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The Barsac Mission #2
মরুশহর
The volume to which this is a sequel—Into the Niger Bend, published in the same collection—describes the adventures of a group of travellers as they penetrate into the African interior in order to ascertain whether its natives are fit to be granted the full rights of French citizens. Included among them are a gallant English girl who, with her eccentric uncle (or nephew!), is bent on a very different quest.
The investigators encounter not only the ordinary hardships of African travel: they hear inexplicable sounds and see inexplicable tracks, and finally are kidnapped in even more inexplicable circumstances.
A super-city in the desert, equipped with mechanical devices many of which were unknown in Verne’s day and some of which are unknown even now: a community of technicians directed by a scientist genius, but dominated by an outlaw gang headed by a desperado with a vicious grudge against society: such themes may have seemed incredible when this book was published—shortly after Verne’s death in 1905—and this may be the reason why it has, apparently, never previously been translated into English.
The delay in its translation was greatly to be regretted, for it meant that for the last fifty years the English-speaking world has been deprived of one of those masterpieces of science-fiction for which Verne was justly famous. It displays his creativeness at its best: above all his ingenuity and his prescience in describing mechanical devices many of which have since come into use. He seems to have wished The Barsac Mission to be the crowning achievement of his life, and this it most certainly is.
The investigators encounter not only the ordinary hardships of African travel: they hear inexplicable sounds and see inexplicable tracks, and finally are kidnapped in even more inexplicable circumstances.
A super-city in the desert, equipped with mechanical devices many of which were unknown in Verne’s day and some of which are unknown even now: a community of technicians directed by a scientist genius, but dominated by an outlaw gang headed by a desperado with a vicious grudge against society: such themes may have seemed incredible when this book was published—shortly after Verne’s death in 1905—and this may be the reason why it has, apparently, never previously been translated into English.
The delay in its translation was greatly to be regretted, for it meant that for the last fifty years the English-speaking world has been deprived of one of those masterpieces of science-fiction for which Verne was justly famous. It displays his creativeness at its best: above all his ingenuity and his prescience in describing mechanical devices many of which have since come into use. He seems to have wished The Barsac Mission to be the crowning achievement of his life, and this it most certainly is.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1905
6 people are currently reading
168 people want to read
About the author
Jules Verne
6,360 books12k followersNovels of French writer Jules Gabriel Verne, considered the founder of modern science fiction, include
Journey to the Center of the Earth
(1864) and
Around the World in Eighty Days
(1873).
This author who pioneered the genre. People best know him for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870).
Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before people invented navigable aircraft and practical submarines and devised any means of spacecraft. He ranks behind Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie as the second most translated author of all time. People made his prominent films. People often refer to Verne alongside Herbert George Wells as the "father of science fiction."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_V...
This author who pioneered the genre. People best know him for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870).
Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before people invented navigable aircraft and practical submarines and devised any means of spacecraft. He ranks behind Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie as the second most translated author of all time. People made his prominent films. People often refer to Verne alongside Herbert George Wells as the "father of science fiction."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_V...
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 1, 2018
Well, I don't know if they still have these two books published and selling them( even in my own language, that wouldn't be odd) , but to every mum in the world:
- YOUR KIDS NEED THIS MAN'S BOOKS.
I read these books when I was probably 13 or 14. I used to dislike the author from the movies I'd heard his name. They bored me. So when I borrowed the books from one of my friends, I told myself:
- You never judged a book by whatever people told you about them, let alone a stupid movie.
And there I was, at 14 falling for this author. He and J.K Rowling made my imagination roam.
The plot, the twist, the romance, the sparks of danger,the blood relation, everything I wasn't expecting happened. But OMG, that science included in the book. I never have been into science, or physics, or IT (and believe me, I have studied IT) but that guy imagined stuff that still don't exist in our time. As a kid, I owed this guy my childhood, my amazing childhood. And I have read books as a kid, believe me , but I don't recall them all, but never in the world was I going to forget this book.
Thank you, Verne. I promise my kids in the future will definitely read your books.
- YOUR KIDS NEED THIS MAN'S BOOKS.
