The Battle of Dorking

by George Tomkyns Chesney

"The Battle of Dorking" by George Tomkyns Chesney is a novella published in 1871. Written just after Prussia's victory in the Franco-Prussian War, it tells the story of a German-speaking nation's invasion of Britain through the eyes of an elderly veteran recounting the events to his grandchildren. The narrative depicts Britain's ill-prepared forces facing a swift, superior enemy at Dorking, Surrey. The novella launched the invasion literature genre and became an important precursor to science fiction.