Reading Verne's Voyages Extraordinaires

[db105]

I have thought of the long-term project of reading all of Jules Verne's Voyages Extraordinaires, using the 100-volume edition in Spanish that I have. Some of them I read as a kid, and I was a fan. I'll post my impressions in this thread as a way for me to keep track and in the hope they will be of interest to someone here. So let's see how far I get.

This is my plan (in bold the ones already done). The word count is approximate, based on the Spanish unabridged translations I have. If the number of volumes is not specified, it's a 1-volume novel (that refers to the original publication; it's normal for a novel originally published in several volumes to be published in just one volume afterwards):

(1) Cinq semaines en ballon (Five Weeks in a Balloon, 1863) (link) 81K words
(2) Voyage au centre de la Terre (Journey to the Center of the Earth, 1864) (link) 68K words
(3) Voyages et aventures du capitaine Hatteras (The Adventures of Captain Hatteras, 1864-66) (2 volumes) (link) 139K words
(4) De la terre à la lune (From the Earth to the Moon, 1865) (link) 55K words
(5) Les Enfants du capitaine Grant (In Search of the Castaways, aka Captain Grant's Children, 1867-68) (3 volumes) (link) 201K words
(6) Vingt mille lieues sous les mers (Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas, 1869-70) (2 volumes) (link) 142K words
(7) Autour de la lune (Around The Moon, 1870) (link) 57K words
(8) Une ville flottante (A Floating City, 1871) (link) 37K words
(9) Aventures de trois Russes et de trois Anglais (The Adventures of Three Englishmen and Three Russians in South Africa, aka Measuring a Meridian, 1872) (link) 69K words
(10) Le Pays des fourrures (The Fur Country, aka Seventy Degrees North Latitude, 1873) (2 volumes) (link) 139K words
(11) Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours (Around the World in Eighty Days, 1873) (link) 67k words
(12) L'Île mystérieuse (The Mysterious Island, 1874-75) (3 volumes) (link) 206K words
(13) Le Chancellor (The Survivors of the Chancellor, 1875) (link) 53K words
(14) Michel Strogoff (Michael Strogoff: The Courier of the Czar, 1876) (2 volumes) (link) 111K words
(15) Hector Servadac (Off on a Comet, 1877) (2 volumes) (link) 120K words
(16) Les Indes noires (The Child of the Cavern, aka The Underground City, 1877) (link) 56K words
(17) Un capitaine de quinze ans (Dick Sand, A Captain at Fifteen, 1878) (2 volumes) (link) 121K words
(18) Les Cinq Cents Millions de la Bégum (The Begum's Millions, 1879) (link) 54K words
(19) Les Tribulations d'un chinois en Chine (Tribulations of a Chinaman in China, 1879) (link) 66K words
(20) La Maison à vapeur (The Steam House, 1880) (2 volumes) (link) 116K words
(21) La Jangada (Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon, 1881) (2 volumes) (link) 93K words
(22) L'École des Robinsons (Godfrey Morgan, aka School for Crusoes, 1882) (link) 62K words
(23) Le Rayon vert (The Green Ray, 1882) (link) 46K words
(24) Kéraban-le-têtu (Kéraban the Inflexible, 1883) (2 volumes) (link) 100K words
(25) L'Étoile du sud (The Vanished Diamond, aka The Southern Star, 1884) (link) 71K words
(26) L'Archipel en feu (The Archipelago on Fire, 1884) (link) 62K words
(27) Mathias Sandorf (Mathias Sandorf, 1885) (3 volumes) (link) 154K words
(28) Un billet de loterie (The Lottery Ticket, aka Ticket No. 9672, 1886) (link) 48K words
(29) Robur-le-Conquérant (Robur the Conqueror, aka The Clipper of the Clouds, 1886) (link) 59K words
(30) Nord contre Sud (North Against South, aka Texar's Revenge, 1887) (2 volumes) (link) 115K words
(31) Le Chemin de France (The Flight to France, 1887) (link) 57K words
(32) Deux Ans de vacances (Two Years' Vacation, 1888) (2 volumes) (link) 105K words
(33) Famille-sans-nom (Family Without a Name, 1889) (2 volumes) (link) 107K words
(34) Sans dessus dessous (The Purchase of the North Pole, aka Topsy-Turvy, 1889) (link) 48K words
(35) César Cascabel (César Cascabel, 1890) (2 volumes) (link) 107K words
(36) Mistress Branican (Mistress Branican, 1891) (2 volumes) (link) 114K words
(37) Le Château des Carpathes (The Carpathian Castle, 1892) (link) 52K words
(38) Claudius Bombarnac (Claudius Bombarnac, aka The Adventures of a Special Correspondent, 1892) (link) 70K words
(39) P’tit-Bonhomme (Foundling Mick, 1893) (2 volumes) (link) 110K words
(40) Mirifiques Aventures de Maître Antifer (Captain Antifer, 1894) (2 volumes) (link) 99K words
(41) L'Île à hélice (Propeller Island, aka The Floating Island, 1895) (2 volumes) (link) 109K words
(42) Face au drapeau (Facing the Flag, 1896) (link) 55K words
(43) Clovis Dardentor (Clovis Dardentor, 1896) (link) 58K words
(44) Le Sphinx des glaces (An Antarctic Mystery, aka The Sphinx of the Ice Realm, 1897) (2 volumes) (link) 114K words
(45) Le Superbe Orénoque (The Mighty Orinoco, 1898) (2 volumes) (link) 102K words
(46) Le Testament d'un excentrique (The Will of an Eccentric, 1899) (2 volumes) (link) 119K words
(47) Seconde Patrie (The Castaways of the Flag, aka Second Fatherland, 1900) (2 volumes) (link) 118K words
(48) Le Village aérien (The Village in the Treetops, 1901) (link) 53K words
(49) Les Histoires de Jean-Marie Cabidoulin (The Sea Serpent, 1901) (link) 51K words
(50) Les Frères Kip (The Kip Brothers, 1902) (2 volumes) (link) 102K words
(51) Bourses de voyage (Travel Scholarships, 1903) (2 volumes) (link) 90K words
(52) Un drame en Livonie (A Drama in Livonia, 1904) (link) 54K words
(53) Maître du monde (Master of the World, 1904) (link) 41K words
(54) L'Invasion de la mer (Invasion of the Sea, 1905) (link) 53K words

