What do you think?
Rate this book
Invasion of the Sea
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.
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.
284 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1904
About the author
Jules Verne
6,168 books10.9k followersNovels of French writer Jules Gabriel Verne, considered the founder of modern science fiction, include
Journey to the Center of the Earth
(1864) and
Around the World in Eighty Days
(1873).
This author who pioneered the genre. People best know him for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870).
Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before people invented navigable aircraft and practical submarines and devised any means of spacecraft. He ranks behind Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie as the second most translated author of all time. People made his prominent films. People often refer to Verne alongside Herbert George Wells as the "father of science fiction."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_V...
This author who pioneered the genre. People best know him for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870).
Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before people invented navigable aircraft and practical submarines and devised any means of spacecraft. He ranks behind Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie as the second most translated author of all time. People made his prominent films. People often refer to Verne alongside Herbert George Wells as the "father of science fiction."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_V...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 11, 2021
I enjoyed walking in the Sahara in the company of Jules Verne, where French colonists insisted on wanting to build a canal connecting the Mediterranean to the desert to create an inland sea. A project that goes against the Tuaregs' interests and their camel caravans, against which they will have to fight.
March 31, 2021
En esta ocasión, Julio Verme, narra uno de los hechos que pudieron llegar a ser tan importantes como lo son hoy el canal de Suez. El proyecto del mar interior sahariano que pretendía hacer navegable una extensión de desierto tunecino con aguas procedentes del Mediterráneo. a
Apunto estuvo de ser realidad, afortunadamente al conocerse unos errores de altitud del terreno se evitó un esfuerzo inútil. Pero eso no llegó a descubrirlo el autor. Años después se intentaría al otro lado del desierto, en el antiguo Sahara Español, proyecto que fue archivado por la escasa rentabilidad de la empresa.
Aún no siendo lo mejor de Verme, recordar este pasaje de la historia en palabras de Julio Verme es una gozada.
Apunto estuvo de ser realidad, afortunadamente al conocerse unos errores de altitud del terreno se evitó un esfuerzo inútil. Pero eso no llegó a descubrirlo el autor. Años después se intentaría al otro lado del desierto, en el antiguo Sahara Español, proyecto que fue archivado por la escasa rentabilidad de la empresa.
Aún no siendo lo mejor de Verme, recordar este pasaje de la historia en palabras de Julio Verme es una gozada.
August 23, 2022
FRANÇAIS: C'est une des oeuvres mineures de Jules Verne, publiée peu avant sa mort. Son argumentation est curieuse : un projet de formation d'une mer intérieure en Algérie et en Tunisie, à partir des eaux de la Méditerranée.
Il y a une curieuse erreur dans ce livre. Les travaux préliminaires menés par la Société d'études de la mer intérieure africaine ont été achevés avant 1892. La reprise de ces travaux est censée avoir lieu au milieu du XXe siècle (Verne le dit expressément au chapitre 5). En conséquence, plus d'un demi-siècle s'est écoulé. Cependant, au chapitre 10, lorsque Mézaki arrive, on lui attribue un âge compris entre 30 et 35 ans. Cela étant, il est impossible qu'il ait travaillé sur des œuvres commanditées par une Société disparue à la fin du XIXe siècle. Je pense que Verne s'est trompé, puisqu'il écrivait ceci vers 1905, et a dû oublier qu'il avait dit que nous étions au milieu du XXe siècle.
L'intrigue est beaucoup moins intéressante que celle des œuvres majeures de Verne. Pas étonnant que ce roman soit si peu connu.
ENGLISH: This is one of the minor works by Jules Verne, published shortly before his death. Its argument is curious: a project to form an inland sea in Algeria and Tunisia, from the waters of the Mediterranean.
There is a curious error in this book. The preliminary work carried out by the Society for the Study of the African Inland Sea was completed before 1892. The resumption of such work is supposed to take place in the middle of the 20th century (Verne expressly says so in chapter 5). Consequently, more than half a century has passed. However, in chapter 10, when Mézaki arrives, he is assigned an age between 30 and 35 years old. This being the case, it is impossible for him to have worked on works sponsored by a Society that disappeared at the end of the 19th century. I think Verne got confused, since he was writing this around 1905, and must have forgotten that he had said that we are in the middle of the 20th century.
