With her eye on the present, writing at a time of war and increasing political division, Stevens tells a story about a future both strange and all too familiar, warning her readers about the dangers of unchecked power through the guise of fantasy and adventure. Names have been replaced by identification numbers and annual contests run by the ruthless overseer leave families torn apart by violence and death. Somehow, the city has come under complete totalitarian control, forcing the vast majority of its poor citizens to live in constant fear of death and imprisonment. Before they can find out what it is or where it came from, they are transported to the year 2118. In 1918, three friends from Philadelphia discover a strange powdery substance.
Noted for its satirical tone and dystopian themes, The Head of Cerberus remains central to Stevens’ reputation as a pioneering author of fantasy and science fiction. Originally serialized in The Thrill Book, a popular pulp magazine, The Heads of Cerberus was recognized as “perhaps the first science fiction fantasy to use the alternate time-track, or parallel worlds, idea” by anthologist and critic Groff Conklin. The Heads of Cerberus (1919) is a science fiction novel by Francis Stevens.
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