Edward Lytton was an English novelist, playwright and politician. Many famous literary phrases come from Lord Lytton such as: \"the great unwashed,\" \"pursuit of the almighty dollar,\" \"the pen is mightier than the sword,\" and \"it was a dark and stormy night.\" Some consider The Coming Race to be the first science fiction novel. His story of a superior subterranean master race and the energy form Vril was so compelling that many people believed it to be true. Even as late as 1960 there has been a theory about a secret Vril society | The Coming Race by Bulwer Lytton Edward Bulwer Lytton, Paperback | Indigo Chapters