The plot is much less interesting than that of Verne's major works. No wonder this novel is so little known.
ESPAÑOL: Esta es una de las obras menores de Julio Verne, publicada poco antes de su muerte. Su argumento es curioso: un proyecto para formar un mar interior en Argelia y Túnez, a partir de las aguas del Mediterráneo.
Hay un error curioso en este libro. Los trabajos preliminares realizados por la Sociedad de estudios del mar interior africano terminaron antes de 1892. Se supone que la reanudación de dichos trabajos tiene lugar a mediados del siglo XX (Verne lo dice expresamente en el capítulo 5). En consecuencia, ha pasado más de medio siglo. Sin embargo, en el capítulo 10, cuando llega Mézaki, se le asigna una edad entre 30 y 35 años. Siendo así, es imposible que haya trabajado en las obras patrocinadas por una Sociedad que desapareció a finales del XIX. Creo que Verne se despistó, puesto que escribía esto hacia 1905, y debió de olvidar que había dicho que nos encontramos a mediados del siglo XX.
El argumento es mucho menos interesante que el de las obras principales de Verne. No me extraña que esta novela sea muy poco conocida.
Il y a une curieuse erreur dans ce livre. Les travaux préliminaires menés par la Société d'études de la mer intérieure africaine ont été achevés avant 1892. La reprise de ces travaux est censée avoir lieu au milieu du XXe siècle (Verne le dit expressément au chapitre 5). En conséquence, plus d'un demi-siècle s'est écoulé. Cependant, au chapitre 10, lorsque Mézaki arrive, on lui attribue un âge compris entre 30 et 35 ans. Cela étant, il est impossible qu'il ait travaillé sur des œuvres commanditées par une Société disparue à la fin du XIXe siècle. Je pense que Verne s'est trompé, puisqu'il écrivait ceci vers 1905, et a dû oublier qu'il avait dit que nous étions au milieu du XXe siècle.
L'intrigue est beaucoup moins intéressante que celle des œuvres majeures de Verne. Pas étonnant que ce roman soit si peu connu.
ENGLISH: This is one of the minor works by Jules Verne, published shortly before his death. Its argument is curious: a project to form an inland sea in Algeria and Tunisia, from the waters of the Mediterranean.
There is a curious error in this book. The preliminary work carried out by the Society for the Study of the African Inland Sea was completed before 1892. The resumption of such work is supposed to take place in the middle of the 20th century (Verne expressly says so in chapter 5). Consequently, more than half a century has passed. However, in chapter 10, when Mézaki arrives, he is assigned an age between 30 and 35 years old. This being the case, it is impossible for him to have worked on works sponsored by a Society that disappeared at the end of the 19th century. I think Verne got confused, since he was writing this around 1905, and must have forgotten that he had said that we are in the middle of the 20th century.
The plot is much less interesting than that of Verne's major works. No wonder this novel is so little known.
ESPAÑOL: Esta es una de las obras menores de Julio Verne, publicada poco antes de su muerte. Su argumento es curioso: un proyecto para formar un mar interior en Argelia y Túnez, a partir de las aguas del Mediterráneo.
Hay un error curioso en este libro. Los trabajos preliminares realizados por la Sociedad de estudios del mar interior africano terminaron antes de 1892. Se supone que la reanudación de dichos trabajos tiene lugar a mediados del siglo XX (Verne lo dice expresamente en el capítulo 5). En consecuencia, ha pasado más de medio siglo. Sin embargo, en el capítulo 10, cuando llega Mézaki, se le asigna una edad entre 30 y 35 años. Siendo así, es imposible que haya trabajado en las obras patrocinadas por una Sociedad que desapareció a finales del XIX. Creo que Verne se despistó, puesto que escribía esto hacia 1905, y debió de olvidar que había dicho que nos encontramos a mediados del siglo XX.