I read these books when I was probably 13 or 14. I used to dislike the author from the movies I'd heard his name. They bored me. So when I borrowed the books from one of my friends, I told myself:
- You never judged a book by whatever people told you about them, let alone a stupid movie.
And there I was, at 14 falling for this author. He and J.K Rowling made my imagination roam.
The plot, the twist, the romance, the sparks of danger,the blood relation, everything I wasn't expecting happened. But OMG, that science included in the book. I never have been into science, or physics, or IT (and believe me, I have studied IT) but that guy imagined stuff that still don't exist in our time. As a kid, I owed this guy my childhood, my amazing childhood. And I have read books as a kid, believe me , but I don't recall them all, but never in the world was I going to forget this book.
Thank you, Verne. I promise my kids in the future will definitely read your books.
December 20, 2022
মানুষের কল্পনাশক্তি যে কত প্রখর,সৃজনশীল এবং অবিশ্বাস্য নিঁখুত হতে পারে সেটা জানার জন্যে হলেও এই বইটা পড়া দরকার।
April 20, 2013
review of
Jules Verne's The City In The Sahara
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - April 20, 2013
Thus ends my spree of reading 8 Verne bks. The 1st 7 were The Demon of Cawnpore ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17... ), The Begum's Fortune ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17... ), Carpathian Castle ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17... ), For The Flag ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17... ), The Village In The Treetops ( http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/3... ), Yesterday And Tomorrow ( http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/3... ), & Into the Niger Bend ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17... ). This latter being the 1st novel that this one is the conclusion of. The other 3 novels that're the most germane to this one being The Begum's Fortune, For The Flag, & The Village In The Treetops.
The Begum's Fortune is about 2 men who construct cities 'from scratch' using a vast fortune' - one w/ utopian intentions, the other w/ destructive ones. The City In The Sahara's city is closer to the latter. For The Flag has an insane inventor who creates a super-weapon that he sells to pirates. The City In The Sahara has a super-inventor who creates weapons & other things that're used by a master-criminal. The Village In The Treetops has a Frenchman & an American traveling thru Africa. The City In The Sahara has a French delegation w/ a British woman traveling thru Africa. SO, The City In The Sahara is hardly w/o precedent in Verne's work.
This was good but I wish it had been better. Verne has a way of making some 'surprises' be a little too obvious. As I've noted before, I'm not sure whether this obviousness wd've been so obvious in the early 20th century when this was written & published but it sure seems obvious to me 100 yrs later.
In the introduction here from translator I. O. Evans, the reader is brought up-to-date on how this succeeds Into the Niger Bend: "The events which followed the kidnapping of the Barsac Mission and of Jane Blazon are described in the present volume. They illustrate Jules Verne's inventive genius as well as his ability to keep abreast of the latest scientific and technical advances and to weave them into his narrative. Unpublished until after his death in 1905, the story incorporates inventions made towards the end of his life, notably that of wireless telegraphy." - p 6
"In those orderly days the notion of a super-scientific community ruled by criminals seemed beyond the bounds of possibility. We have seen such communities - not mere cities but nations - compared to which the City in the Sahara seems almost tame." - p 7
Presumably Evans refers here to Nazi Germany who certainly had a technically advanced military society w/ completely vicious motives. Otherwise, one cd also mention Las Vegas, an oasis in the desert made by gangsters - fortunately w/ a less destructive bent.
"His Blackland typifies much in our civilization, its triumphs of technology and its material advances compared with its backwardness - indeed with its retrogression - in moral and spiritual development". - p 7
Verne having been largely a prophet of technology it's nice to see him warning about the dystopic side.
