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Title: Invasion of the Sea (Early Classics of Science Fiction) by Jules Verne, Edward Baxter, Arthur B. Evans ISBN: 0-8195-6465-6 Publisher: Wesleyan Univ Pr Pub. Date: December, 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (2 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: The timely appearance of a book unknown here
Comment: 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.
Rating: 5
Summary: A "must" for Jules Verne enthusiasts!
Comment: Invasion Of The Sea is the first English edition of a novel written in 1904 by Jules Verne, best know for his classics "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" and "Around the World in 80 Days." Meticulously translated from the original French by Edward Baxter, Invasion of the Sea is an engaging novel that takes serious look at political and imperial struggles in North Africa. When a canal is proposed to create a sea in the Sahara Desert, the way of life of the Islamic tribes living there becomes threatened, and they declare war to protect their lands, prompting a cataclysmic struggle that only natural forces can surpass. A thought-provoking and serious tale, Invasion Of The Sea is recommended for Jules Verne enthusiasts.
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Title: The Mighty Orinoco (Early Classics of Science Fiction) by Jules Verne, Stanford L. Luce, Arthur B. Evans, Walter James (Introduced By) Miller ISBN: 0819565113 Publisher: Wesleyan Univ Pr Pub. Date: May, 2003 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: Captain Antifer by Jules Verne ISBN: 1589633229 Publisher: Fredonia Books (NL) Pub. Date: June, 2001 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Lighthouse at the End of the World by Jules Verne ISBN: 1589630947 Publisher: Fredonia Books (NL) Pub. Date: March, 2001 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov ISBN: 0451524918 Publisher: Signet Pub. Date: December, 1986 List Price(USD): $6.95 |
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Title: Journey Through the Impossible by Jules Verne, Edward Baxter, Jean-Michel Margot ISBN: 1591020794 Publisher: Prometheus Books Pub. Date: May, 2003 List Price(USD): $21.00 |
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