El argumento es mucho menos interesante que el de las obras principales de Verne. No me extraña que esta novela sea muy poco conocida.
May 19, 2021
کتاب کمتر خونده شده ای از ژول ورن، که با عنوان "هجوم دریا" ترجمه شده و برخلاف اکثر آثاری که از ژول ورن میشناسیم علمی_تخیلی نیست. نگاه ژول ورن شدیدا حق به جانبه؛ نشون دادن فرانسویها به عنوان عقلا و دلسوزانی که رفتن تونس رو آباد کنن و تونسیها به عنوان یه سری قوم وحشی که حالیشون نیست چی براشون مفیده 🙄 حالا البته من قبلا هم از ژول ورن خوشم نمیومد ولی این دیگه نوبر بود. کتاب رو ولی میتونید با سن ۱۴ تا ۱۷ سال کار بخونین و درباره استعمار حرف بزنین
January 5, 2009
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.
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.
December 3, 2021
L'impero britannico, con l'aiuto dei suoi migliori ingegneri, progetta un piano per inondare il deserto del Sahara, così da farne un mare artificiale che favorisca il commercio. La questione apre interessanti dibattiti di tipo politico, ambientale e morale. Peccato che, nel corso del romanzo, la promettente premessa vada gradualmente a sgretolarsi cedendo il posto ad una banale storia di civili VS briganti del deserto.
La stessa struttura narrativa, inizialmente coinvolgente, viene rimpiazzata da descrizioni fin troppo invadenti e frasi pedanti, che ripetono spesso lo stesso concetto quasi dando per scontato che a leggerle sia un mentecatto. Lo può spiegare solo il fatto che l'autore fosse cieco e malato al tempo della composizione del romanzo, in gran parte trascritto dal figlio Michel. Non mancano, come in ogni opera di Verne, personaggi memorabili e ben caratterizzati (un plauso speciale al cane Cuore-di-Picche), purtroppo sprecati al servizio di una trama debole e anticlimatica. Eccessivamente affrettato e piatto anche il finale, in un racconto che sembra non vedere l'ora di giungere al termine (e il lettore con lui).
Da leggere solo se si è particolarmente interessati alla cultura e alla varietà dei popoli selvaggi che abitavano il territorio sahariano, di cui le descrizioni forniscono copiose informazioni.
La stessa struttura narrativa, inizialmente coinvolgente, viene rimpiazzata da descrizioni fin troppo invadenti e frasi pedanti, che ripetono spesso lo stesso concetto quasi dando per scontato che a leggerle sia un mentecatto. Lo può spiegare solo il fatto che l'autore fosse cieco e malato al tempo della composizione del romanzo, in gran parte trascritto dal figlio Michel. Non mancano, come in ogni opera di Verne, personaggi memorabili e ben caratterizzati (un plauso speciale al cane Cuore-di-Picche), purtroppo sprecati al servizio di una trama debole e anticlimatica. Eccessivamente affrettato e piatto anche il finale, in un racconto che sembra non vedere l'ora di giungere al termine (e il lettore con lui).
Da leggere solo se si è particolarmente interessati alla cultura e alla varietà dei popoli selvaggi che abitavano il territorio sahariano, di cui le descrizioni forniscono copiose informazioni.
April 22, 2017
Como siempre, he leído la edición de Sáenz de Jubera de principios de 1900.
Este es un claro ejemplo del Verne cansado de escribir. Lo que podría haber sido un libro a la altura de La Isla Misteriosa o de Hatteras, se convierte en una pequeña novelita sin fu ni fa.
Narra la proyectada creación de un mar interior en el desierto del Sahara, pero en lugar de comenzar con los estudios ingenieriles, y luego trazado de canales y demás, para finalizar con la creación del mar, comienza con los trabajos ya hechos con anterioridad, y abandonados por falta de dinero, para continuar con una pequeña aventurilla de unos militares raptados.