As w/ the 1st volume, The City In The Sahara distinguishes itself w/ at least a little multi-lingualism: "If the hypothetical traveller had asked the name of the town, and if one of its inhabitants had been willing to tell him, he would perhaps have said in French "Le nom de cette ville est Terre-noire": but he would be just as likely to reply in Italian "Questa città è Terra nera"; in Bambara, "Ni dougouba ntocko a bé Bankou Fing"; in Portuguese, "Hista ciudad e Terranegra"; in Spanish, "Esta ciudad es Tierranegra." But no matter in what the language, all the answers would have meant: "The name of this city is Blackland." - p 10
&, as I wrote about For The Flag: "The villains in general are described thusly: "In them I can distinguish no common stock - not even, indeed, that bond which will be found among North Americans, or Europeans, or Asiatics. The colour of their skins varies - from white, to copper and black, and it is the black of the Australasian rather than that of the African. Most of them seem to belong to the East Indian races; Count d'Artigas certainly belongs to that race found in the Dutch East Indies: Serko comes from the Levant, and Spade seems of Italian origin." (p 101) Seems pretty good to me." In other words, it's interesting that the most multi-cultural societies in Verne are the criminal ones. Here, however, the multi-culturalism is cleanly along the lines of: whites = slavers, blacks = slaves - for wch Verne has no sympathies - even tho his heros are mostly 'whites'.
Even the standard of living in the criminal city of Blackland is high: "For the rest, Blackland was kept perfectly clean, and well maintained, and was provided with every possible commodity. Not a house of the Merry Fellows or the Civil Body which did not have its own telephone. Not a street, not a house - not even a hut in the slaves' quarters - which did not enjoy water from the mains, and which was not lighted by electricity." (p 16) Granted, this remarkable state of prosperousness was the result of the genius of an inventor completely unaware of the murderous & thieving nature of the city's ruler.
As w/ For The Flag: "is it not a very small distance, indeed, between super-intelligence and insanity? Does not genius border on madness?" (p 20) I wonder if that cliché originated w/ Verne? Probably not.
"A remarkable device able to produce rain was then among his imaginings. he did not hesitate to describe his dreams to anyone who would listen to them, and Harry Killer, with some others, had heard of this invention while it was still a mere theory. But, while the others only laughed at such madness, Harry Killer had taken it seriously, so much so that he had made it the basis of his schemes." (p 21) The villain, as an outsider, is capable of thinking outside the box. Again, I'm reminded of Vegas.
As w/ the villain's factory town in The Begum's Fortune: "They found themselves in a wide open space surrounded on all sides by unscaleable walls." [..] "Behind them, more than a hundred yards away, was a wall two hundred and fifty yards long with neither door nor window, above which appeared a tall factory chimney". - p 24
As w/ all Verne protagonists, there're servants - & black people are mostly honored when they're 'faithful servants': "I, too, feel distressed, and I give a pitiful thought to the brave and faithful Tongané." (p 3) "the prisoners were agreeably surprised at the arrival of Malik. As soon as she saw Jane Blazon, Malik fell at her feet and kissed, with touching warmth, the hands of her good mistress, who was equally moved herself." (p 62) Blazon, a 'white' woman, might've been "equally moved" but she DIDN'T fall "at her feet and kiss" Malik (a 'black' woman) 's hands.
Blacks are called by various names. I'd like to see what the original French was b/c here we have the murderous Killer call blacks "Negroes", a strangely non-racist term coming from the mouth of a man willing to kill blacks w/o the slightest compunction:
""You see those Negroes," asks Harry Killer, pointing to two widely separated stains. "Suppose they took it into their heads to escape. They wouldn't get far!"
While speaking, he has picked up the telephone transmitter. "Hundred and eleven circle. Radius fifteen hundred and twenty-eight."
"Then, turning towards us, "Look carefully at this," he tells us.
"After a few minutes wait, during which nothing special happens, one of the patches is obscured by a cloud of smoke. When this has cleared, the patch has vanished.
""What's happened to the man working there?" asks Mlle Mornas in a voice trembling with emotion.
""He's dead," Harry Killer replies coldly.
""Dead! . . ." We exclaim. "You've killed that poor fellow for no reason at all?"
""Don't worry, he's only a Negro," Harry Killer explains with perfect simplicity. "Mere trash. When there aren't any of them left we can get more. That one was wiped out by an aerial torpedo. It's a sort of rocket which carries up to fifteen miles, and you've seen its accuracy and speed." - p 50
'Smart missiles', eh?! While the heros are generally sympathetic, they're not exactly free of the prejudices that Killer demonstrated above. Take, eg, Dr. Chatonnay's analysis of Killer:
" [..] "Unable to tolerate the slightest opposition, he passes without transition from fury to calmness and back again, and he shows a profound contempt for human life, as others understand it."
