Invasion of the Sea
Adventure novel, Science fiction[1] | |
Publisher | Pierre-Jules Hetzel |
---|---|
Publication date | 1905 |
Published in English | 2001 |
Media type | Print (hardback) |
Preceded by | Master of the World |
Invasion of the Sea (
Plot summary
Invasion of the Sea takes place in a future 1930s and follows the story of European engineers and their military escort who seek to revive an actual 19th century proposal to flood the
Historical background
The novel Invasion of the Sea, as well the plans of the characters in the novel, are inspired by the real-life exploits of Captain François Élie Roudaire. Roudaire was a French military officer and geographer who surveyed parts of Tunisia in the late 1800s. He discovered that large areas of the Sahara Desert were below sea level and proposed that a canal be dug from the Mediterranean Sea to these Saharan basins, which would allow for the creation of an inland "Sahara Sea".[6] Others had made similar proposals at the same time,[6] and canal building generally was a popular geopolitical endeavor of the first decade of the 1900s, when Invasion of the Sea was written.[4][5]
Some have noted that the inclusion of the Berber raiders (who are opposed to the efforts of the European engineers and military officers) is a foreshadowing of the growth of Islamic terrorism in the 1900s and 2000s.[2][5][7][8]
Translation history
Parts of the novel, under the title Captain Hardizan, were serialized in
The history of Invasion of the Sea was unusual in this regard. For years before the Baxter translation, Invasion of the Sea was one of four late
Contemporary reviews and criticism
Reviews have differed in their opinions between different editions of Invasion of the Sea and its various English translations. While early English translations have been criticized for their unfaithfulness to the original French text, particularly in removing the anti-colonialist themes for British and American audiences,[5] modern translations have been praised for their much greater faithfulness to the source.[2][4][5]
The 2001 translation by Edward Baxter was viewed in a mostly positive light, and most criticisms were directed towards problems with the original work by Jules Verne. Publishers Weekly criticized the character development (with the exception of that of an affable dog named Ace-of-Hearts), while also describing the plot as both "disjointed" and "predictable", saying that the book is overwhelmed with a "deluge of scientific facts".[4] Brian Taves of the North American Jules Verne Society praised the use of multiple perspectives in the narrative (both French and North African) and the novel's political sophistication. He criticized the novel, however, for a general lack of excitement.[5] On the other hand, Harper's Magazine described the book as a "ripping good yarn".[9] A common theme in reviews was the novel's seeming prescience about the growing significance of Islamic terrorism.[5][7][8]
Publication history
- Invasion of the Sea, Trans. Edward Baxter, Ed. Arthur Evans. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press, c2001. ISBN 0-8195-6545-8
See also
References
- ISBN 978-1-31-669437-4
- ^ a b c d e "Invasion of the Sea". Kirkus Reviews. December 1, 2001. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ^ Kytasaari, Dennis. "Plot Synopsis of Invasion of the Sea". North American Jules Verne Society. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Plot Synopsis of Invasion of the Sea". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Taves, Brian. "Review of Invasion of the Sea". North American Jules Verne Society. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ^ ISBN 3642228712. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ^ a b Adams, Susan (April 15, 2002). "Eerily Prescient". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 2, 2002. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
- ^ a b Sterling, Bruce. "Wesleyan University Press list of endorsements". Wesleyan University Press. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ^ Harper's Magazine. "Wesleyan University Press list of reviews". Wesleyan University Press. Retrieved December 16, 2012.