Posthumous novels (but officially part of the Voyages Extraordinaires). These novels were originally written by Jules Verne but, after his death, were revised and expanded by his son, Michel Verne, and published as part of the Voyages Extraordinaires, with Jules Verne credited as the only author. The original manuscripts by Jules Verne of these posthumous novels were found near the end of the 20th century, and it was then that Michel's contributions were discovered. The exception was The Thompson Travel Agency, for which no original Jules Verne manuscript was found, leading some investigators to believe that this novel might be exclusively Michel's work:

(55) Le Phare du bout du monde (The Lighthouse at the End of the World, 1905) (link) 41K words
(56) Le Volcan d’or (The Golden Volcano, 1906) (2 volumes) (link) 115K words
(57) L’Agence Thompson and Co (The Thompson Travel Agency, 1907) (2 volumes) (link) 126K words
(58) La Chasse au météore (The Chase of the Golden Meteor, 1908) (link) 59K words
(59) Le Pilote du Danube (The Danube Pilot, 1908) (link) 60K words
(60) Les Naufragés du "Jonathan" (The Survivors of the "Jonathan", 1909) (2 volumes) (link) 142K words
(61) Le Secret de Wilhelm Storitz (The Secret of Wilhelm Storitz, 1910) (link) 54K words
(62) L’Étonnante Aventure de la mission Barsac (The Barsac Mission, 1919) (2 volumes) (link) 122K words

These are the 62 novels published as part of the Voyages Extraordinaires. Since 27 of them are double volumes and 3 are triple volumes, they take 95 volumes. After these, my 100-volume collection is completed with a related novel (The Waif of the Cynthia) and several volumes of Verne's shorter works. Many of those shorter works are also officially part of the Voyages Extraordinaires, having been published as extras in the same volume as one of the novels in the series or in one of the two short story collections.

Shorter works officially part of the Voyages Extraordinaires, as they were published accompanying one of the novels in the series: (link)
(1) Les Forceurs de blocus (The Blockade Runners, published with A Floating City, 1871) 17K words
(2) Martin Paz (Martin Paz, published with The Survivors of the Chancellor, 1875) 17K words
(3) Un drame au Mexique (A Drama in Mexico, published with Michael Strogoff, 1876) 8K words
(4) Les révoltés de la Bounty (The Mutineers of the Bounty, published with The Begum's Millions, 1879) 7K words
(5) Dix heures en chasse (Ten Hours Hunting, published with The Green Ray, 1882) 5K words
(6) Frritt-Flacc (Frritt-Flacc, published with The Lottery Ticket, 1886) 3K words
(7) Gil Braltar (Gil Braltar, published with The Flight to France, 1887) 2K words

