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Jules Verne
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Invasion of the Sea (Early Classics Of Science Fiction) Paperback – March 12, 2007

by Jules Verne (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 12 ratings
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First English edition of a classic Verne novel.

Jules Verne, celebrated French author of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in 80 Days, wrote over 60 novels collected in the popular series "Voyages Extraordinaires." A handful of these have never been translated into English, including Invasion of the Sea, written in 1904 when large-scale canal digging was very much a part of the political, economic, and military strategy of the world's imperial powers.

Instead of linking two seas, as existing canals (the Suez and the Panama) did, Verne proposed a canal that would create a sea in the heart of the Sahara Desert. The story raises a host of concerns ― environmental, cultural, and political. The proposed sea threatens the nomadic way of life of those Islamic tribes living on the site, and they declare war. The ensuing struggle is finally resolved only by a cataclysmic natural event. This Wesleyan edition features notes, appendices and an introduction by Verne scholar Arthur B. Evans, as well as reproductions of the illustrations from the original French edition.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    284 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Wesleyan University Press
  4. Publication date
    March 12, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    5.21 x 0.67 x 8.26 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    081956558X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0819565587
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This 1904 volume capped Verne's remarkable career (he died in 1905). Writing at a time when many of the world's top powers were busy building canals to link major bodies of water, Verne goes a step further and weaves a tale of a sea being created in the Sahara desert. This first English translation also includes numerous illustrations, textual notes, and other nice extras. When it comes to vintage sf, Jules Rules!"―Library Journal, Classic Returns section

"The revival for the French father of science fiction . . . continues with the first English translation of this short novel, the last Verne published during his lifetime . . . Journalistic explorations of North Africa and wide-eyed discourse about technology are paced with action scenes . . . Clear, readable translation of a minor but prescient adventure novel, with useful annotations, a brief Verne biography, and 44 b&w illustrations from the original French edition."―Kirkus Reviews

"This 1904 volume capped Verne's remarkable career (he died in 1905). Writing at a time when many of the world's top powers were busy building canals to link major bodies of water, Verne goes a step further and weaves a tale of a sea being created in the Sahara desert. This first English translation also includes numerous illustrations, textual notes, and other nice extras. When it comes to vintage sf, Jules Rules!"―Library Journal, "Classic Returns" section

"[A] ripping good yarn."―Harper's Magazine



"Mr. Verne's latest techno-thriller boldly confronts the menace of Islamic terrorism. He has topnotch chops in technical accuracy, with endearing dashes of broad humor and a keen eye for telling detail. Let me be the first to predict this: someday this French novelist will be known worldwide"―Bruce Sterling, author of Zeitgeist

"Mr. Verne's latest techno-thriller boldly confronts the menace of Islamic terrorism. He has topnotch chops in technical accuracy, with endearing dashes of broad humor and a keen eye for telling detail. Let me be the first to predict this: someday this French novelist will be known worldwide"―Bruce Sterling, author of Zeitgeist

""Mr. Verne's latest techno-thriller boldly confronts the menace of Islamic terrorism. He has topnotch chops in technical accuracy, with endearing dashes of broad humor and a keen eye for telling detail. Let me be the first to predict this: someday this French novelist will be known worldwide.""―Bruce Sterling, author of Zeitgeist

About the Author

Jules Verne (1828 - 1905) was the first author to popularize the literary genre of science fiction. Laying a careful scientific foundation for his fantastic adventure stories, he forecast with remarkable accuracy many scientific achievements of the 20th century. He anticipated flights into outer space, submarines, helicopters, air conditioning, guided missiles, and motion pictures long before they were developed. Edward Baxter is a contributor to The Jules Verne Encyclopedia (1996), and his previous translations include Verne's The Fur Country (1987). Arthur B. Evans is Professor of French in the Modern Languages Department at DePauw University and Managing Editor of the scholarly journal Science Fiction Studies. He is the author of Jules Verne Rediscovered: Didacticism and the Scientific Novel (1988).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wesleyan University Press (March 12, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 284 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 081956558X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0819565587
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.21 x 0.67 x 8.26 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 12 ratings

