Although The Comet is set in a futuristic New York City after the release of toxic gases by an unknown enemy, the story is really a study in relationships, specifically, those that take place between people of different ethnicities. It tells the story of Jim and Julia; Jim Davies is a black man and Julia is a white woman of some considerable wealth, and they are the random survivors of the apocalyptic event that has killed everyone else. It is a tale of race and religion and the roles they play in influencing the choices we make when choosing who we will ultimately spend our time with; in many ways the post-apocalyptic, central-casting sci-fi backdrop is a red herring, because this really is not what the story is fundamentally about at all.
The Comet was originally published as the final chapter in an anthology du Bois published in 1920; Darkwater : Stories from Behind the Veil was part religious and spiritual writing, part autobiography and part observations about the racism prevalent in du Bois' world. It was well received both critically and commercially; people felt that it really revealed the levels of discrimination that many in the African-American were subjected to; ironically, du Bois himself grew up in a relatively tolerant community with voluntary integration. He was an excellent student and became the first African-American to earn a doctorate from Harvard. He was also one of the founders of the N.A.A.C.P.
Although respected for his short stories and spiritual writing, du Bois was perhaps best known for his sociological book The Souls of Black Folks, which he had published in 1903. It was only later in his literary career that he developed an interest in, and propensity for writing, science fiction, relating apocalyptic plot lines and themes to his religious and spiritual beliefs.
du Bois passed away in Ghana, North Africa, at the age of ninety-five.
