François Bordes

François Bordes (; December 30, 1919 – April 30, 1981), also known by the pen name of Francis Carsac, was a French scientist, geologist, archaeologist, and science fiction writer.

Biography He was a professor of prehistory and quaternary geology at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Bordeaux 1. He decisively renewed the approach to focusing on prehistoric lithic industries, introducing statistical studies in typology and expanding the use of experimental flint knapping. He was internationally known among archaeologists for his ability to replicate ancient stone implements; his technique was showcased in a photo essay in the "Early Man" volume of the Life Nature Library.

He also published many science fiction novels under his pen name. In the USSR the science fiction of Carsac was very popular. He was translated and published into Russian as well as Romanian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Hungarian, Estonian, Portuguese, amongst others. However, no translations into English existed until 2020, when Pour patrie l’espace was published as The City Among the Stars.