Fitz James O ' Brien Fitz James O ' Brien ( also spelled Fitz - James ; December 31 , 1828 – April 6 , 1862 ) was an Irish - born American writer , some of whose work is often considered a forerunner of today ' s science fiction . Biography . He was born Michael O ' Brien in County Cork and was very young when the family moved to Limerick , Ireland . He attended the University of Dublin and is believed to have been a soldier in the British army at one time . On leaving college , he went to London and in the course of four years spent his inheritance of £8 , 000 , meanwhile editing a periodical in aid of the World ' s Fair of 1851 . About 1852 he emigrated to the United States , in the process changing his name to Fitz James , and thenceforth he devoted his attention to literature . While he was in college he had shown an aptitude for writing verse , and two of his poems — " Loch Ine " and " Irish Castles " — were published in " The Ballads of Ireland " ( 1856 ) . His earliest writings in the United States were contributed to the " Lantern " , which was then edited by John Brougham . Subsequently he wrote for the " Home Journal " , the " New York Times " , and the " American Whig Review " . His first important literary connection was with " Harper ' s Magazine " , and beginning in February , 1853 , with " The Two Skulls " , he contributed more than sixty articles in prose and verse to that periodical . He likewise wrote for the " New York Saturday Press " , " Putnam ' s Magazine " , " Vanity Fair " , and the " Atlantic Monthly " . To the latter he sent " The Diamond Lens " ( 1858 ) and " The Wonder Smith " ( 1859 ) . " The Diamond Lens " is probably his most famous short story , and tells the story of a scientist who invents a powerful microscope and discovers a beautiful female in a microscopic world inside a drop of water . " The Wonder Smith " is an early predecessor of robot rebellion , where toys possessed by evil spirits are transformed into living automatons who turn against their creators . His 1858 short story " From Hand to Mouth " has been referred to as " the single most striking example of surrealistic fiction to pre - date Alice in Wonderland " ( Sam Moskowitz , 1971 ) . " What Was It ? A Mystery " ( 1859 ) is one of the earliest known examples of invisibility in fiction . He was also employed in writing plays . For James W . Wallack he made " A Gentleman from Ireland " , which held the boards for a generation . He also wrote and adapted other pieces for the theatres , but they had a shorter existence . In New York he at once associated with the brilliant set of Bohemians of that day , among whom he was ranked as the most able . At the weekly dinners that were given by John Brougham , or at the nightly suppers at Pfaff ' s on Broadway , he was the soul of the entertainment . When the American Civil War began in 1861 , O ' Brien joined the 7th regiment of the New York National Guard , hoping to be sent to the front . He was stationed at Camp Cameron outside Washington , D . C . for six weeks . When his regiment returned to New York he received an appointment on the staff of General Frederick W . Lander . He was severely wounded in a skirmish on February 26 , 1862 , and lingered until April , when he died at Cumberland , Maryland of tetanus . His friend , William Winter , collected " The Poems and Stories of Fitz James O ' Brien " , to which are added personal recollections by old associates that survived him ( Boston , 1881 ) . Mr . Winter also wrote a chapter on O ' Brien in his book " Brown Heath and Blue Bells " ( New York , 1895 ) .