The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 11 June 1998
by Jules Verne
Speculation on the shape of the world in a century's time is a risky business. History has a way of evolving in entirely unexpected directions. Books that purport to be about the distant or even near future can be wildly out of date within decades. Writing in 1863, Verne postulated the world of 1960. This novel, which was rejected by Verne's publisher, only to be rediscovered in the late 1980's, projects a world of industrial servitude and the eternal quest for money and power (oh, wait, that does sound familiar). The arts have been subjugated to industry, and the lone protagonist, Michel, suffers in the face of society's indifference. Michel, a poet, humanitarian, and artist is essentially alone in a world that puts no value in his talents. Along the way, Verne presages fax machines, elevated railways, electric power, and even the electric chair. But none of this prognostication would hold together, especially after 130 years of other changes, unless the author had constructed a convincing world in which his characters live. Unfortunately, that isn't true here. The plot is thin within lengthy descriptions of the strange new world. Even though 1960 has actually turned out differently, a more convincing story would have held it together. As it is, without much immediate knowledge of the landscape and political as well as artistic atmosphere in Paris 1863, much of this book goes unappreciated. It doesn't hold up well with time. In that sense, it is educational, and ironic. And it is educational to read of a vision of the world colored by the experiences of its author. A world that didn't come to pass, but parts of which are evident today.
Also by Verne: [From the Earth to the Moon] [A Journey to the Center of the Earth]
[Other Science-Fiction Reviews]