One of Grousset's most notable science fiction novels was
Les Exilés de la Terre – Selene-Company Limited (1887). In it, a consortium which intends to exploit the
Moon’s mineral resources decides that, since our satellite is too far to be reached, it must be brought closer to the
Earth. A Sudanese mountain composed of pure iron ore becomes the headquarters of the newly established Selene Company. Solar reflectors are used to provide the energy required to convert the mountain into a huge
electro-magnet, with miles of cables wrapped around it. A
spaceship-
observatory is then built on top of the mountain. When the experiment begins, the mountain is ripped away from the Earth and catapulted to the Moon. There, the protagonists have various adventures and eventually return to Earth by re-energizing the mountain. Other notable works by Grousset published under the Laurie pseudonym include
De New York à Brest en Sept Heures [New York to Brest in Seven Hours] (1888), which predicted a
transatlantic tunnel;
Le Secret du Mage (The Secret of the Magician) (1890), in which evidence of an advanced
prehistoric is discovered;
Le Rubis du Grand Lama [The Ruby of the Great Lama] (1894), which features a steam-powered flying island;
Atlantis (1895), which describes how the mythical kingdom has survived under a glass dome at the bottom of the sea near the Azores; ''Le Maître de l'Abîme
(The Master of the Abyss) (1905), which features a revolutionary submarine, and finally Spiridon le Muet'' (Spiridon The Mute) (1907), a novel about a human-sized, intelligent
ant. The character of Spiridon, depicted as a non-human alien, gifted with great knowledge, an insatiable scientific curiosity but no human feelings or emotions, the victim of mankind's petty jealousies and racial fears, is a striking departure from the Vernian influence that permeated the rest of Laurie's works. ==Selected bibliography==