Este argumento habría dado para al menos dos tomos bien repletos de elementos ingenieriles y geográficos, para ser una mera aventurilla que apenas afecta a la emoción del lector.
Este es un claro ejemplo del Verne cansado de escribir. Lo que podría haber sido un libro a la altura de La Isla Misteriosa o de Hatteras, se convierte en una pequeña novelita sin fu ni fa.
Narra la proyectada creación de un mar interior en el desierto del Sahara, pero en lugar de comenzar con los estudios ingenieriles, y luego trazado de canales y demás, para finalizar con la creación del mar, comienza con los trabajos ya hechos con anterioridad, y abandonados por falta de dinero, para continuar con una pequeña aventurilla de unos militares raptados.
Este argumento habría dado para al menos dos tomos bien repletos de elementos ingenieriles y geográficos, para ser una mera aventurilla que apenas afecta a la emoción del lector.
December 26, 2011
I hate giving Jules Verne a bad review, because he's Jules Verne. But this is far from his best work. The edition is kinda of cool, because there are lots of cultural/historic notes, and if you're a completist, you may as well read this one. The characters felt kind of phoned in and one dimensional. The first chapter or two starts out pretty well with a family driven prison rescue, but then we discover these are the "villians" of the story and after those initial chapters get nothing from their p.o.v.. The French explorers, other than a surface trait or two, seem to blend in to each other, never disagreeing, never really debating much, even the dog seems to read their hive mind. There's a lot of really boring talk about this being ___ meters and this being ____ meters...which even on a science nerd level was rather dull stuff. There's some nods to possible benefits or problems the sea could cause, but not much follow up on it. The actual sea invasion is a semi-dramatic scene, but feels rather wasted given the rest of the book. It would probably help to think of it as a long short story, rather than a novel. Not painfully bad, just very meh. Verne wrote many, far better novels.
January 7, 2019
This wasn't as gripping as other Verne books, but I loved the premise. In fact, the only reason I wanted to read this book is because I had wondered about the premise, and then I heard that this book existed.
Read
January 12, 2021La trama empezó muy prometedora, terminó siendo un aburrimiento
February 5, 2023
I've been meaning to read this book for years and finally got the chance. (It's Jules Verne's last book.) It started off rather slow but got better as it went along
February 24, 2024
Uma travessia pelo deserto do colonialismo francês com oasis de companheirismo e liberdade!
March 22, 2023
(54) L'Invasion de la mer (Invasion of the Sea, 1905) (1 volume) 53K words
The 54th Extraordinary Voyage is the last one published in Jules Verne's lifetime. It takes us to the Sahara desert, mostly in Tunisia. Eight more novels would be published posthumously in the series, for a total of sixty-two, but this is the last one where the author had the opportunity to review the print proofs and make the final corrections.
First read or reread?: First read for me.
What is it about?: Captain Hardigan and other members of the French forces in Tunisia accompany an engineer named de Schaller on a survey of the abandoned plans and works of Captain Roudaire. Schaller works for a company planning to resurrect Roudaire's plan to flood a lower portion of the Sahara Desert, creating an inland sea with the objective of opening up the interior of North Africa to trade and improving the climate for agriculture. However, the party is attacked by members of a Tuareg tribe opposed to the plan, whose leader Hadjar had recently escaped the custody of the French.
Apart from the sentimental consideration of being the last Verne novel published during the author's life, "The Invasion of the Sea" is among the least-known Extraordinary Voyages. It was published in English for the first time in 2001.
Nevertheless, it's not completely without interest. I found the premise fascinating, being based on a project that was seriously considered in real life, but that I had never read about till now. The idea was opening a channel from the Mediterranean to flood certain areas in the Sahara Desert that lie below the sea level. The goal was to create an inland sea that would bring humid air, rain, and agriculture deep into the desert, also opening up the region to trade. The project was contemplated seriously, but the French government withdrew its support when it was discovered that, due to errors in the surveys, the area that was below sea level was smaller than previously thought. However, the idea has not been completely abandoned, and in fact in the 21st century it is still being considered.