Short story collections, also considered part of the Voyages Extraordinaires:
(1) Le Docteur Ox (Doctor Ox, 1874) (link) 70K words
(2) Hier et Demain (Yesterday and Tomorrow, 1910) (link) (posthumous, with stories completed or modified by Michel Verne) 63K words

Related novel (not officially part of the Voyages Extraordinaires but published in a similar edition):
(1) L'Epave du Cynthia (The Waif of the Cynthia, 1885) (link) 71K words (published as cowritten by Verne and Andre Laurie, but it was later discovered that most of the actual writing was done by Laurie and Verne's role was mainly that of supervisor and corrector. It is not officially part of the Voyages Extraordinaires, although the edition and the type of story were similar)

Other posthumous novels (not part of the Voyages Extraordinaires). These were not published during Michel Verne's lifetime, but were discovered near the end of the 20th century and published then:
(1) Voyage à reculons en Angleterre et en Écosse (Backwards to Britain, written 1859, first published 1989) (link) 57K words
(2) Paris au XXe siècle (Paris in the Twentieth Century, written 1860, first published 1994) (link) 38K words

A couple of unfinished novels were also discovered and published near the end of the 20th century: Un prêtre en 1839 (written around 1846, an unfinished mystery story influenced by Gothic fiction), and L'Oncle Robinson (written around 1870, an unfinished adventure story whose ideas Verne later used for The Mysterious Island, although the characters were different).


Regarding the reading order, most of Verne's works are standalones, with the following exceptions:
* Around The Moon (1870) continues the story told in From the Earth to the Moon (1865). It's a direct sequel, starting exactly where the first novel finishes. In fact, we only consider them as two different novels because they were originally published that way, but it would make sense to think of them as a single novel in two volumes. There is a third novel, The Purchase of the North Pole, aka Topsy-Turvy (1889), with most of the same characters, although it's a separate, standalone story.
* The Mysterious Island (1875) is a standalone sequel to In Search of the Castaways (1868) and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870). It's a sequel only in a very loose way. A couple of characters from those previous novels make appearances in The Mysterious Island. Each of the three novels is a different story and can be read independently, but The Mysterious Island serves to close these character's arcs. Therefore, if you are going to read all of them, it makes sense to read The Mysterious Island after the others. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas and In Search of the Castaways are fully independent from each other, so it does not make much difference which you read first. Taken together, these three novels offer one of the greatest experiences that classic adventure fiction can offer.
* Master of the World (1904) is a sequel to Robur the Conqueror (1886). Although Master of the World is a different story, if you are going to read both it would make sense to read them in chronological order, to see the evolution of the character. In any case, in Master of the World, Verne gives a summary of the previous story for background information, when it becomes relevant.
* An Antarctic Mystery, aka The Sphinx of the Ice Realm (1897) is a sequel to Edgar Allan Poe's novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838) (link). You do not need to read Poe's novel to understand this one, since Verne gives you all the information you need, including a detailed summary when it becomes relevant. However, Poe's novel is worth reading anyway.
* The Castaways of the Flag, aka Second Fatherland (1900) is a sequel to Johann Wyss' novel The Swiss Family Robinson (1812) (link). Again, you do not need to read Wyss' novel to understand this one, since Verne gives you all the information you need, including a detailed summary when it becomes relevant.

In many of the novels, you can follow the adventures on a map. If your edition doesn't include them, here are the originals: http://verne.garmtdevries.nl/en/maps/originals.html


Although all these novels are part of the same literary project, some of them are very well-known while others are obscure. As a reference, I have ranked all 63 novels (including The Waif of the Cynthia) in order of popularity, using as a proxy for popularity the current number of ratings in Goodreads. I have shown the number of ratings, because for the less popular novels the differences are small, so the exact ranking is less meaningful. Take this ranking with a grain of salt, and remember that popularity is not the same as quality, but here they are, from more to less popular:

