Okay, let's set the scene. It's the late 1800s, and Albert Robida, a French illustrator and writer, decides to skip the usual steam-powered fantasies. Instead, he dreams up a world for the mid-20th century where electricity is king. This isn't a dry technical manual; it's a bustling, lived-in world from page one.

The Story

The book follows George Lorris, a genius inventor who has helped create this electrified utopia. People zip around in electric air-cabs, women have careers as 'electro-engineers,' and families watch news broadcasts on home 'telephonoscopes.' The plot kicks off when Lorris, now a bit bored with his own success, takes his skeptical, old-fashioned friend, Philoxène, on a tour of this new world. They zoom around the city, visit automated factories, and deal with the daily quirks of a hyper-connected life. But the story gets its tension from a looming threat: the entire society is terrifyingly dependent on a single, massive power source. The central question becomes: has this convenience made life better, or just more fragile?

Why You Should Read It

What blew my mind wasn't just Robida's guesses (he predicted video conferencing and drones!), but his insight. He saw that new tech would change social life, gender roles, and even warfare. The characters, especially the witty and capable women, feel modern. Lorris isn't a perfect hero; he's a visionary struggling with the unintended consequences of his own inventions. Robida paints this future with humor and a light touch, so it never feels like a lecture. You're just having fun in this weird, wonderful world until you realize he's asking really big questions about progress and human nature.

Final Verdict

This book is a hidden gem for anyone who loves steampunk's aesthetic but wants more social commentary. It's perfect for fans of classic sci-fi who want to see where the genre's ideas started, and for modern readers who will get a kick out of how right (and sometimes hilariously wrong) an 1880s artist was about our lives. It's a fast, imaginative, and thought-provoking ride from a true futurist.