Set against a backdrop of stylistic extravagance reminiscent of the Decadent Movement, the story introduces Djila, an ultimate femme fatale and snake-woman, crafted by Félicien Champsaur during a whimsical phase of his career. Originally published in 1928, the narrative explores themes of allure and danger, showcasing the author's ambition to push the boundaries of his creativity and delve into the complexities of a captivating yet perilous character.
Set against the backdrop of a lavish and debauched Roman Empire, the story explores themes of desire and brutality through vivid characters such as gladiators, dancers, and courtesans. The narrative captures the excesses of an empress's insatiable lust and the harsh realities of the Circus, showcasing the stark contrasts of pleasure and pain. Félicien Champsaur's work stands out as a significant piece of decadent fiction, immersing readers in a world of opulence and moral decay.
Felicien Champsaur's Nora, The Ape-Woman (1929) is a sequel to both Homo-Deus and Ouha, King of the Apes. Nora is the story of two hybrids: a beautiful dancer sired by an orangutan and a human scientist, further humanized by surgery, and the son of a native woman and the part-human orangutan Ouha, King of the Apes. It is concerned with evolutionary history and the true nature of the simian and human species; it deals with the scientific modification of such species by means of surgery, thus enhancing the human condition, ultimately leading to the creation of supermen and the conquest of death. Despite various critical claims, Nora refuses to be racist and proudly claims that supposedly civilized white men are not superior to other races, or even species. It is a story of the triumph of animality, and argues that such triumph is not something of which we should be ashamed.
Meet Dr. Marc Vanel, son of a scientist and a beautiful exotic spy, polymath, engineer, gifted with prodigious strength and intelligence, trained by the Brahmins of India. When Vanel acquires the power of invisibility, he becomes Homo-Deus, invisible but for his emerald green eyes, haunting the dreams of evil men and lovely women alike. Felicien Champsaur's Homo-Deus (1924) is a ground-breaking novel which combines biomedical and superhero speculative fiction. It is a milestone in the evolution of the superhero, dealing with its fundamental to what extent a person who can act with total impunity is likely to admit any constraints stemming from morality? Also included in this volume are Champsaur's sequel, Kill the Old, Enjoy! (1925), a brutal but honest look at the moral disintegration of society after World War I, and an afterword by Brian Stableford.