(1) Vingt mille lieues sous les mers (Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas, 1869-70, 2 volumes) 215,938 ratings
(2) Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours (Around the World in Eighty Days, 1873) 201,362 ratings
(3) Voyage au centre de la Terre (Journey to the Center of the Earth, 1864) 168,394 ratings
(4) L'Île mystérieuse (The Mysterious Island, 1874-75, 3 volumes) 46,338 ratings
(5) De la terre à la lune (From the Earth to the Moon, 1865) 28,194 ratings
(6) Cinq semaines en ballon (Five Weeks in a Balloon , 1863) 21,100 ratings
(7) Les Enfants du capitaine Grant (In Search of the Castaways, aka Captain Grant's Children, 1867-68, 3 volumes) 10,911 ratings
(8) Michel Strogoff (Michael Strogoff: The Courier of the Czar, 1876, 2 volumes) 7,580 ratings
(9) Un capitaine de quinze ans (Dick Sand, A Captain at Fifteen, 1878, 2 volumes) 5,761 ratings
(10) Autour de la lune (Around The Moon, 1870) 4,586 ratings
(11) Deux Ans de vacances (Two Years' Vacation, 1888, 2 volumes) 4,416 ratings
(12) Le Château des Carpathes (The Carpathian Castle, 1892) 3,817 ratings
(13) Le Phare du bout du monde (Lighthouse at the End of the World, 1905, posthumous) 3,206 ratings
(14) Maître du monde (Master of the World, 1904) 2,285 ratings
(15) Voyages et aventures du capitaine Hatteras (The Adventures of Captain Hatteras, 1864-66, 2 volumes) 2,199 ratings
(16) Les Indes noires (The Child of the Cavern, aka The Underground City, 1877) 2,112 ratings
(17) La Jangada (Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon, 1881, 2 volumes) 1,810 ratings
(18) Robur-le-Conquérant (Robur the Conqueror, 1886) 1,660 ratings
(19) Le Sphinx des glaces (An Antarctic Mystery, aka The Sphinx of the Ice Realm, 1897, 2 volumes) 1,559 ratings
(20) Les Cinq Cents Millions de la Bégum (The Begum's Millions, 1879) 1,489 ratings
(21) Une ville flottante (A Floating City, 1871) 1,480 ratings
(22) Le Rayon vert (The Green Ray, 1882) 1,356 ratings
(23) L'Étoile du sud (The Vanished Diamond, aka The Southern Star, 1884) 1,307 ratings
(24) Les Tribulations d'un chinois en Chine (Tribulations of a Chinaman in China, 1879) 1,168 ratings
(25) Hector Servadac (Off on a Comet, 1877, 2 volumes) 1,023 ratings
(26) L'École des Robinsons (Godfrey Morgan, aka School for Crusoes, 1882) 972 ratings
(27) Le Chancellor (The Survivors of the Chancellor, 1875) 773 ratings
(28) Mathias Sandorf (Mathias Sandorf, 1885, 3 volumes) 754 ratings
(29) La Chasse au météore (The Chase of the Golden Meteor, 1908, posthumous) 702 ratings
(30) Sans dessus dessous (The Purchase of the North Pole, aka Topsy-Turvy, 1889) 695 ratings
(31) L'Île à hélice (Propeller Island, aka The Floating Island, 1895, 2 volumes) 651 ratings
(32) Un billet de loterie (The Lottery Ticket, 1886) 634 ratings
(33) Face au drapeau (Facing the Flag, 1896) 624 ratings
(34) Le Volcan d’or (The Golden Volcano, 1906, posthumous, 2 volumes) 532 ratings
(35) Le Pays des fourrures (The Fur Country, 1873, 2 volumes) 530 ratings
(36) Le Superbe Orénoque (The Mighty Orinoco, 1898, 2 volumes) 490 ratings
(37) Le Pilote du Danube (The Danube Pilot, 1908, posthumous) 489 ratings
(38) Claudius Bombarnac (Claudius Bombarnac, 1892) 423 ratings
(39) Le Secret de Wilhelm Storitz (The Secret of Wilhelm Storitz, 1910, posthumous) 420 ratings
(40) La Maison à vapeur (The Steam House, 1880, 2 volumes) 403 ratings
(41) L'Archipel en feu (The Archipelago on Fire, 1884) 402 ratings
(42) Aventures de trois Russes et de trois Anglais (The Adventures of Three Englishmen and Three Russians in South Africa, 1872) 373 ratings
(43) Le Testament d'un excentrique (The Will of an Eccentric, 1899, 2 volumes) 348 ratings
(44) Le Village aérien (The Village in the Treetops, 1901) 319 ratings
(45) Kéraban-le-têtu (Kéraban the Inflexible, 1883,2 volumes) 311 ratings
(46) Les Naufragés du "Jonathan" (The Survivors of the "Jonathan", 1909, posthumous, 2 volumes) 293 ratings
(47) Nord contre Sud (North Against South, 1887, 2 volumes) 280 ratings
(48) César Cascabel (César Cascabel, 1890, 2 volumes) 261 ratings
(49) Un drame en Livonie (A Drama in Livonia, 1904) 243 ratings
(50) L’Étonnante Aventure de la mission Barsac (The Barsac Mission, 1919, posthumous) 208 ratings
(51) Les Frères Kip (The Kip Brothers, 1902, 2 volumes) 199 ratings
(52) Les Histoires de Jean-Marie Cabidoulin (The Sea Serpent, 1901) 194 ratings
(53) L'Invasion de la mer (Invasion of the Sea, 1905) 178 ratings
(54) P’tit-Bonhomme (Foundling Mick, 1893, 2 volumes) 174 ratings
(55) Mirifiques Aventures de Maître Antifer (Captain Antifer, 1894, 2 volumes) 174 ratings
(56) L'Epave du Cynthia (The Waif of the Cynthia, 1885) 163 ratings
(57) Mistress Branican (Mistress Branican, 1891, 2 volumes) 147 ratings
(58) Bourses de voyage (Traveling Scholarships, 1903, 2 volumes) 118 ratings
(59) Famille-sans-nom (Family Without a Name, 1889, 2 volumes) 113 ratings
(60) L’Agence Thompson and Co (The Thompson Travel Agency, 1907, posthumous, 2 volumes) 98 ratings
(61) Clovis Dardentor (Clovis Dardentor, 1896) 84 ratings
(62) Le Chemin de France (The Flight to France, 1887) 81 ratings
(63) Seconde Patrie (The Castaways of the Flag, aka Second Fatherland, 1900, 2 volumes) 47 ratings

