Across the Zodiac: The Story of a Wrecked Record

Across the Zodiac: The Story of a Wrecked Record is a science fiction novel by Percy Greg, first published in 1880. It chronicles the journey of Colonel A, who embarks on an ambitious mission to reach Mars using fictional technology based on repulsive forces. The narrative begins with a shipwreck that leads to a series of mysterious events on a strange island, ultimately revealing remnants of a manuscript and a metallic case. Notably, this work is recognized as the first science fiction novel primarily set on Mars and introduces the term 'astronaut' to describe a spacecraft.