"Micromegas," in which the stranger from Sirius pays a visitor on the beings of Saturn, is one of the earliest examples of what we would now call science fiction (or speculative fiction to use Harlan Ellison's preferred choice), along with Swift and Cyrano de Bergerac's "Other Worlds" from a century earlier. The adventures around the solar system are simply excuses for Voltaire to create conversations amongst these beings that allow the writer to hold forth of various philosophical questions and political concerns. In other words, Voltaire is dressing up his rhetoric as both narrative and conversation. So, on one level your ability to appreciate this book will depend on how well you know your Locke. However, I prefer to consider it as an early example of science fiction and of some historical interest to students of that genre.

Given the strong identification of this genre with imagining the future, the end of Voltaire's novel offers some interesting symbolism: Micromegas leaves behind a book in which he will write down the purpose of existence, but the pages of the book are blank. Some have argued that Voltaire is being pessimistic and that the book is clearly an attack on science that concludes the ability of science to reduce everything to rationality proves there is no purpose to existence. However, from a more optimistic perspective, the blank pages could suggest humanity must supply its own purpose, which would certainly be in keeping with the main points of Voltaire's philosophy.