""Such a character is not uncommon in Africa," Dr. Chatonnay explained. "To live continually in the company of men generally inferior to themselves, to be able to order them about uncontrolled, too often makes cruel satraps out of Europeans who haven't a firm enough character and lofty enough ideals to keep them from being seduced." - p 62
Verne has a supporting character be a statistician, who he parodies: ""At the moment I'm working out problems," he said portentously. / ""Bah!" said the reporter. / ""Yes, Monsieur. I'm trying to solve this: 'A is twice as old as B was when A was as old as B is now. When B is as old as A is now, the total of their ages will be N years. How old are A and B?" - p 58
The absent-minded inventor takes the escaped prisoners of the Barsac Mission into his factory shelter: "He pressed a button and a bell rang. A black servant appeared. "Jacko," Camaret said, as though it were the simplest thing in the world, while the Negro rolled his startled eyes. "Show these gentleman and this lady to their rooms." (p 85) I don't know what "Jacko" wd've signified in early 20th century France, nor do I know what name the character originally had in French but I found this in the "Urban Dictionary" online: "a word created by the tabloids to use instead of using the name Michael Jackson to make every news about him sound bad and sell more copies to fill their buckets with money even if it means destroying other people's reputation and lives Wacko Jacko dead at 50" ( http://www.urbandictionary.com/define... ) It seems appropriate somehow.
The inventor strikes me as a cross between Leonardo da Vinci &, even more so, Nikola Tesla - by having him generate power that's sent out as waves picked up by special receivers.
" [..] "I'm certain, that they can be employed for a hundred different purposes. For example, it would be possible to communicate with the whole surface of the earth, by telegraph or telephone, without needing a wire to link the respective stations.
""Without a wire!" exclaimed his hearers.
""Without a wire, What would we need for that? Very little. I've only got to think out a suitable receiver." - p 104
& an incredible (as in truly NOT-credible) coincidence links the inventor to another one in Africa:
"wireless telegraphy
[..]
""Yes, two men have appeared on this terrestrial globe at the same instant of history. One, an italian called Marconi, has found a method of radiating into space the waves known as Hertzian"." - p 111
Of course, Marconi is generally so credited but some favor Tesla. Verne, being French, has to mention the 2nd responsible person as a Frenchman:
"Doctor Branly. It was he who discovered the receiver"." - p 111
&, gee, not only does Killer torture a prisoner, but so does the absent-minded 'good guy' inventor:
""I ought to warn you," the engineer said gently, "that I'm going to make you talk."
[..]
"Camaret shrugged his shoulders. Then, without insisting, he placed on the thumbs and under the feet of the recalcitrant four little metallic plates, and connected them up to some terminals. This done, he suddenly threw a switch.
"The man at once twisted in frightful convulsions. The veins on his neck were swollen as though about to burst, and his empurpled face displayed intolerable suffering." - p 130
This torture brings about almost immediate 'positive' results. I think it wd've been better if Verne hadn't made it seem so easy. He just reinforced the idiots who think torture is ok. If this were a novel written today, it wd be the genitals & the eyes (or some such) that were wired.
The inventor, Camaret, after learning of Killer's despicable activities, is nonetheless, loath to use the destructive capabilities at his easy disposal to attack & kill Killer & to, therefore, save himself & his people. Instead, he goes thru ridiculous other plans to try to help them escape from Killer's destructive intentions. These plans fail & the French reporter, Amédée Florence, comes up w/ the 'bright' idea of fomenting a slave revolt: ""There must be at least four thousand of them, not counting the women, who ought to be as good as two men when they're set free."" (p 137) The thing about this idea is that there doesn't seem to be much concern about the slaughter that the slaves will undergo as they're poorly armed for fighting. SO, while on the surface, it seems that the Europeans have the slaves' freedom in mind, they're really just using them in a casual way for irresponsible ulterior motives. Far more people are likely to die this way than if Camaret had just blown up Killer & his palace & cronies to begin w/. Oh well..
