Gustave Le Rouge (1867-1938) was one of the authors who most embodied the evolution of modern science fiction, moving it away from the juvenile adventures of Jules Verne by incorporating real people into his stories, thus bridging the gap between Vernian and Wellsian science fiction. He burst onto the scene with La Conspiration des Milliardaires [The Billionaires' Conspiracy] (1899-1900) in which American billionaire William Boltyn uses Thomas Edison's "Electromen" combined with the power of mediums to try to become master of the world. L'Espionne du Grand Lama (1906) introduced a Lost World inhabited by prehistoric creatures. His classic mad scientist / conspuracy saga, Le Mystérieux Docteur Cornelius, was in 1912-13.   novel: The Vampires of Mars (2008) source material: Doctor Omega and the Electromen (forthcoming) more on Le Rouge in: Shadowmen 1: Heroes and Villains of French Pulp Fiction (2003)