The Man Who Rocked the Earth

by Arthur Cheney Train

Arthur Cheney Train (September 6, 1875 - December 22, 1945), also called Arthur Chesney Train, was an American lawyer and writer of legal thrillers, particularly known for his novels of courtroom intrigue and the creation of the fictional lawyer Mr. Ephraim Tutt. Train was born in Boston, Massachusetts on September 6, 1875. His father was lawyer Charles Russell Train, who served for many years as attorney general of Massachusetts, and his mother was Sara Maria Cheney. After attending St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, Train graduated with a BA from Harvard University in 1896 and LLB from Harvard Law School in 1899. In January 1901, Train became assistant in the office of the New York County District Attorney. In 1904 he started his literary career with the publication of the short story "The Maximilian Diamond" in Leslie's Monthly. He ran the two careers in parallel until 1908 when he left the District Attorney's office to open a general law practice in the Mutual Life Building at 34 Nassau Street in New York City. His 1907 novel, Mortmain, was one of the earliest works in the alien hand syndrome genre and was adapted into a 1915 film of the same name that is now lost. Several other works by Train were filmed, including Illusion (1929), His Children's Children (1923), and The Blind Goddess (1926). From 1915 to 1922, Train was in private practice as a lawyer with Charles Albert Perkins while continuing to write, not just novels but short stories, plays, and journalism. In 1919, he created the popular character of Mr. Ephraim Tutt, a wily old lawyer who supported the common man and always had a trick up his sleeve to right the law's injustices.

Train wrote dozens of stories about Tutt in the Saturday Evening Post. The fictional Ephraim Tutt became "the best known lawyer in America," particularly after the appearance of Yankee Lawyer, an immensely popular book that purported to be Tutt's autobiography. Train also coauthored two science fiction novels with eminent physicist Robert W. Wood. After 1922, he devoted himself to writing. (wikipedia.org)

Genres: Science Fiction

122 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1915

About the author

Arthur Cheney Train (1875-1945) was an American lawyer and legal thriller writer, particularly known for his novels of courtroom intrigue and the creation of the fictional lawyer Mr. Ephraim Tutt. In 1919, he created the popular character of Mr. Ephraim Tutt, a wiley old lawyer who supported the common man and always had a trick up his sleeve to right the law's injustices. He also coauthored the science fiction novel The Man Who Rocked the Earth (1915) with eminent physicist Robert W. Wood. After 1922, Train devoted himself to writing. His works include: The "Goldfish" (1914), Tutt and Mr. Tutt (1919) and By Advice of Counsel (1921). Robert Williams Wood (1868-1955) was an American physicist. He was a careful experimenter known for his many contributions to optics including infrared and ultraviolet photography, and the liquid mirror telescope. He was also a writer of science fiction and nonsense verse. He also authored non-technical works. In 1915, Wood co-authored a science fiction novel, The Man Who Rocked the Earth, with Arthur Train. He also wrote and illustrated a book of nonsense verse, How to Tell the Birds from the Flowers.

Reviews

[Steve Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another situation where context and my personal preferences may outweigh any kind of commentary on intrinsic value. But what of it?

Simply put, when I read in Filmfax (Number 155) that the Richard Lyford 1930s silent film As the Earth Turns was based upon this novella length story, I knew that I would like it no matter what. Increasing interest was the fact that I had once read Arthur Train's tale Mortmain which ~ oddly enough ~ was also filmed silently. (Train and Robert Williams Wood also wrote a sequel to TMWRtE called The Moon Maker. That I have not read ... yet.)

OK. Let's put prejudice aside (if that's possible) for a second. Some of the dialogue is creaky but in a good hundred year old way. The writing is bit uneven. For instance, the first part of the book has short chapters. However, the last chapter is a doozy length-wise. This makes me wonder who wrote what. I suppose that I enjoyed the first half better since the film followed it more closely. However, the entire book ~ while no literary masterpiece ~ was both fun and poignant which is a difficult combination to pull off. (By the way, unlike the movie, the book lacked "dames").

Certainly a wide variety of science fiction trappings were there: alternate history, an earth moving apparatus (as in the entire planet!), futuristic flying machines, advanced (for the time) radio technology, "vortex guns" and even the appearance of H.G. Wells as a character! (Stuff like that makes me a happy fella! I suppose that I'm a pushover.)

Maybe others won't love this story as much as I. Don't have any way of knowing. I have to say nonetheless that I found it a treat.

[John Peel · Rating 4 out of 5]

One I'd never heard of before, but looked interesting. It's the missing link between Jules Verne and pulps like Doc Savage. A man called Pax claims to have the power to change the world, and demands the abolition of war. With his scientific powers, he can literally change the path of the world. It's well-plotted fun, and very engaging.