In the end, Barsac's mission to prove that blacks in French West Africa are deserving of voting rights is somewhat justified by having most of the bad guys be white. But does Barsac conclude that voting for the blacks is a good idea? Read this & find out.
Jules Verne's The City In The Sahara
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - April 20, 2013
Thus ends my spree of reading 8 Verne bks. The 1st 7 were The Demon of Cawnpore ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17... ), The Begum's Fortune ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17... ), Carpathian Castle ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17... ), For The Flag ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17... ), The Village In The Treetops ( http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/3... ), Yesterday And Tomorrow ( http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/3... ), & Into the Niger Bend ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17... ). This latter being the 1st novel that this one is the conclusion of. The other 3 novels that're the most germane to this one being The Begum's Fortune, For The Flag, & The Village In The Treetops.
The Begum's Fortune is about 2 men who construct cities 'from scratch' using a vast fortune' - one w/ utopian intentions, the other w/ destructive ones. The City In The Sahara's city is closer to the latter. For The Flag has an insane inventor who creates a super-weapon that he sells to pirates. The City In The Sahara has a super-inventor who creates weapons & other things that're used by a master-criminal. The Village In The Treetops has a Frenchman & an American traveling thru Africa. The City In The Sahara has a French delegation w/ a British woman traveling thru Africa. SO, The City In The Sahara is hardly w/o precedent in Verne's work.
This was good but I wish it had been better. Verne has a way of making some 'surprises' be a little too obvious. As I've noted before, I'm not sure whether this obviousness wd've been so obvious in the early 20th century when this was written & published but it sure seems obvious to me 100 yrs later.
In the introduction here from translator I. O. Evans, the reader is brought up-to-date on how this succeeds Into the Niger Bend: "The events which followed the kidnapping of the Barsac Mission and of Jane Blazon are described in the present volume. They illustrate Jules Verne's inventive genius as well as his ability to keep abreast of the latest scientific and technical advances and to weave them into his narrative. Unpublished until after his death in 1905, the story incorporates inventions made towards the end of his life, notably that of wireless telegraphy." - p 6
"In those orderly days the notion of a super-scientific community ruled by criminals seemed beyond the bounds of possibility. We have seen such communities - not mere cities but nations - compared to which the City in the Sahara seems almost tame." - p 7
Presumably Evans refers here to Nazi Germany who certainly had a technically advanced military society w/ completely vicious motives. Otherwise, one cd also mention Las Vegas, an oasis in the desert made by gangsters - fortunately w/ a less destructive bent.
"His Blackland typifies much in our civilization, its triumphs of technology and its material advances compared with its backwardness - indeed with its retrogression - in moral and spiritual development". - p 7
Verne having been largely a prophet of technology it's nice to see him warning about the dystopic side.
As w/ the 1st volume, The City In The Sahara distinguishes itself w/ at least a little multi-lingualism: "If the hypothetical traveller had asked the name of the town, and if one of its inhabitants had been willing to tell him, he would perhaps have said in French "Le nom de cette ville est Terre-noire": but he would be just as likely to reply in Italian "Questa città è Terra nera"; in Bambara, "Ni dougouba ntocko a bé Bankou Fing"; in Portuguese, "Hista ciudad e Terranegra"; in Spanish, "Esta ciudad es Tierranegra." But no matter in what the language, all the answers would have meant: "The name of this city is Blackland." - p 10
&, as I wrote about For The Flag: "The villains in general are described thusly: "In them I can distinguish no common stock - not even, indeed, that bond which will be found among North Americans, or Europeans, or Asiatics. The colour of their skins varies - from white, to copper and black, and it is the black of the Australasian rather than that of the African. Most of them seem to belong to the East Indian races; Count d'Artigas certainly belongs to that race found in the Dutch East Indies: Serko comes from the Levant, and Spade seems of Italian origin." (p 101) Seems pretty good to me." In other words, it's interesting that the most multi-cultural societies in Verne are the criminal ones. Here, however, the multi-culturalism is cleanly along the lines of: whites = slavers, blacks = slaves - for wch Verne has no sympathies - even tho his heros are mostly 'whites'.
