<DIV>Accompanying an engineer down a mine shaft, a wealthy American discovers a series of caverns in which dwell the subterranean Vril-ya race. Not only have the Vril-ya "people" devised the means with which to survive underground, they have also developed a highly sophisticated language, culture, and civilization. Subservient to the mysterious and all-powerful force of Vril, they are primarily a peaceful race; but with a destiny to eradicate human civilization, it can only be a matter of time before they emerge from their underground caves to take on the world as we know it. One&nbsp;of the most influential books of its time, <I>The Coming Race</I> is an entertaining, inspired, and ultimately prescient work of early science fiction.</DIV>