A Trip to Venus

by John Munro

Prof. John Munro (1849-1930) was the author of Heroes of the Telegraph (1891), The Story of Electricity (1896) and A Trip to Venus (1897). "In plain English, at 4 a. m., a ray of light had been observed on the disc of the planet Mars in or near the "terminator"; that is to say, the zone of twilight separating day from night. The news was doubly interesting to me, because a singular dream of "Sunrise in the Moon" had quickened my imagination as to the wonders of the universe beyond our little globe, and because of a never-to-be-forgotten experience of mine with an aged astronomer several years ago. "

Genres: Science Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1897

Reviews

[Villain E · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to say it, but there's a reason this isn't on your classic sci-fi shelf next to Verne and Wells. Two astronomers discover a signal suggesting life on Mars, and decide to go to Venus instead. After a lengthy discussion regarding a magnetic launch system (the first mention of what is now known as a mass driver in science fiction) and mocking Jules Verne's idea of using a cannon in "From the Earth to the Moon", they instead find a scientist who has discovered a form of propulsion with its own independent gravity, which is, of course, never explained. On Venus, they find an idyllic society where our narrator falls madly in love-at-first-sight with a virgin priestess.

I can accept the anachronistic nature of the story. I can deal with the fact that we don't get to Venus until over halfway through the book. But the fact that there are pages and pages of hard science explanations of the planets and their rotations, and the theory of electromagnetic propulsion, I find the crew using a magic drive annoying. I enjoy fanciful visions of other worlds, but I find the concept here to be lazy and trite (and I'm comparing it to contemporaries or earlier, such as the lands depicted in Gulliver's Travels). And so much of what happens is fortuitous happenstance.

It's a quick read, so if you're like me and you simply must read the historic first mention of a mass driver, go ahead. It's out of print and nearly impossible to find, but it's old enough to be public domain, so you can find an electronic copy free online.

[Wreade1872 · Rating 1 out of 5]

So right from the start this seemed derivative of other science fiction but that seemed ok as the sci-fi felt like it was merely a frame for more science based discussions.
Not good science theories but still, that was my mental excuse for the poorness of other elements. However then we get to Venus and it becomes a generic alien love story plot with religious undertones.

This middle section is the closest to fleshed out, but incredibly boring. I normally like purple prose but the authors descriptions here kept making my eyes glaze over.
But then we're off again a quick bit of action and its over. Anything of interest here is almost gone before it arrives.

I guess i could give it 2-stars but really with every element except the derivative and boring middle section severely truncated... there's just no meat on these bones.

Pretty much everything in here you'll find in any other travel into space sci-fi of the time.

Edit:Made available by the Merril Collection.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of those 19th century books with "dialogue" that lectures the reader, long-forgotten science, Eatth-like biospheres on other planets, etc. The author seems to have known the science and scientific speculation of the day. I'll grant him this: Many SF authors give elaborate, but thoroughly implausible, explanations for their tech. Here, he says little about the tech behind his spaceship.

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird, yet oddly entertaining. I was fascinated by what someone who has little to no knowledge of what it space is like, yet writes like it has all been figured out.

[Jeffzhef · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old space-travel sci-fi from a time when space was still filled with ether and other planets were of course inhabited by aliens compatible with human love-interest.

Humanity discovers a ray of light emanating from Mars that convinces them there must be intelligent life up there, so, logically, they... travel to Venus. (*)

An interesting read, considering its age (and only interesting in exactly that context: what was sci-fi like back then?). Due to its age, it is avalable electronically for free (for instance, on Amazon Kindle).

I found the romance a bit unauthentic.



(*): My feeling of surprise regarding the Mars/Venus decision I share with reviewer Viallain E .

[Alan Fricker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dated and with rather too much of a didactic edge

[Mikiahla · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great book that I enjoyed every second of.

[Ernest Hogan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peculiar. From 1897. I suppose it's serious, but parts of it seem like Monty Python. What would the British Empire do with space travel? Not much of a plot, but lots of . . . stuff. How far back does he trope of a man visiting a utopian world ruled by a beautiful woman who falls in love with him go?

[Jaye W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I afford Murno grace having written this long before the Space Race & the 1900’s tech boom. His ideas make sense in an older concept of Sci-Fi based on outlooks relative to that time... versus the current Sci-Fi, which borrows elements from existing breakthroughs & developments. Though, Murno deeply immerses us in his creatively-driven theoreticals, channelling that wonderment of space through the hearts of those on earth who embrace it.