Even the standard of living in the criminal city of Blackland is high: "For the rest, Blackland was kept perfectly clean, and well maintained, and was provided with every possible commodity. Not a house of the Merry Fellows or the Civil Body which did not have its own telephone. Not a street, not a house - not even a hut in the slaves' quarters - which did not enjoy water from the mains, and which was not lighted by electricity." (p 16) Granted, this remarkable state of prosperousness was the result of the genius of an inventor completely unaware of the murderous & thieving nature of the city's ruler.
As w/ For The Flag: "is it not a very small distance, indeed, between super-intelligence and insanity? Does not genius border on madness?" (p 20) I wonder if that cliché originated w/ Verne? Probably not.
"A remarkable device able to produce rain was then among his imaginings. he did not hesitate to describe his dreams to anyone who would listen to them, and Harry Killer, with some others, had heard of this invention while it was still a mere theory. But, while the others only laughed at such madness, Harry Killer had taken it seriously, so much so that he had made it the basis of his schemes." (p 21) The villain, as an outsider, is capable of thinking outside the box. Again, I'm reminded of Vegas.
As w/ the villain's factory town in The Begum's Fortune: "They found themselves in a wide open space surrounded on all sides by unscaleable walls." [..] "Behind them, more than a hundred yards away, was a wall two hundred and fifty yards long with neither door nor window, above which appeared a tall factory chimney". - p 24
As w/ all Verne protagonists, there're servants - & black people are mostly honored when they're 'faithful servants': "I, too, feel distressed, and I give a pitiful thought to the brave and faithful Tongané." (p 3) "the prisoners were agreeably surprised at the arrival of Malik. As soon as she saw Jane Blazon, Malik fell at her feet and kissed, with touching warmth, the hands of her good mistress, who was equally moved herself." (p 62) Blazon, a 'white' woman, might've been "equally moved" but she DIDN'T fall "at her feet and kiss" Malik (a 'black' woman) 's hands.
Blacks are called by various names. I'd like to see what the original French was b/c here we have the murderous Killer call blacks "Negroes", a strangely non-racist term coming from the mouth of a man willing to kill blacks w/o the slightest compunction:
""You see those Negroes," asks Harry Killer, pointing to two widely separated stains. "Suppose they took it into their heads to escape. They wouldn't get far!"
While speaking, he has picked up the telephone transmitter. "Hundred and eleven circle. Radius fifteen hundred and twenty-eight."
"Then, turning towards us, "Look carefully at this," he tells us.
"After a few minutes wait, during which nothing special happens, one of the patches is obscured by a cloud of smoke. When this has cleared, the patch has vanished.
""What's happened to the man working there?" asks Mlle Mornas in a voice trembling with emotion.
""He's dead," Harry Killer replies coldly.
""Dead! . . ." We exclaim. "You've killed that poor fellow for no reason at all?"
""Don't worry, he's only a Negro," Harry Killer explains with perfect simplicity. "Mere trash. When there aren't any of them left we can get more. That one was wiped out by an aerial torpedo. It's a sort of rocket which carries up to fifteen miles, and you've seen its accuracy and speed." - p 50
'Smart missiles', eh?! While the heros are generally sympathetic, they're not exactly free of the prejudices that Killer demonstrated above. Take, eg, Dr. Chatonnay's analysis of Killer:
" [..] "Unable to tolerate the slightest opposition, he passes without transition from fury to calmness and back again, and he shows a profound contempt for human life, as others understand it."
