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(34) Sans dessus dessous (The Purchase of the North Pole, aka Topsy-Turvy, 1889) (1 volume) 48K words
The 34th Extraordinary Voyage brings us another science fiction tale. The members of the Baltimore Gun Club (who previously appeared in "From the Earth to the Moon" and "Around The Moon") make their third and last appearance. This time, twenty years after their famous trip to the Moon, they are back with an even more ambitious scheme.
First read or reread?: First read for me.
What is it about?: Through a public auction that captures the attention of the world, the North Polar Practical Association intends to purchases all the territory north of the 84th parallel. It turns out that the members of the Baltimore Gun Club are the ones behind this enigmatic society, including Secretary J.T. Maston, President Impy Barbicane and Captain Nicholl. Thanks to the generosity of Mrs. Angelina Scorbitt, the association is successful in its bid for this region of the globe. The world wonders why they have paid so much for this inhospitable region, given that no human being has ever succeeded in reaching that far north. With the property secure, the association makes their plans known: they intend on altering the axis of the earth, so that this Artic region will obtain a more temperate climate, allowing them access to the large coal deposits they expect to find there.
Even though many of the characters are the same, this novel tells a standalone story and can be read independently. However, there are many references to the trip to the Moon, so it would make sense to read "From the Earth to the Moon" and "Around the Moon" before this one. A couple of other Verne novels are also mentioned (the auction in "Godfrey Morgan" and Hector Servadac's journey in "Off on a Comet").
This book resembles "From the Earth to the Moon" in many ways. It is written with irony and humor. Verne clearly was having a good time in both cases. Both the artillery-obsessed members of the club and the reactions from the different countries of the world are satirized. Besides, there's not a lot of action. Like in "From the Earth to the Moon", most of this novel is in the build-up to the big moment, the scientific calculations, the interaction of the characters, the changes in the public opinion... The moment when the plans are carried out comes right at the end.
However, there are also important differences. The members of the Gun Club have always been eccentric, but in "From the Earth to the Moon" they were eccentric in a heroic way, the recipients of public admiration. Here, the novel starts in the same way. However, as the world gradually becomes aware of the likely catastrophic consequences of the scheme, they become something like supervillains, their scientific obsession bordering the criminally insane, to the point that they have to escape and go into hiding so as not to be stopped by the authorities and the enraged masses.
This is representative of a certain change in tone in the second half of Verne's career. The interest in science persists, but it's often accompanied by an awareness of its potential abuse and the dangers of unchecked technological progress.
The Gun Club's plot is quite outlandish, but Verne keeps it relatively grounded in science, despite taking some liberties like the invention of a fictitious explosive more powerful than the ones known at the time. This realism is also shown in the novel's final twist. This is a lightweight story, but the themes feel relevant from the point of view of the 21st century: an attempt to modify the climate of the Earth, and all of it motivated by the demand for coal.
Another prescient technological element in the novel is the use of the recently-invented telephone for trivial everyday purposes, like the mostly one-sided flirting between Mrs. Angelina Scorbitt and J.T. Maston.
The novel is quite short, and if the author didn't dwell so much on the buildup it might have been a short story, but it's precisely the building up that makes it fun to read.
Enjoyment factor: I enjoyed it. A nice chance of pace after the gloomy "Family Without a Name". One of the reasons "From the Earth to the Moon" is so successful is that it sounds plausible enough to suspend disbelief and go along for the amazing ride. Compared to that, this novel suffers because the plot is more outlandish, although Verne still tries to keep it somewhat scientifically grounded, as opposed to the more fantastic "Off on a Comet".
Next up: César Cascabel
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