The novel, a rather short one, starts promisingly, with an action-filled first chapter describing the daring escape of a Tuareg leader from a French military prison. Unfortunately, right after that the pace of the story becomes glacial, as we accompany a French survey expedition to examine the remains of the works already done to dig the channel that would flood parts of the desert. After several dull and uneventful chapters, the pace picks up again for the last part of the novel, detailing the fights between the French expedition and the Tuareg tribe, and the surprising ending.
In addition to the pacing problems, the characters here are rather lackluster. Even though it starts in a promising manner with the escape of the Tuareg leader, the novel mostly follows the French expedition. Verne tries to make the most important characters distinctive, but he is less successful than usual. (It's true that Verne's novel are not character-focused, but at his best he can create compelling characters like Phileas Fogg or Captain Nemo).
Besides the adventure story, which falters for a good part of the novel but picks up steam at the end, the interest here is in the idea of the Sahara Sea project. It's such an ambitious engineering project. It's also an illustration of the colonial mentality that a foreign power would take it upon itself to do something so radical. It's true that compensations are mentioned for the few native farmers who would be affected, but presumably it's the French who would decide how much those compensations would be. In any case, unlike what a modern novel would do, Verne presents the natives opposed to the project as the bad guys (on the grounds that they are basically outlaws whose livelihood comes from assaulting trading caravans), and the French engineer and soldiers as the good guys.
The book also shows the warier attitude towards technology of Verne's later years, with the dangers of the ambitious project not being as under control as the engineers believe, and it also shows certain environmental concerns, not in the modern sense, but about the scarcity of food that the project seeks to address.
All in all, an interesting read, even though as an adventure it's below Verne's usual standards.
Enjoyment factor: Not among Verne's best novels, as a good chunk of the novel is kind of dull, although it improves later. The premise is quite interesting, and I get the feeling that Verne would have made better use of this material if he had been in his prime. It's a fast read, being rather short.
Next up: The Lighthouse at the End of the World
See all my Verne reviews here: https://www.sffworld.com/forum/thread...
The 54th Extraordinary Voyage is the last one published in Jules Verne's lifetime. It takes us to the Sahara desert, mostly in Tunisia. Eight more novels would be published posthumously in the series, for a total of sixty-two, but this is the last one where the author had the opportunity to review the print proofs and make the final corrections.
First read or reread?: First read for me.
What is it about?: Captain Hardigan and other members of the French forces in Tunisia accompany an engineer named de Schaller on a survey of the abandoned plans and works of Captain Roudaire. Schaller works for a company planning to resurrect Roudaire's plan to flood a lower portion of the Sahara Desert, creating an inland sea with the objective of opening up the interior of North Africa to trade and improving the climate for agriculture. However, the party is attacked by members of a Tuareg tribe opposed to the plan, whose leader Hadjar had recently escaped the custody of the French.
Apart from the sentimental consideration of being the last Verne novel published during the author's life, "The Invasion of the Sea" is among the least-known Extraordinary Voyages. It was published in English for the first time in 2001.
Nevertheless, it's not completely without interest. I found the premise fascinating, being based on a project that was seriously considered in real life, but that I had never read about till now. The idea was opening a channel from the Mediterranean to flood certain areas in the Sahara Desert that lie below the sea level. The goal was to create an inland sea that would bring humid air, rain, and agriculture deep into the desert, also opening up the region to trade. The project was contemplated seriously, but the French government withdrew its support when it was discovered that, due to errors in the surveys, the area that was below sea level was smaller than previously thought. However, the idea has not been completely abandoned, and in fact in the 21st century it is still being considered.
The novel, a rather short one, starts promisingly, with an action-filled first chapter describing the daring escape of a Tuareg leader from a French military prison. Unfortunately, right after that the pace of the story becomes glacial, as we accompany a French survey expedition to examine the remains of the works already done to dig the channel that would flood parts of the desert. After several dull and uneventful chapters, the pace picks up again for the last part of the novel, detailing the fights between the French expedition and the Tuareg tribe, and the surprising ending.
