The Consolidator is a fictional novel by Daniel Defoe, a former spy, journalist, and regarded as one of the first novelists to ever publish a work of fiction. Originally titled Memoirs of Sundry Transactions from the World in the Moon, Defoe takes the reader to an adventurous world of fantasy meets political satire. The Consolidator is an ancient vehicle that can be transported to the moon with the aid of two mysterious creatures that possess the power of flight.
The wings of these creatures take a more representative role, acting as the different sides of a parliamentary seating with each feather assigned as a Member of the parliament. Both sides must work together to pass bills into laws. Through working together, the vehicle can be transported to the Moon safely. Defoe uses his imagination to create a utopia that can dissect the workings of the British parliamentary systems.
The author is inspired by the urbanized life of England in the 18th century. The title of the novel itself is influenced by a political deadlock that takes place in 1704 which almost ousts the ruling majority of the English parliamentary system. Members of parliament had already been pushed to their limit by the call of pardon for former protestants who requested for amnesty and civil freedom.
The novel showcased the first attempt at dissecting the human condition using an extra-terrestrial analogy. Despite its overtly ambitious imagination, the author manages to provide a down to earth and human way of explaining how a flying vehicle makes a flight from Earth to the moon.