I'm reading these works in Spanish, but since I'm writing the reviews in English I should mention that the quality of contemporary English translations of Verne's work has often not been satisfactory. It's often worth it looking for modern translations when available, even if they are more expensive, not being out of copyright. To choose a good English translation, I suggest checking these links:
* This is an article by Arthur B. Evans detailing a bibliography of Verne translations (it's from 2005, so more modern ones are not included), with some indication of the best ones and the ones to avoid. It tells you how each translation begins, so they are easy to identify:
http://www.julesverne.ca/jv.gilead.o...s(biblio).html
* This is a more recent 2022 article recommending the best translation for each book. It draws on the Arthur B. Evans article, but when available recommends a more modern translation:
https://file770.com/a-bibliography-o...-translations/
* And finally, the SFF Encyclopedia is a also a good resource to check whether there are recent translations, although some of the most recent ones are missing (remember that these modern translations will usually be better than the contemporary ones):
https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/verne_jules


Note: I have taken some of the novel synopses from several sources, like wikipedia or http://www.julesverne.ca

[db105]

1) Cinq semaines en ballon (Five Weeks in a Balloon, 1863) (1 volume) 81K words


The Voyages Extraordinaires, a series of about 60 novels written by Jules Verne, are one of the most remarkable bodies of work in 19th century literature. Verne wrote adventure novels, but he added his personal style by adding to many of them a speculative element, although always grounded in contemporary scientific knowledge, and an element of scientific divulgation through the fiction.

Verne's work is usually optimistic and filled with wonder for science and exploration, although it's been argued that his later novels show a more sceptic attitude towards technical progress. In his style, one needs also to mention the influence of his editor and publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel, who had a savvy business instinct and guided Verne towards the kind of work that would be more commercial. For example, Verne's novel Paris in the Twentieth Century (Paris au XXe siècle) was first published almost a century after his death, but it's actually the second novel he wrote, right after Five Weeks in a Balloon. However, Hetzel refused to publish it, because it was a dystopic story that did not fit with the style of his very successful first novel. Hetzel also tried to guide Verne towards adventure over speculative content.

Following Verne in his Voyages Extraordinaires, his readers could travel with their imagination to all the unknown parts of Earth (it was a time of exploration and discovery), and even out of it. So I have started this literary journey with Five Weeks in a Balloon (Cinq semaines en ballon), the first of this long series of novels.


First read or reread?: For me, this one is a reread. I read it as a kid and loved it.


What is it about? (from wikipedia): A scholar and explorer, Dr. Samuel Fergusson, accompanied by his manservant Joe and his friend professional hunter Richard "Dick" Kennedy, sets out to travel across the African continent — still not fully explored — with the help of a balloon filled with hydrogen. He has invented a mechanism that, by eliminating the need to release gas or throw ballast overboard to control his altitude, allows very long trips to be taken. This voyage is meant to link together the voyages of Sir Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke in East Africa with those of Heinrich Barth in the regions of the Sahara and Chad.



