Micromegas

Micromegas is a giant from a planet orbiting Sirius, standing about twenty-four miles tall, who is exiled for writing a book the local clerics disliked. He travels across the solar system, picks up a companion from Saturn, and finally lands on Earth, where the two visitors have to search with a microscope-like trick to find humans at all. Voltaire uses this short satirical tale from 1752 to mock human pride, philosophers' squabbles, and the idea that the universe was made for us, with scale as the main joke.

Readers who like early science fiction, Enlightenment wit, or Swift's Gulliver will enjoy its speed. It runs only a few dozen pages, so it fits an afternoon, and it offers a good first taste of Voltaire's skeptical humor before Candide.

Outward-looking and thought-provoking; a moderate read.

Best for readers like The Deep Diver. Which reader are you?