Penguin Island

'Penguin Island' by Anatole France is a satirical fictional history of a fictitious island inhabited by great auks off the northern coast of Europe. Written in the style of an 18th- and 19th-century history book, the story begins with a Christian missionary baptizing the noble pagans, causing The Lord to convert them to humans. The novel mirrors the history of France and Western Europe, from the Dark Ages to a future high-tech civilization that is destroyed by terrorism. With a mix of hagiography, romantic nationalism, and satire, Penguin Island offers an incisive commentary on history, religion, and society.