Reading reviews from modern readers, I get the impression that Five Weeks in a Balloon is not generally regarded as one of Verne's best books, but it was one of my favorites when I read it as a teenager, and rereading it now it still is. It captures my imagination. I have always had a weakness for stories about explorers, and this time in the second half of the 19th century, including the exploration of Africa and the search for the source of the White Nile, was particularly fascinating. I feel lucky to be able to read a book about that written at exactly the same time these explorations were taking place, because although you lack a wider perspective that comes with time, you get to see the mentality people had at that time in a way that is not possible in historical books written today.

I also like stories about those Victorian adventurers, particularly British ones, so proper in their demeanour, who regarded themselves in the first place as gentlemen. Like Henry Stanley, who was tasked with searching for David Livingston, after he (Livingston) disappeared for years in the heart of Africa. When Stanley, after a long a dangerous search, finally found Livingston at the shores of lake Tanganyika, instead of an exhibition of surprise or happiness he just approached the other man and greeted him with the famous and laconic "Dr. Livingston, I presume," as if he had just met him in London after leaving the theatre.

It's worth mentioning that English translations have often let Verne down. I mean the widespread contemporary translations that are everywhere because they are in the public domain. There are modern translations at least for the most famous books, including this one, and they are worth it, even though they are more expensive. I'm reading this in Spanish, where the translations have been faithful even if using old-fashioned language. I found it easy to get into the style, though, and it wasn't a problem for me.

You have to understand, modern readers often feel that 19th century books are too slow, and Verne's books, including this one, occasionally have descriptions of the flora or fauna or geography, or speeches by one of the characters describing the travels done in the area by European explorers (and their often gruesome deaths). That bothers some modern readers because they are infodumps, but for me it's part of the charm of Verne, and sometimes I gloss over it, regarding it as mood-setting (I mean, I can't tell the difference between one type of tree and the other, but I don't mind that Verne does.. it's like when you are listening to someone who is passionate about something... even if you don't understand the technical part, you can still enjoy the energy).

At the beginning of the story, Dr. Samuel Fergusson gives a couple of speeches about the innovations he developed for the balloon (basically it uses hydrogen, and he invented a heating system which allows it to go up and down without releasing gas, basically very similar to what's used today for balloons) and about the state of African exploration. I didn't bother understanding everything he said about the balloon, just the gist of it, but about the explorations it was interesting to see just how difficult and dangerous it was to make any progress in those unknown regions. Explorers often died of illnesses, privations or killed by hostile natives. Of course, nowadays air travel is normal, but you have to put yourself in these people's place to understand the sense of wonder from the idea of exploring it and finding the source of the Nile from the air, in a cutting-edge vehicle.

So, apart from that speculative element (it was speculative at the time), this is a good Victorian adventure novel, in the style of Conan Doyle's Lost World and that kind of stories. Really, a lot of the area they explore was unknown at the time the book was written. Some geographers speculated with the possibility that central Africa was a huge lake (fortunately Verne did not adopt that theory in the novel). Incidentally, Verne did get the source of the Nile right (by trusting Speke's speculations, which would be proven right by Stanley some years later).

The book is kind of episodic, because of course they are travelling through Africa in a balloon, so it's not like they can have an adversary following them along. The first part, looking for the source of the White Nile, was very interesting for me because of the excitement of seeing whether they would find it. Afterwards, the adventures and dangers get more pressing, as they start having problems with the balloon and the winds or lack thereof.

This reminded me of the style of pulp adventures in exotic regions. Verne is always well documented, as far as there was documentation at that time, but he takes artistic licenses for the sake of excitement. I'm sure for example that there were not that many overtly aggressive and/or cannibal tribes at the time. As I said, exaggerated for excitement but also revealing the image that had reached Europe of this area, fuelled also by dramatic descriptions from explorers. Obviously don't expect any wokeness here. That concept did not exist at the time and the characters take it for granted that European civilization, being more advanced, is the most desirable state. Verne is enlightened in some ways, like when Fergusson argues that just like Asia used to have the most advanced civilizations and then, as it exhausted some of its resources, it was Europe and then probably America, Africa would probably one day have the leading civilizations. On the other hand, mainly Joe, who is the jokester and less educated of the group, a few times makes comments that are insensitive or offensive from a modern perspective.

Of course, one important character is the balloon. The vehicle playing a big role in the story is characteristic of many Verne stories. Despite the vast regions they travel through, including wild rivers, forests, lakes, deserts, mountains, jungles, they are most of the time cosily enclosed in the basket of the balloon, which keeps them mostly safe from the dangers below. Safer than they would be on foot, anyway.