About the author

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Jules Verne

Jules Verne

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Jules Verne (1828-1905) was a French author best known for his tales of adventure, including Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Around the World in Eighty Days. A true visionary, Verne foresaw the skyscraper, the submarine, and the airplane, among many other inventions, and is now regarded as one of the fathers of science fiction.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
12 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

John McAlexander III
5.0 out of 5 stars VERY GOOD BOOK
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2023
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This book has a very compelling storyline as well as being a terrific new translation to an old Classic tale. A VERY RECOMMENDED JULES VERNE NOVEL ! ! !
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Vincent Lauria
4.0 out of 5 stars Recomemditon
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2013
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Was not the best of Jules Verne's works, but it was the first printing in English and the end was very good and if you can get a copy I urge anyone to buy one and read it. The last 30 or so pages in the book have notes and a short Bio. on Jules Verne which makes for some added reading little unknown facts on the story and the author.
V. Lauria
NY
One person found this helpful
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Dave_42
3.0 out of 5 stars Good Choice For Study
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2005
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This is far from Jules Verne's best work, but it is still very worthwhile for many reasons. It is the first English translation of this title, and it is the last of his works to be published in his lifetime. This is the first book in the "Early Classics of Science Fiction" series from Wesleyan University Press, and the quality of the presentation is outstanding. There is an introduction by Arthur B. Evans where he covers the history of "Invasion Of The Sea", and its place in Verne's writing and life. He also discusses Verne's opinion of the differences between his writing and that of H. G. Wells. Evans also has a very interesting discussion of the problems with many of the English translations of Verne's books. The text itself includes the illustrations by Leon Benett, as well as notes which discuss the real world history which created the base of the story.

The story doesn't rise to the level of the presentation. However, it does make an interesting study for several reasons. Despite being written near the end of Verne's life, there are certainly several similarities to his earlier work. The story takes place in Africa, the same continent as his first novel "Five Weeks In A Balloon". The story also has a pro-science feel to it, which had disappeared in his later works. There are significant differences as well. In Verne's earlier works the characters are active in the pursuit of the goal, but in this story the Sahara Sea is created not by the actions of the characters, but instead by a natural event.

Overall, this book is recommended for those who want to study Verne, or those who are compiling a complete collection of his works. If you are looking for a good example of his works, it would be better to stick with one of his classics.
8 people found this helpful
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Brian Taves
4.0 out of 5 stars The timely appearance of a book unknown here
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2002
The Invasion of the Sea is unusual for its time in its political complexity and temporal setting, looking ahead to the 1930s. Indigenous customs and colonial opportunism clash as plans are made to irrigate the Sahara desert, opening the inland to new commerce and ports for the French navy. Verne's writing is modern in his immersion in multiple points of view, opening from the native perspective, then shifting to that of the French colonists. Verne had no illusions about the overseas power plays of his own country.
Verne makes clear how the respective sides view the situation; the West seeks to remake nature to its advantage, while the East has adapted to their surroundings. The West wants to change the land, failing to realize that the desert
is home to the tribes of Bedouins. Flooding the land and changing its fundamental purpose becomes the ultimate form of imperialism. While recognizing its political shortcomings, Verne still valorizes the heroic aspect of the human attempt to
harness nature.
The first half of the book establishes the region and the dimensions of the conflict, comparing the different cultures of the Arabs and the Europeans. During the last half, Verne foreshadows the final outcome as nature asserts its own primacy over human plans. A monstrous earthquake shifts the land, allowing the sea to flood the Sahara, overwhelming even the designs of the French. The characters in The Invasion of the Sea are men (and an Arab woman) in action--bandits, French soldiers and an engineers--but the novel is not as exciting as the general reader might hope.
The translation by Edward Baxter is ideal; he fluently transfers Verne's French into readable, contemporary English. All of the 43 engravings and photographs from the original French edition are included, bringing to life the scenery and action of the story in the context of their time. For years it has seemed that this novel could not be more timely, considering confrontations between Arabs and the West, yet its appearance in English comes at a historical moment whose aptness could not be exceeded. While scarcely a lost masterpiece, The Invasion of the Sea is a worthy and important addition to the Verne canon and science fiction literature.
14 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in Canada on December 12, 2018
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