In addition to the pacing problems, the characters here are rather lackluster. Even though it starts in a promising manner with the escape of the Tuareg leader, the novel mostly follows the French expedition. Verne tries to make the most important characters distinctive, but he is less successful than usual. (It's true that Verne's novel are not character-focused, but at his best he can create compelling characters like Phileas Fogg or Captain Nemo).
Besides the adventure story, which falters for a good part of the novel but picks up steam at the end, the interest here is in the idea of the Sahara Sea project. It's such an ambitious engineering project. It's also an illustration of the colonial mentality that a foreign power would take it upon itself to do something so radical. It's true that compensations are mentioned for the few native farmers who would be affected, but presumably it's the French who would decide how much those compensations would be. In any case, unlike what a modern novel would do, Verne presents the natives opposed to the project as the bad guys (on the grounds that they are basically outlaws whose livelihood comes from assaulting trading caravans), and the French engineer and soldiers as the good guys.
The book also shows the warier attitude towards technology of Verne's later years, with the dangers of the ambitious project not being as under control as the engineers believe, and it also shows certain environmental concerns, not in the modern sense, but about the scarcity of food that the project seeks to address.
All in all, an interesting read, even though as an adventure it's below Verne's usual standards.
Enjoyment factor: Not among Verne's best novels, as a good chunk of the novel is kind of dull, although it improves later. The premise is quite interesting, and I get the feeling that Verne would have made better use of this material if he had been in his prime. It's a fast read, being rather short.
Next up: The Lighthouse at the End of the World
See all my Verne reviews here: https://www.sffworld.com/forum/thread...
September 1, 2016
The Mysterious Island and Around the World in Eighty Days were great Jules Verne reads. Both convinced me that this was a storyteller I had to frequently revisit. Next, I took up 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and was not as impressed by the result--I blamed it on circumstance. Next, In Search of the Castaways took another step down. For the first time with a Verne novel, I considered not recommending it. Ultimately, it squeaked by. And now, I'm writing this review for the Invasion of the Sea and I'm honestly not sure that it will make it to recommendation status. Stay tuned.
With the mind of an amateur scientist that has a vicious creative streak in him, Verne has yet to lack a good idea for a story. This one is no exception. Here, Verne takes on the real life explorations of the Algerian and Tunisian lowlands and their consideration as inland seas, and plays a "what if" game to the proposed canals that never were completed. Not only does he do that, but he takes in the fascinating cultural complications that such a move would create with the local Arab tribes. To seal our interest, he starts the story with a prison break, giving the false illusion (perhaps "mirage-like" might be more appropriate) that this story is actually going to be exciting.
At that point, the excitement of the premise and the opening quickly dissipate. The majority of the rest of the story lays in Verne's poorly disguised textbook descriptions of the geography and culture of the region, with the characters serving merely as the tour guides to this region's layout and recent history. Deficiencies that I've noticed in other Verne novels are magnified here without a story to distract, so now every dialogue is either contrived or irritatingly unnecessary. Character traits, emotions, or other necessary story devices are lazily listed instead of realistically derived from natural conversations, situations, or conflicts. And meanwhile, the long, lethargic and ultimately empty march across the Sarahan wastelands eats up so many pages that a less patient reader would have abandoned the one-personality-trait-assigned-characters to the desert sun long ago.
I won't credit myself as being entirely patient, but after having some great experiences with Verne, I was willing to see if something as exciting as--oh, I don't know--the title actually occurred in the novel. Some semblance of action starts to happen past the halfway point (though it feels like it is faaar past halfway for all the reading I had done), but in order to keep the theme of the rest of the novel, anything that happens, unravels slowly and with as little actual thrill as possible. It is not until Chapter 16 of a 17 chapter book that I finally feel like some of the promise of the premise is paying off. By then, of course, it is far too late. Insane amounts of events are packed into one chapter, by far more than the rest of the book combined, and they are described in a couple pages at the end of that chapter. I was just beginning to get enthusiastic about the story, and then the climax tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Oh, by the way, I'm here already. The story is done."