The main human characters are the three explorers, Dr. Fergusson, a brilliant and unconventional scientist and explorer; Joe, his manservant; and Dick Kennedy, the Scottish hunter and adventurer. These are archetypes that appear in several Verne novels. Fergusson is the driving force of the adventure, and the way for Verne to give information to the reader when he needs it; Kennedy is the man of action, the hunter; and Joe is the comic relief, always cheerful and willing to make a joke, but also agile and able to hold his own in any scrape. Joe is also very loyal, which can be difficult to understand for modern readers, because not that many people are so perfectly willing to die if necessary for their employers, but one has to understand the class dynamics: life was very harsh for uneducated, poor people, and by hiring him as his manservant Dr. Fergusson had given him a chance to have a comfortable and interesting life (instead of, say, working in a Victorian factory). So Joe is loyal because he is grateful, and rather than weird this would be seen as a positive quality by Verne's original readers.

Despite the characters being archetypes, they do develop a rather nice camaraderie during their adventure, and there is a rather moving moment near the end when you see how they have come to care for each other.

So a fine start to the Voyages Extraordinaires in this Victorian pulp novel of exploration with a speculative element.


Enjoyment factor: I enjoyed it a lot. African exploration really captures my imagination. I felt as if I were with the characters in that balloon basket, and enjoyed following their progress in the map. The occasional infodumps are mainly about African explorations, which interested me. The book was always entertaining for me, although it was somewhat episodic until it got more exciting in the second part. Worth reading.



Next up: Journey to the Center of the Earth

[JSWolf]

You should dump the version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea you have and get the Baen version.

https://www.baen.com/20-000-leagues-under-the-sea.html

Features 26 unique illustrations by Ron Miller including cutaway views and schematics of the Natuilus, accurate maps, and details of Verne’s diving suits Includes appendices, annotations, and other additional information by editor Ron Miller Now with an Historical Afterword by Ron Miller Unabridged version

Featured in Ron Miller’s “The Conquest of Space Book Series.” This special edition of Jules Verne's classic novel corrects more than 3000 errors in the original 1872 English translation and replaces the 23% of text that had been expurgated by the original translator for political, ideological and other reasons.

[JSWolf]

duplicate post

[svenlind]

I have thought of the long-term project of reading all of Jules Verne's Voyages Extraordinaires, using the 100-volume edition in Spanish that I have. Some of them I read as a kid, and I was a fan. I'll post my impressions in this thread as a way for me to keep track and in the hope they will be of interest to someone here. So let's see how far i get.

Thank you for two (so far) very interesting and inspiring posts .
I too have become tempted to reread some of his stories again and will also start with 5 Weeks in a Balloon.

Some time ago I bought all his books to a very reasonable price at Delphi Classic. His works are also available in French.
Link

[db105]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You should dump the version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea you have and get the Baen version.

I would without a doubt do that. I have heard very good things about Baen's Verne translations. And, in general with Verne, getting a modern translation when available is good advice, at least in English, even though they are more expensive than the public domain ones. In the SF Encyclopedia article on Verne you can see the English translations for each work and see if there's a modern one for the book you want:
http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/verne_jules

However, I'm reading in Spanish, with a Verne collection in 100 books I have. Even though it's based on an old translation, I think it's a decent one, and the occasional old fashioned expression gives some 19th century flavor to the text. It has the advantage to be complete, having all the Extraordinary Voyages, even including the short stories. And I guess that since I have that collection and so far it's working well for me, and unfortunately I can't read French, I'll probably stick with it.

[db105]

Originally Posted by svenlind

Thank you for two (so far) very interesting and inspiring posts .
I too have become tempted to reread some of his stories again and will also start with 5 Weeks in a Balloon.

Some time ago I bought all his books to a very reasonable price at Delphi Classic. His works are also available in French.
Link

You're welcome! It's a long journey ahead of me, and it will take time, as I intend to read other books also, but as I read each of these novels I will post a review here, and maybe it will be useful for someone deciding which Verne novel to read.

Many of Verne's most famous works are from the first half part of his career, when he was particularly optimistic and full of energy, but there are also worthy books later on. Reading as a teen, I remember loving Two Year's Vacation, for example, while not being fond of The Green Ray, even though The Green Ray was written earlier.

There are no English translations for some of Verne's less well-known novels, so that's why the omnibus you bought has some of them in French, when a public domain English translation can not be found. I believe most of the English versions in that Delphi Classics collection you can also find in Project Gutenberg or here, but sometimes they use translations which are public domain but are not available elaewhere. I don't know if that's the case for this Verne collection, but it could be.

