The book features Thomas Edison. Set after the devastating Martian attack in the previous story, the novel depicts Edison leading a group of scientists to develop ships and weapons, including a disintegration ray, for the defense of Earth.

Garrett Putnam Serviss was an American astronomer, popularizer of astronomy, and early science fiction writer. Serviss' favorite topic was astronomy. He unquestionably was more widely read by the public on that topic than anyone prior to his time. He also wrote six works of fiction in his lifetime, all of which would today be classified as science fiction.