Sigh.
I guess what I'm saying is that when the footnotes and looking up the information that the story is based on is more interesting than the story itself, it is probably not a good book. Upon further reflection, even though I'm kind of forgiving (I think) and I was more interested than probably most people would have been on the geography and history dealt with in the story, I can't recommend that you read the story. Pick it up, sure. Read the intro, yep. The footnotes? Seriously, I thought they were fascinating. The story. If you're desperate, skip to Chapter 16 and read the short story version. But the whole book? Leave it alone. Take a break from the French guy for a while. This is a storyteller that I now feel I have to infrequently revisit.
With the mind of an amateur scientist that has a vicious creative streak in him, Verne has yet to lack a good idea for a story. This one is no exception. Here, Verne takes on the real life explorations of the Algerian and Tunisian lowlands and their consideration as inland seas, and plays a "what if" game to the proposed canals that never were completed. Not only does he do that, but he takes in the fascinating cultural complications that such a move would create with the local Arab tribes. To seal our interest, he starts the story with a prison break, giving the false illusion (perhaps "mirage-like" might be more appropriate) that this story is actually going to be exciting.
At that point, the excitement of the premise and the opening quickly dissipate. The majority of the rest of the story lays in Verne's poorly disguised textbook descriptions of the geography and culture of the region, with the characters serving merely as the tour guides to this region's layout and recent history. Deficiencies that I've noticed in other Verne novels are magnified here without a story to distract, so now every dialogue is either contrived or irritatingly unnecessary. Character traits, emotions, or other necessary story devices are lazily listed instead of realistically derived from natural conversations, situations, or conflicts. And meanwhile, the long, lethargic and ultimately empty march across the Sarahan wastelands eats up so many pages that a less patient reader would have abandoned the one-personality-trait-assigned-characters to the desert sun long ago.
I won't credit myself as being entirely patient, but after having some great experiences with Verne, I was willing to see if something as exciting as--oh, I don't know--the title actually occurred in the novel. Some semblance of action starts to happen past the halfway point (though it feels like it is faaar past halfway for all the reading I had done), but in order to keep the theme of the rest of the novel, anything that happens, unravels slowly and with as little actual thrill as possible. It is not until Chapter 16 of a 17 chapter book that I finally feel like some of the promise of the premise is paying off. By then, of course, it is far too late. Insane amounts of events are packed into one chapter, by far more than the rest of the book combined, and they are described in a couple pages at the end of that chapter. I was just beginning to get enthusiastic about the story, and then the climax tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Oh, by the way, I'm here already. The story is done."
Sigh.
I guess what I'm saying is that when the footnotes and looking up the information that the story is based on is more interesting than the story itself, it is probably not a good book. Upon further reflection, even though I'm kind of forgiving (I think) and I was more interested than probably most people would have been on the geography and history dealt with in the story, I can't recommend that you read the story. Pick it up, sure. Read the intro, yep. The footnotes? Seriously, I thought they were fascinating. The story. If you're desperate, skip to Chapter 16 and read the short story version. But the whole book? Leave it alone. Take a break from the French guy for a while. This is a storyteller that I now feel I have to infrequently revisit.
January 30, 2014
Originally published in 1905 as a brave new century was emerging, Jules Verne uses "The Invasion of the Sea" to explore ideas inspired by the engineering proposals of Captain Francois-Elie Roudaire. Between the construction of the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal, Captain Roudaire suggested digging a canal from the Tunisian coast into the Sahara's interior to create a sea in place of that vast desert.
The main thrust of Verne's narrative follows an engineer and his military escort as they traverse the proposed shores of the new sea in preparation for the gargantuan project. This affable array of protagonists explore the natural wonders of the arid region they are about to flood, conscious of the threat of attack from the desert tribes who perceive the new sea as an invasion of their lifestyle.
While this is not Verne's strongest tale, this last novel published in his lifetime does hearken back to the optimism of his early works.
