Accompanying an engineer down a mine shaft, a wealthy American discovers a series of caverns in which dwell the subterranean Vril-ya race. Not only have the Vril-ya "people" devised the means with which to survive underground, they have also developed a highly sophisticated language, culture, and civilization. Subservient to the mysterious and all-powerful force of Vril, they are primarily a peaceful race; but with a destiny to eradicate human civilization, it can only be a matter of time before they emerge from their underground caves to take on the world as we know it. One of the most influential books of its time, "The Coming Race" is an entertaining, inspired, and ultimately prescient work of early science fiction.

Politician and writer Edward Bulwer Lytton (1803-1873) was one of the most popular writers of the 19th century, coining such phrases as "the great unwashed," "pursuit of the almighty dollar," "the pen is mightier than the sword," and the infamous "It was a dark and stormy night."