Robert Cromie

author

Robert Cromie

1856–1907

An Irish journalist and novelist, he wrote lively adventure and early science-fiction tales that now stand out for their bold ideas. His best-known work, The Crack of Doom, is often noted for imagining an atomic explosion remarkably early.

1 Audiobook

The Crack of Doom

The Crack of Doom

by Robert Cromie

About the author

Born in County Down, Robert Cromie was an Irish journalist and novelist associated with Belfast literary life. Reference sources identify him as active in both journalism and fiction, and his work ranges from imperial adventure stories to speculative novels that helped shape early science fiction.

Among his notable books are A Plunge into Space and The Crack of Doom. The latter became his most famous novel and is frequently remembered for its strikingly early vision of atomic destruction, which gives his fiction a curious, forward-looking place in literary history.

Cromie died in 1907. Though he is not as widely read today as some of his contemporaries, he remains an interesting figure for readers who enjoy Victorian popular fiction, scientific romance, and the roots of modern science fiction.