[WillAdams]

How does the Baen version of 20,000 Leagues compare to the Miller & Walter version from the U.S. Naval Institute Press?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by db105

I would without a doubt do that. I have heard very good things about Baen's Verne translations. And, in general with Verne, getting a modern translation when available is good advice, at least in English, even though they are more expensive than the public domain ones. In the SF Encyclopedia article on Verne you can see the English translations for each work and see if there's a modern one for the book you want:
http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/verne_jules

However, I'm reading in Spanish, with a Verne collection in 100 books I have. Even though it's based on an old translation, I think it's a decent one, and the occasional old fashioned expression gives some 19th century flavor to the text. It has the advantage to be complete, having all the Extraordinary Voyages, even including the short stories. And I guess that since I have that collection and so far it's working well for me, and unfortunately I can't read French, I'll probably stick with it.

Your Spanish version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is not decent. It's missing a lot of content and there are errors. You are best to forgo the Spanish version and get the Baen English version with the corrections and the added content. If you don't read the Baen version, then you are reading an incomplete version that doesn't count in your Verne reading.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by WillAdams

How does the Baen version of 20,000 Leagues compare to the Miller & Walter version from the U.S. Naval Institute Press?

I would expect similar. But I cannot say for sure.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If you don't read the Baen version, then you are reading an incomplete version that doesn't count in your Verne reading.

Jon, take a deep breath. People can count whatever they’d like toward their reading goals.

There’s no official or impartial arbiter and it’s definitely not you or anyone else here. If it wouldn’t work for you, that’s fine; but that’s the limit of what you can say. There’s no call to pass judgment on someone else’s goal; some mild cheering or encouragement is always nice.

I think this is a breathtaking goal myself. I’m currently just past midpoint on a quest to read all of P.G. Wodehouse; there are a lot more books, but they’re much shorter and, dare I say it? A lot more fun. But fun, as ever, is in the eye of the reader.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I would expect similar. But I cannot say for sure.

We both had discussion on this topic at one point a number of years ago - wherever the hell that thread is located. For the OP, he may wish to locate it, as I think there was some interesting discussion concerning 'ol Julio Verne. (The OP may already know of it, since he's been a member since 2011.)

[db105]

Originally Posted by WillAdams

How does the Baen version of 20,000 Leagues compare to the Miller & Walter version from the U.S. Naval Institute Press?

I have no personal experience, but I suspect both are good. Also there's a William Butcher translation that is also good.

There's a modern translation that the author released to the public domain, and which is complete and good. I believe it's the work of one of the translators of the U.S. Naval Institute Press version:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2488
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=73926
If you want a public domain English translation, this should be your best choice.

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

We both had discussion on this topic at one point a number of years ago - wherever the hell that thread is located. For the OP, he may wish to locate it, as I think there was some interesting discussion concerning 'ol Julio Verne. (The OP may already know of it, since he's been a member since 2011.)

Thanks. I'll look for it, since I don't remember it right now.

[db105]

Originally Posted by issybird

I’m currently just past midpoint on a quest to read all of P.G. Wodehouse; there are a lot more books, but they’re much shorter and, dare I say it? A lot more fun. But fun, as ever, is in the eye of the reader.

Indeed! I greatly respect Wodehouse's talent, but I have always enjoyed adventure novels more that humor ones, and Verne interests me not only for the adventure, but for what it reveals about his times. The Victorian era is truly interesting (well, Verne was not British, but you know, most of his characters are). Also, novels of exploration written when the parts of the world being explored were truly unknown... there's a kind of science-fictional sense of wonder about that.

In any case, I'm not offended by JSWolf's vehemence. It's true that since it's a personal quest, in the end I am the one who needs to be satisfied, but I'm not an expert, and I could learn something:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Your Spanish version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is not decent. It's missing a lot of content and there are errors. You are best to forgo the Spanish version and get the Baen English version with the corrections and the added content.

JSWolf, do you have a source for what you say about the Spanish version? I'm surprised, because even though it is an old-fashioned translation and there may be some inaccuracies, I thought it was rather complete. There are several Spanish translations... the one I have is a collection by Ediciones Orbis, which uses a revised version of the Sáenz de Jubera translation.

To tell you the truth, I'm a bit reluctant to go with an English translation, not because I have any doubt about the quality of the Baen translation, but because my experience so far with the Spanish translations has been good, I like how the prose flows and I'm used to it, so I'm a bit reluctant to change.

[JSWolf]

Most versions of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea are missing 23% of the book. It should say someplace that this was added back in. If not, it hasn't and it's thus incomplete/abridged.