From the Earth to the Moon / Around the Moon (1865)

Verne Gyula klasszikusa egy olyan korban hívta az embert űrutazásra, amikor még nem hogy modern rakéták, de belső égésű motorok sem voltak. Az ágyúgolyó holdbajuttatása egy igazi vernei meseregény: egyszerre szórakoztat és közben fizikai és tudományos ismereteket is elővesz a maga bájos hibáival. A leghagyományosabb értelemben vett science fiction.

Men decide to travel to the moon by means of shooting themselves bullet-like from a giant gun aimed at the moon. Interesting for its pre knowledge of what happens during such a journey and fun from the scientific errors which had to happen. ( )

Originally published in instalments in the popular Parisien newspaper (Journal des débats politiques et llttéraires) between September and October 1865 after the more famous Journey to the Centre of the Earth a year earlier. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction claims that Verne was one of the two pre-eminent authors in the field of science fiction in the nineteenth century the other being H G Wells. Verne wrote his From the Earth to the Moon some 36 years before Wells’ First Men in the Moon and easily beats it for scientific facts and figures and while Verne might not have had the literary style of Wells he still paints an effective portrait of America just at the end of the Civil War. It is a portrait laced with satire and while the straightforward plot bears no deviation from its title (not a single female character) it still manages to hugely entertain.

The novel opens with a meeting of the American Gun Club in Baltimore and its members are worried about the future, The war has ended, nobody is using artillery, nobody is ordering guns, arms manufactures are losing money: what can be done. The members explore the possibilities of a new war, of wars in foreign countries, but everyone is at peace; something must be done. Its president Impey Barbicane comes up with an idea that will save the club, they will oversee the production of a massive gun that will fire a shell from the earth to the moon. When he announces the new project he is carried shoulder high around the town as the whole of America is gripped with moon fever. Much of the first part of the novel concerns the logistics of building the canon and disputes over the calculation of distances, range and dimensions. Then a telegram is received from Paris sent by Michel Arden who says he is on his way to America and wants the shape of the bullet changed so that it can be hollowed and they can travel inside to the moon. Arden arrives he is a larger than life character and Verne uses him to satirise the french. Arden we learn is a “breaker of windows” an adventurous, courageous, proud man who has no time for details. His enthusiasm matches the Americans and soon they are in agreement to travel together to the moon.

I read the Livre de Poche edition which features 41 illustrations by Henri de Montaut which captures the text superbly and heightens the satire. The illustration of the inner circle of the gun club shows them all with crutches, wooden appendages, hooks instead of hands and steel plated craniums. The pictures of Michel Arden who towers over the Americans are brilliant and really I found myself lost in the details of these pen and ink drawings. Jules Verne’s parodies of Americans and French make great characters, the English it appears are beneath contempt hardly worth the bother as they pour cold water on the magnificent adventure. Part of the interest in reading science fiction before it was called science fiction is to check off the more accurate predictions of the future and Verne seems to have known enough science to make a reasonable stab. Of interest to me was the devastation caused to the earth and its atmosphere by the firing of the huge gun, this was an unexpected consequence of the gung-ho adventurers. Verne’s mix of science, adventure and humour which sometimes turns black hit the right note for me and I am looking forward to reading more of his ‘Voyages extraordinaires 4 stars. ( )

This is only about 25% a novel (or really two novels), and 75% an excuse to show off calculations and scientific knowledge. Then again, this is hardly the first science fiction novel I've read with that problem. If there are any characters, my favorite character is J.T. Marston, over-enthusiastic, clumsy, ridiculous, and generally very endearing.

Verhaal waarin een aantal Amerikanen een weddenschap afsluiten om de maan te bereiken. Drie avonturiers laten zich met een gigantisch kanon afschieten.