""Such a character is not uncommon in Africa," Dr. Chatonnay explained. "To live continually in the company of men generally inferior to themselves, to be able to order them about uncontrolled, too often makes cruel satraps out of Europeans who haven't a firm enough character and lofty enough ideals to keep them from being seduced." - p 62
Verne has a supporting character be a statistician, who he parodies: ""At the moment I'm working out problems," he said portentously. / ""Bah!" said the reporter. / ""Yes, Monsieur. I'm trying to solve this: 'A is twice as old as B was when A was as old as B is now. When B is as old as A is now, the total of their ages will be N years. How old are A and B?" - p 58
The absent-minded inventor takes the escaped prisoners of the Barsac Mission into his factory shelter: "He pressed a button and a bell rang. A black servant appeared. "Jacko," Camaret said, as though it were the simplest thing in the world, while the Negro rolled his startled eyes. "Show these gentleman and this lady to their rooms." (p 85) I don't know what "Jacko" wd've signified in early 20th century France, nor do I know what name the character originally had in French but I found this in the "Urban Dictionary" online: "a word created by the tabloids to use instead of using the name Michael Jackson to make every news about him sound bad and sell more copies to fill their buckets with money even if it means destroying other people's reputation and lives Wacko Jacko dead at 50" ( http://www.urbandictionary.com/define... ) It seems appropriate somehow.
The inventor strikes me as a cross between Leonardo da Vinci &, even more so, Nikola Tesla - by having him generate power that's sent out as waves picked up by special receivers.
" [..] "I'm certain, that they can be employed for a hundred different purposes. For example, it would be possible to communicate with the whole surface of the earth, by telegraph or telephone, without needing a wire to link the respective stations.
""Without a wire!" exclaimed his hearers.
""Without a wire, What would we need for that? Very little. I've only got to think out a suitable receiver." - p 104
& an incredible (as in truly NOT-credible) coincidence links the inventor to another one in Africa:
"wireless telegraphy
[..]
""Yes, two men have appeared on this terrestrial globe at the same instant of history. One, an italian called Marconi, has found a method of radiating into space the waves known as Hertzian"." - p 111
Of course, Marconi is generally so credited but some favor Tesla. Verne, being French, has to mention the 2nd responsible person as a Frenchman:
"Doctor Branly. It was he who discovered the receiver"." - p 111
&, gee, not only does Killer torture a prisoner, but so does the absent-minded 'good guy' inventor:
""I ought to warn you," the engineer said gently, "that I'm going to make you talk."
[..]
"Camaret shrugged his shoulders. Then, without insisting, he placed on the thumbs and under the feet of the recalcitrant four little metallic plates, and connected them up to some terminals. This done, he suddenly threw a switch.
"The man at once twisted in frightful convulsions. The veins on his neck were swollen as though about to burst, and his empurpled face displayed intolerable suffering." - p 130
This torture brings about almost immediate 'positive' results. I think it wd've been better if Verne hadn't made it seem so easy. He just reinforced the idiots who think torture is ok. If this were a novel written today, it wd be the genitals & the eyes (or some such) that were wired.
The inventor, Camaret, after learning of Killer's despicable activities, is nonetheless, loath to use the destructive capabilities at his easy disposal to attack & kill Killer & to, therefore, save himself & his people. Instead, he goes thru ridiculous other plans to try to help them escape from Killer's destructive intentions. These plans fail & the French reporter, Amédée Florence, comes up w/ the 'bright' idea of fomenting a slave revolt: ""There must be at least four thousand of them, not counting the women, who ought to be as good as two men when they're set free."" (p 137) The thing about this idea is that there doesn't seem to be much concern about the slaughter that the slaves will undergo as they're poorly armed for fighting. SO, while on the surface, it seems that the Europeans have the slaves' freedom in mind, they're really just using them in a casual way for irresponsible ulterior motives. Far more people are likely to die this way than if Camaret had just blown up Killer & his palace & cronies to begin w/. Oh well..
In the end, Barsac's mission to prove that blacks in French West Africa are deserving of voting rights is somewhat justified by having most of the bad guys be white. But does Barsac conclude that voting for the blacks is a good idea? Read this & find out.
October 15, 2020
আসলে বইটি কিশোরদের জন্য উপযুক্ত
August 22, 2023
This book is not suitable for an adult. Read more novels written by Jules Verne. They are full of great adventure and thrill. But it didn't feel good at all. 😒😒
August 1, 2009
When I read this I didn't realize it was a sequel of sorts. I just know I didn't care that much for it. Plus, I was already long an adult by this time while I read most of his books as a youngster.
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May 10, 2012I've got to get the first book before I go on...
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