middle of space.

            Losing Ray they quickly accommodate and use the young inventor’s new invention for space propulsion. As they approach Earth Frank expands the air-ships wings and they fly into the Arizona Apache mountains. They are unwelcomed by the natives and are forced to escape, leaving the “Star” behind. The crew reaches salvation upon encountering the United States Calvary. Not wishing to re-live that adventure, though enjoying the experience, they all travel home.  

THEMES:

The main theme is adventure among the stars with innovative technologies. The dime novel depicts race with Pomp and Barney throughout the novel, claiming Pomp as a coon and Barney the Celt. They also refer to the natives (American Indians) in Arizona as savages.(“NONAME”)

CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS:

            Across the Milky Way with Frank Reade, Jr. and his companions is as farfetched into the science fiction world as they get in the dime novel era. These American adventurers use airship and submarine technology to explore space in an imperialistic way. As Williams states in his article about Frank Reade, Jr., “the adventures from 1876 to 1885 that occur outside the United States all feature airships. As the Reade novels shift from steam-driven prime movers to rapid, heavier-than-air craft, the scope for the stories expands into international territory. Imagined technology begets imagined imperialism.” (287) They use existing technologies to gain an advantage on knowledge and exploration. By using the existing technologies they entice the reader and audiences to believe this new practical application of the current technology. The genre and Frank Reade Library series became popular due to their "series of new snares of fascinating construction, small and tempting in price" (21).” (Erickson, 247). Since the dime novels were printed on inexpensive paper, this allowed for the publishers to sell the novels at little or no cost to the consumer. Hence forth the term, “dime novels” being sold for ten cents or sometimes even 5 cents, to be called “nickel novels”. 

Work Cited

Cox, J. Randolph. The Dime Novel Companion: A Source Book. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2000. Questia. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.

Erickson, Paul J. "Judging Books by their Covers: Format, the Implied Reader, and the 'Degeneration' of the Dime Novel." ATQ 12.3 (1998): 247. Print.