SO- if you’re any kind of Sci Fi nerd, as I am, you know this story. I mean, know this story. Not only have you read the book, you’ve seen the old mov...more SO- if you’re any kind of Sci Fi nerd, as I am, you know this story. I mean, know this story. Not only have you read the book, you’ve seen the old movie starring Rod Taylor and you’ve also seen that glowy, gadgety, steam punky, levered, whirling time machine guest star on a recent TV show which shall remain nameless, because it’s become a fixture in nerd culture worldwide.
But here’s a recap in case you aren’t as aware of it: Around the turn of the century, a guy makes a time machine. He travels to the distant future and makes it back with a story to tell. Apparently in the future the human race has evolved into two sub-species: The shiny, happy Eloi who live above the ground with nothing to do but eat, play and indolently make love. Below ground it is a different story. Hairy, with subterranean eyes accustomed to the dark, the Morlocks are an brutish, threatening lot which the traveler surmises descended from the lower class of people who’s jobs it were to “get their hands dirty”, i.e. the laborers of our culture. (Not as much a point for Socialism as I guess Wells intended as coming off slightly snotty and academically elitist.)
Because he’s sure the Morlocks are treating the Eloi as cattle on which to feed, and partly I’d say because he had taken the lovely Eloi, Weena, to bed, the traveler decides to take it on himself to smoke the Morlocks out of their subterranean homes. Plus… they had his Time Machine. His plan works beyond his imaginations and when waking the next day, he finds his Time Machine- all set up like bait in a trap. But he knows something the Morlocks do not- he can escape the trap with ease. And escape he does- but not without a tense confrontation with the white haired, red-eyed creatures.
Farther into the future he goes, watching the sun grow red and huge and then wane, till only darkness and stars permanently fill the skies. And then he comes home- to the exact moment he left- a little distance away, because, after all, the Morlocks had moved his machine, and though time had changed, distance had not.
The end of the tale leaves those listening, not believing a word of the travelers supposed flight of fancy- but one friend comes back days later because he’s just not sure. He of course sees the traveler disappear in his machine. He’s still waiting for the his return.
The story doesn’t really get good till about the time the scary Morlocks show up… but, quite honestly, the tiny smooth-skinned Eloi creep me out more. With scientific touches- classic to his stories- H. G. Wells plays a game of “what if?” with the future that still feels unique even as it spawned an entire genre and thousands of similar stories. I wish Wells had a time machine to take him to today so he could see how beloved his stories were and still remain. I wonder if he would have changed his future world to be a little more happier, a little less dystopian? Then again, maybe not- he seemed to have been an excellent judge of human nature, if misguided by what would fix it. (less)
As much an underwater travelogue as it is a sci fi/steampunk classic, Jules Verne takes us around the world...more20,000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne
As much an underwater travelogue as it is a sci fi/steampunk classic, Jules Verne takes us around the world, thru the depths of the ocean with the enigmatic Captain Nemo at the helm. Narrated by a Professor Arronax, a French naturalist accidentally swept into the world of Captain Nemo, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is thought to be an allusion to Homer's Odyssey- and I suppose it is- but it’s theme of one man’s defiance of humanity, especially after being disappointed and devastated by it, is a theme repeated time and again throughout ALL literature and entertainment.
The story begins with the Professor joining a hunting expedition for a large underwater creature menacing the ships traversing the waters of the world. After a brush with the strange sea creature sweeps Professor Arronax, his companion Conseil ,and the brutish Canadian whaler, Ned Land, overboard their ship, they find themselves unexpectedly rescued not by the large narwhale they were chasing, but rather a man-made creature instead- Captain Nemo’s underwater ship, the Nautilus.
Unsure of their three new companions, Nemo keeps them imprisoned till he decides what to do with them, but when he finds at least one of the ragged men to be a man of thinking, he decides to let them have free roam of the ship- with a couple conditions: They must go back to their rooms when asked- with no questions asked by them- and they must never leave the Nautilus.
Ned Land, a lover of freedom, is furious and Professor Arronax is worried as well, but quickly finds himself enraptured with the amazing sights to behold and the chance to be the first to catalog them!
Soon months fly by with Ned getting more restless and approaching an inevitable crisis point, although just as caught up in the new adventures around them.
Hunting in underwater “forests”, amazing underwater creatures never seen before, underwater volcanoes, caves and hidden channels, along with natural terrors like hurricanes, icebergs, and a spot aptly named the navel of ocean- all of this to be borne until the Nautilus’s fierce implacable captain reveals his heart of vengeance in an all out battle with another ship.
When confronted with the true nature of Nemo, that archangel of hate as Professor Arronax calls him, the professor agrees it’s time to leave and they make their plans only to be thwarted by a squid of colossal dimensions. But Nemo wrestles his ship free in his usual efficient manner and now it is only Nemo himself left to block their escape.
Written in the late 1800’s, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is a marvel. Verne imagined self sufficient underwater vessels, electric “bullets” (that's tazers to you and me) and all kinds of things that is norm to modern man, but to a man on the brink of the 20th Century- fantastical. He also surprised me with his outright admonition to humanity for its over fishing/whaling and the dire consequences that will follow if left unchecked.
Although I could have done with less of the eye-glazing cataloging and info dumping, when the action hits, it hits in a big way.
Truly a man ahead of his time, Jules Verne deserves his unofficial title as the father of science fiction as he teaches, imagines, admonishes and entertains generation after generation- but isn’t that what good sci fi is supposed to do? (less)
This one was, so many times, almost a dnf for me. It took the author far too long to engage the audience as her characters wandered around meeting mor...moreThis one was, so many times, almost a dnf for me. It took the author far too long to engage the audience as her characters wandered around meeting more and more characters, all the while tryinig to find others.
But I liked the ending, and the promise of how it might end is what kept me reading.
Briar Blue has a big secret- oh not that her husband and his dreaded machine known as the Boneshaker set off an explosion that caused a blight to occur which turns people into Zombies, whilst extending the American Civil War- everyone knows that. No, her secret is wrapped up in far more guilt and shame concerning her late husband. Because of this, she's told her son Ezekiel nothing of his father and his past. To clear his name, Zeke decides to go into the very heart of the blight- and into the heart of danger- and Briar must follow him and bring him out before he dies any number of deaths... not the least of which is getting turned into a Zombie.
A little bit steampunk, a smidge of Mad Max, a whole heap of apocalyptic alternate reality and you get Boneshaker.
(btw, for you romance readers- there's nil in this one. In the end, it's the boring cataloging of her world that killed it for me. Hopefully by the next book it'll be more about the story.) (less)
Loading...