The main thrust of Verne's narrative follows an engineer and his military escort as they traverse the proposed shores of the new sea in preparation for the gargantuan project. This affable array of protagonists explore the natural wonders of the arid region they are about to flood, conscious of the threat of attack from the desert tribes who perceive the new sea as an invasion of their lifestyle.
While this is not Verne's strongest tale, this last novel published in his lifetime does hearken back to the optimism of his early works.
September 11, 2015
This was an interesting read. It is based on the, at one point contemplated, idea of flooding portions of North Africa to create a Saharan Sea. Those show suggested the project had a series of benefits in mind, including increased rain leading to better agriculture.
My book contained what were said to be the original illustrations. These included photographs of real locations used in the book that really added some flavor. There was also drawings of the characters and circumstances of the book. One illustration was humorous because someone drew an antelope without ever seeing one, he probably only knew that antelope were something like deer.
The actual story was fairly straightforward and predictable. It was interesting that the first chapter is from the antagonists perspective and actually gives them understandable motives.
My book contained what were said to be the original illustrations. These included photographs of real locations used in the book that really added some flavor. There was also drawings of the characters and circumstances of the book. One illustration was humorous because someone drew an antelope without ever seeing one, he probably only knew that antelope were something like deer.
The actual story was fairly straightforward and predictable. It was interesting that the first chapter is from the antagonists perspective and actually gives them understandable motives.
April 15, 2012
Fun book by Jules Verne, only recently available in English translation. (Turns out he has a number of these still.) In the days of great projects like the Suez Canal, the French colonial government decides to flood sections of the northern Sahara into a giant inland sea to moderate the climate and into which to project sea power. The natives fight back, and adventure ensues.
Geologically speaking, this area was once a sea anyway (there are fossilized whale bones in places like Wadi al Watan, and the Pyramids are 40% plankton fossils by weight), so it makes a kind of sense. Book has some unnerving resonances w/ today's conflict of globalization vs. jihad.
Geologically speaking, this area was once a sea anyway (there are fossilized whale bones in places like Wadi al Watan, and the Pyramids are 40% plankton fossils by weight), so it makes a kind of sense. Book has some unnerving resonances w/ today's conflict of globalization vs. jihad.
March 5, 2022
Un géographe français lance le projet colonial de la mer intérieure dans le sud de la Tunisie .
Bien évidemment, les Touareg dont le chef est Hadjar ,lui sont farouchement opposés: Donc ils sont considérés comme entrave face au progrès scientifique...
Le roman évoque le combat infernal entre la science et la nature et les aspects de la vie saharienne des Touareg .
Le style est très ennuyeux même si le sujet me concerne comme tunisienne.
Je n'ai pas commencé par le bon en découvrant Jules Vernes.
Bien évidemment, les Touareg dont le chef est Hadjar ,lui sont farouchement opposés: Donc ils sont considérés comme entrave face au progrès scientifique...
Le roman évoque le combat infernal entre la science et la nature et les aspects de la vie saharienne des Touareg .
Le style est très ennuyeux même si le sujet me concerne comme tunisienne.
Je n'ai pas commencé par le bon en découvrant Jules Vernes.
May 22, 2015
Engineers build canals to flood parts of the Sahara Desert in Algeria and Tunisia to create an inland sea. They are opposed by Tuareg tribesmen who fear the loss of their land and their livelihood.This has only recently been translated into English"," and reminds me of how good Verne's stories were.
May 22, 2012
I disliked the first Verne book I read and did not read anymore for ages. What I was too young to realize was that the early translations slaughtered his works, omitting much of the science. Invasion of the Sea was interesting but I preferred his earlier work. Still, it is worth the read.
March 16, 2014
Obra menor de Verne, ya a inicios del siglo XX, cuando el ingenio francés sueña con inundar el Sahara con las aguas del Mediterráneo. Es regularmente entretenida.
August 17, 2016
Been around the world, to the center of the earth, to the bottom of the sea, and to the heavens above with Verne, and loved every minute of it.
August 7, 2011
Livre lu, interrogation de lecture prête!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews