Robur the Conqueror

Robur #1

by Jules Verne

At the Weldon Institute in Philadelphia, a mob of zealous balloon enthusiasts plans to conquer the sky in a state-of-the-art dirigible. When a stranger, the mysterious Robur, declares that the future belongs not to balloons but to heavier-than-air flying machines, the Institute scornfully dismisses the idea. But Robur demands vengeance and has a unique flying machine that will allow him to take it.
By turns an impassioned argument for aviation, a wild proto-steampunk adventure, and a jubilant celebration of the dream of flight, Robur the Conqueror ranks among Jules Verne s most iconic and influential works. Its technological speculations, including the unforgettable aircraft Albatross, are a vibrant snapshot of nineteenth-century scientific innovation.

Genres: Science Fiction, Classics, Fiction, Adventure, France, Literature, Fantasy

196 pages, Paperback

First published August 23, 1886

About the author

Novels 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...

Reviews

[Pramod Nair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robur the Conqueror, also known as The Clipper of the Clouds is a science fiction from Jules Verne written in 1886 along the similar lines of his masterpiece Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. While ‘Twenty thousand leagues under the sea’ with its enigmatic Captain Nemo and his underwater exploits in Nautilus was an enthralling and exciting reading experience Robur the Conqueror was a less thrilling read.

This volume from Verne describes the adventures of Robur - a wannabe conqueror of the world and a great inventor - and Albatross, his incredible heavier-than-air flying machine. Verne develops the book from the concepts of air-travel that was floating around his time – he recognizes the limitations that balloons had as a travel medium – and predicts the way in which future air transportation was going to be with his development of the flying machine ‘Albatross’. Verne makes ‘Albatross’ a propeller driven machine powered by electricity and airs his views at the future of balloon travel through the voice of his protagonist ‘Robur’.

While describing the technology of Albatross and the science of flight, as usual we can recognize the high level of imagination that Verne is renowned for. His visions about the future of aerial navigation and rotary-winged flights which are described in the book almost twenty five years before the feat by Wright Brothers deserve applause by being highly ingenious.

Even if many of the books from the time period of ‘Robur the Conqueror’ have racial remarks in them, it felt to me as a reader that with this book Verne has gone an extra mile in making his narration too much racist.

Being a great fan of Verne and his highly imaginative early science fiction, ‘Robur the Conqueror’ failed to charm me as much as his other works as a reader with its rushed style of character and plot development. A few more inputs from Verne on why the aircraft was made and about the personality and motives of Robur along with some more adventures could have raised the narrative to a more exciting level; still a volume to pursue for a true fan of his voyages extraordinaires.

[Manny · Rating 2 out of 5]

[With apologies to Monty Python]



John Cleese: Albatross! Albatross!! Albatross!!!

Customer: Have you got any character development or memorable dialogue?

Cleese: Of course I haven't got any bloody character development or memorable dialogue, this is a bloody Jules Verne novel! But I have got an Albatross...

Customer: What flavour is it?

Cleese: It isn't any fucking flavour, it's a fucking heavier-than-air flying machine. Albatross...

Customer: But everything's got a flavour.

Cleese: Alright then, it's fucking Captain Nemo flavour. Alb...

Customer: Can I get it without racism?

Cleese: No, you can't get it without bloody fucking cocksucking racism. Al...

Customer: I'll take two of them.

Cleese: Okay, okay, Robur-le-Conquérant and Maître du Monde coming up. Albatross!

(continues ad infinitum)

[Fernando · Rating 3 out of 5]

«¿En qué época cesará el hombre de profundizar la tierra para vivir en el azul y en la paz del cielo?» Camille Flammarion

Hacía mucho tiempo que tenía ganas de leer una novela de aventuras y espontáneamente, me vinieron a la cabeza Emilio Salgari y Jules Verne. Como no tengo nada de Salgari, pero Verne fue mi gran ídolo literario de la infancia, seleccioné "Robur el Conquistador" para rememorar esas viejas épocas.
Aún recuerdo, de niño, que iba a la biblioteca de mi pueblo y en un estante, arriba del todo, estaban los grandes volúmenes con toda la obra de Verne.
Yo retiraba tres de esos libros y me los leía en los doce días que tenía para leerlos y literalmente los devoraba mucho antes del día de devolución. Creo que me los leí prácticamente a todos. Fueron años maravillosos, puesto que a principios de la década del ’80 no había ni televisión, ni celulares, ni e-readers, y mucho menos internet, nada. Tan sólo... ¡libros!
Me gustó esta novelita. Robur, ese enigmático ingeniero que construye el Albatros, un buque que posee setenta y cuatro hélices y dos rotores en proa y popa y que vuela para demostrar que las aeronaves “más pesadas que el aire! pueden volar mejor que los globos aerostáticos.
En cierta manera, Verne, que anticipó los grandes avances que conoceríamos medio siglo después, con el Albatros define el concepto de lo que conoceríamos como helicóptero, más allá de que es buque que navega el cielo en vez de los mares.
Para demostrar esa teórica virtualmente “secuestra” a bordo del Albatros a Uncle Prudent y Phil Evans, presidente y secretario del Weldon Institute de Filadelphia y los lleva a una verdadera “vuelta al mundo” en tiempo récord, lo que derivará en una serie inusitada de eventos que incluye una demostración geográfica cabal y contundente a cargo de Robur (Verne), lo que demuestra el alto nivel de conocimientos que éste posee.
Me gustó, y concuerdo con otros lectores que afirman que el argumento de la novela es por demás parecido al de Nemo y su Nautilus en “20.000 Leguas de Viaje Submarino”, pero, por otro lado, me encantó volver por un tiempo a los felices días de mi infancia. ¡Merci, Jules!

[Clay Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story in this book scratched a reading itch I had.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

ROBUR THE CONQUEROR was published by Jules Verne in 1886, one of his "Voyages Extraordinaire." The novel focuses on lighter-than-air vs. heavier-than-air flight. The title character, Robur, has developed a heavier-than-air ship that he contends is the future of flight (this was almost 20 years before the Wright Brothers flight at Kitty Hawk). Robur first appears at a meeting of a society of balloonists in Philadelphia who disagree with Robur. The president of the society, Uncle Prudent, the secretary, Phil Evans, and Prudent's manservant, Frycollin, end up being kidnapped by Robur and are taken on a journey in his airship, the Albatross, around the world. They travel west across the U.S. including swooping down on a passing train on the western frontier. Then up towards Alaska and across to Japan and China. Then Europe, down into Africa, across the Atlantic almost to the South Pole before Prudent, Evans, and Frycollin are able to escape and blow up the Albatross. But is that the end of Robur? Not likely; he returns to Philadelphia to seek his vengeance.

I actually read this copy of the novel from an omnibus called "The Best of Jules Verne" that I have had for many years. In it, Robur is published under its alternate title, CLIPPER OF THE CLOUDS, along with AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS and JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. I read both Eighty Days and Journey many years ago but had never read Robur although I did read a Classics Illustrated comic adaptation when I was in grade school.



There was also a movie adaptation from 1961 titled "Master of the World" which starred Vincent Price. MASTER OF THE WORLD is actually a Verne sequel to Robur but the movie was based on Conqueror although the plot lines were very much embellished.



I enjoyed Robur for what it is, kind of a poor man's TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA with Robur in the role of Nemo. Verne definitely had a grasp for the physics of the time, as well as a great knowledge of geography. And of course he was right about the future of flying and heavier-than-air aircraft although the Albatross was more like a giant drone with upright propellers. A drawing from an early edition of the book make it look like a flying ship.

Verne was also a little racist in his descriptions of Frycollin who was a black servant. He used very stereotypical language and pictured him as lazy and frightened at most everything. But overall, this was an engaging Verne adventure and at some point I will probably read the sequel, MASTER OF THE WORLD.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This certainly is not Jules Verne's best book. Take a group of characters involved in ballooning (called aerostats in the book) and a strange Captain Nemo look-alike called Robur who has a heavier than air ship called the Albatross, which is an "aeronef," very like a sort of an elaborate helicopter.

When Philadelphia's Weldon Institute, headed up by Uncle Prudent (I kid you not) and Phil Evans have a meeting preparatory to launching a giant balloon called the "Go-Ahead," the meeting is interrupted by a strange character who mocks them all for being so old fashioned. After the meeting, Prudent and Evans are kidnapped by the self-same strange character, who is none other than Robur the Conqueror. He takes the two, along with Frycollin, Prudent's black valet, who is treated by Verne with condescension approaching (and surpassing) racism.

The odd thing is that I can understand the motives of none of the characters. Why does Robur bother with a couple of old poofters who are wedded to an outdated technology? And why are Prudent and Evans so idiotic that they do not recognize that their moment in the history of science is past? I only one I understand is Frycollin, who is terrified and just wants to survive.

Verne makes a few major goofs in Robur the Conqueror, such as locating the Badlands in Nebraska rather than South Dakota, making San Francisco the capital of California, and misnaming Punta Arenas in Chile "Puerto Arena."

Robur the Conqueror was later followed by a sequel, which is someone better known: The Master of the World. I'll probably take a look at it in the upcoming months.

[Marley · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only positive thing I found in this book was the description of The Albatross. It's classic Jules Verne, describing in detail a flying machine years before the Wright Brothers, with a round-the-world journey in the bargain.

However, I can't review this story without pointing out the really disturbing levels of racism repeated in it. It was published in a time when you are tempted to dismiss racist language as "just a product of the time" and yet, it's not just an offensive turn of phrase here and there.

The book repeatedly mocks a character, described as being "half a Mussulman, half a Brahman" for being vegetarian. A character who apparently hails from the wrong region of France is dismissed with, "but what reliance could be placed on the information given by this Gascon?"

And most notably, the book repeatedly describes the character of Frycollin as if he stepped out of a minstrel show.

"He was a pure South Carolina Negro, with the head of a fool and the carcass of an imbecile. Being only one and twenty, he had never been a slave, not even by birth, but that made no difference to him. Grinning and greedy and idle, and a magnificent poltroon."

Frycollin is mistreated, often in disturbing ways that are presented as almost comical.

"Frycollin was dragged out of his cabin. Loud were his cries when the mate and one of the men seized him and tied him into a tub, which they hitched on to a rope...

The Negro at first thought he was going to be hanged. Not he was only going to be towed!"

The book's protagonists even threaten to eat Frycollin at one point. "As is always done with a Negro under such circumstances!" The circumstances being that they are all hungry. It is implied that they are only joking as they are not in any actual danger of starvation, but it's a bizarre threat to make against someone who is already distraught with fear.

There's also some bizarre "science" going on in this story. One passage seems to imply that Verne believes that tornado is just another name for hurricane ("Whether it be called a hurricane, as in the Atlantic ... or a tornado, as on the western coast") and he then proceeds to describe a hurricane at the South Pole. Some friend or editor had likely taken him to task for this as he adds the justification that the hurricane was strangely...

"out of the zone to which such storms are generally restricted, such zone being bounded by the thirtieth parallel of north latitude and the twenty-sixth parallel of south latitude. This may perhaps explain why the eddying storm suddenly turned into a straight one. But what a hurricane!"

The "straight" hurricane then blows them directly at a volcano that is actively spewing fire straight into the sky like a cartoon. I think the above passage is a fair example of how dull the narrative was as well. Adding exclamation points doesn't make it any more exciting.

The story makes frequent references to historical people and events (some of which were fairly recent events at the time of publication) and I spent a sizable amount of time sidetracked by Wikipedia looking up more information on the Tay Rail Bridge Disaster, the nation of Dahomey, Giovanni Caboto, and so on. All of which was a more interesting read than the book itself.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

The review from afar – No. 24

Re-revised forward to these overseas reviews:
Since emulating a yo-yo, I continue to rely on the old-style Kindle 3G for any non-technical reading. I tip my hat to the fine folks at Project Gutenberg: virtually every title I have or will be reading in the near future comes from them.

Robur the Conqueror is a scientific fiction story about the inventor of a marvelous heavier-than-air craft in the time when lighter-than-airships (e.g. balloons & dirigibles) were just making controlled voyages (okay balloons don’t make controlled trips, but you get the idea). (One must remember that Jules Verne wrote the story in 1886, almost twenty years before the Wright brothers made their first successful powered flights. So he wasn’t merely writing a story about a time when only lighter-than-air craft were feasible he was living in that time and projecting forward!)

When I read the story, I immediately thought of a Vincent Price movie that had a similar flying machine and inventor (Price), but a different plot, called “Master of the World”. After doing a bit of research I discovered that I wasn’t mistaken: this book (also called The Clipper of the Clouds) was filmed under the title of what is actually a sequel to this story (written in 1904). I suspect that the studio liked that title better, as it has more impact – even if you know nothing about the story.

The text and the movie have several similar elements, but they are not even close to identical. Robur, the brilliant mind who has created the engines and power systems that let his machine fly for months without refueling. He uses a form of electricity as the motive power (it was the new wonder of science during Verne’s life) and has an arrangement of propellers that lift or push the vessel. Think helicopter blades that only provide lift and ordinary prop plane propellers for directional thrust. That in itself is pretty far-thinking seeing as nothing that worked had been invented yet (and no, Leonardo’s flying machine wasn’t going anywhere with human muscle power, either.)

In both stories he captures some people who get to ride along with him for several months (not unlike Kirk Douglas and company in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) while he is attempting to convince them of the superiority of his technology (the book) or his attitude towards humanity (the movie).

While the book is a good tale I think that the movie script is clearly more filmable – especially for an audience that cares more about action, adventure, and spectacle rather than the debate over lighter-versus-heavier than air ships.

Despite it’s heavy-handedness, the ingenuity and far-seeing that Verne brings to this tale made me respect his formidable talent even more.

Three point five (3.5) imaginative and airborne Stars.

You can get this book for free from the Gutenberg Project site.

[Ζαχαρίας Παπαθωμάς · Rating 4 out of 5]

Αντί κριτικής κρατάω ένα κομμάτι από την 12η σελίδα που μου έκανε εντύπωση.

"Οι επιστήμονες συνέχισαν να διαφωνούν ίσως και για να εκφοβίσουν τους αφελείς και τους ανίδεους, οι οποίοι χάρη σε έναν από τους σοφότερους νόμους της φύσης έχουν αποτελέσει, αποτελούν και θα αποτελούν την πλειοψηφία των κατοίκων της γης."

[Cesar Leon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Se me parece demasiado a 20000 leguas de viaje submarino ,pero Robur no llega a la altura del capitán Nemo o se queda medias tintas de ser un gran villano según los estándares actuales.

[Jefi Sevilay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fatih Robur'la aslında kazara Dünyanın Hakimi'ni okurken tanıştım. 1904 yılında basılan Dünyanın Hakimi, 1886'da yazılan karakterimiz Robur'u içeriyordu. O yüzden bu sefer de 18 yıl geriye gidip Fatih Robur'la tanışmaya karar verdim.

Evet, (eğer olsaydı) biraz bul ve değiştirden Nautilus'ları Albatros'la, denizlerin altını gökyüzüyle değiştirmiş gibi dursa da özellikle "uçan gemi" konsepti yine her zamanki gibi zamanın ötesinde. Ben ilk başta acaba uçaktan mı bahsediyor dedim ama aslında Fatih Robur'un mühendisliğini yaptığı araç gerçekten güvertesi, kamaraları ve tayfası olan bir gemi.

Kitap kendince çok durağandı. Olan olayların yanısıra daha çok kaçırılan Uncle Prudent ve Phil Evans'ın dolaştığı coğrafyaları okuduk. Sanırım altında yatan konu da doğru bildiğini sanan kitlelerin gelişime ne kadar kapalı olduğuydu. O kadar olaysız ve durağandı ki, kitabın 15. Bölümünün başlığı şu "Gerçekten de Anlatılmayı Hak Eden Olaylar Gelişiyor". O da kitabın bitmesine 50 sayfa kala!

Ve son olarak JV her kitabı yazarkenki reçetesini bu kitapta da tekrarlamış;
- Bir İngiliz, bir Amerikalı, bir Fransız
- Kanada sınırı ya da yakınları,
- Soru cümleleri (Phil Evans ve Uncle Prudent bu durumda kaçmayacaklar mıydı?)
- Kuşkusuz, şüphesiz
- Eski Dünya ve Yeni Dünya
- Biraz ırkçılık (bu kitapta birazdan fazlaydı gerçi)

Eğer bu formülü uygularsanız, siz de bir JV kitabı yazabilirsiniz.
Tabi zamanınızın yüz yıl ötesini görebiliyorsanız!

Herkese keyifli okumalar!

[James Hold · Rating 1 out of 5]

Negative stars. I said in my review of MASTER OF THE WORLD how there was no need to read RTC since I'd read the sequel first. But I downloaded it from Gutenberg and gave it a shot. Things plodded along until chapter 5 where Verne wrote: He was a pure South Carolina Negro, with the head of a fool and the carcass of an imbecile. After which I tossed it in the garbage. I know there are arguments made that such 'inadvertent racism' was a product of the time, but the bile and bitterness in such hatefully expressed sentiments are beyond excuse. Verne's arrogant elitist snobbishness is on full display and nothing can be said to soften it. As far as I'm concerned the man can go fuck himself (in whatever world he now resides), while I will boycott him the rest of my days.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collects the two books about Verne's less famous pirate of the air.
The first pretty much repeats the formula of '20,000 Leagues under sea' except this time we see the world from the air. Dry and not a ton of characterization, but fun.

The second chronicles Robur's never terribly well explained descent into madness and his plans to conquer the world. Bit more mystery and adventure, but a really unstatisfying ending.

As always, it's Verne, so worth a read, and while I like Robur, his books aren't as strong as Nemo's.

[Anfenwick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I disliked the racist aspect of the book which consists mostly of systematically using the African American character for comic effect. I know Verne systematically makes fun of people on the basis of their national backgrounds but we still swallow that down. I also know the Verne books were meant to be didactic. Nearly half of this one is given over to describing the earth seen from above. I'm sure it was intended as the 19th century's version of The Earth from the Air by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. In the 21st century we're likely to prefer the pictures.

[Nicholas Beck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather dull world travel in a futuristic flying machine piloted by Robur who abducts two members of The Weldon Institute. The Institute is engaged in promoting the benefits of airship travel.
It's really a tale of 2 battling technologies with the luddites of the balloon/airship world unable to contend with or accept the future technology of "heavier than air" airplanes.

As noted in numerous reviews the racism is overt and completely unacceptable even when placed in the context of it's era (late 1800's) so this one should really be consigned to the dustbin of history.
Verne it seems has been poorly served by translators in the past and his work appears to have been altered and bowdlerised many times over by various translators so that may have some bearing on this particular edition.
The Scottie edition has no translator listed.

[Dan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like me some science fiction now and then. When I first started reading 'grown-up' books in fourth grade or so, I refused to read anything but science fiction and fantasy even. As an adult, I've lost most of my taste for it and generally am of the opinion that the majority of the vast ocean of science fiction is derivative trash.

But the truly greats, the Asimovs, the Leguins, I still love. I think it's a mistake to let yourself, whether writing or reading, be blinded by the speculative and other 'alien' (sometimes literal) aspects. Great science fiction's greatest strength is not in weird aliens or cool spaceships. It is in its ability to, through comparison, make deep observations on humanity and human nature.

This is why I hate Jules Verne.

No one can argue that he didn't have an almost scary ability to foresee future technology. Helicopters to the Apollo program (no, not submarines, those predated him). And who can forget how he predicted that dinosaurs would survive at the center of the earth?!

My point is, I'm not taking issue with his scientific prediction, accurate or otherwise. I would like to posit that Jules Verne was either among the most overrated novelists ever, or some sort of time-traveling robot.

Verne, like the rest of us, seems very impressed with his abilities as a technological prophet. So impressed, that he neglects to spend much time in his novels attending to things like plot, characterization or meaning, so busy pounding the kettle drum of prophecy is he.

Let me give a good example: Robur the Conqueror, a tale of science gone mad in the very clouds! A story about an air pirate with a battleship sized helicopter terrorizing the skies of the steam age! Exciting! What's not to like? A lot.

In Robur… we have one of the clearest examples of what I'm going to refer to as "Jules Verne fallacies of characterization" or "Verne Fallacy" if you like. From the moment the titular pirate, Robur, takes the stage in the novel, Verne is at great pains to remind us how terribly villainous this rogue is. Some of the acts of heinous evil committed by Robur within the scope of the novel? Saving peasants from bandits! Rescuing shipwrecked sailors! Finally, the lowest of the low, rescuing the protagonists from a dimwitted ballooning experiment only after they've righteously attempted to murder him. How do our heroes react to this final attack on decency? IMPOTENT FIST SHAKING RAGE! Look out Doctor Doom, there's a new villain in town and he's going to cure cancer and bring happiness to the children's ward at the hospital! Honestly, how do you contend with that sort of depravity?

You may notice the logical disconnect. Verne desperately wants us to know how evil Robur is, but his actions don't really support what we're told. This is where the Verne Fallacy comes in. We are expected to believe that Robur is evil, not based on things like his actions within the novel or the attitudes he expresses or his dealings with others. We are expected to accept that he is evil because Jules Verne says so. This is a common Verne theme. Characters are described in a certain way that may or may not be illustrated by their behavior, and the reader is expected to accept that not on evidence but on the author's insistence.

It's a poor way to tell a story. The sort of lazy writing you'd expect from some paperback thriller trash or bargain bin romance. But I think it's reasonable to expect more from a 'classic' or 'master'.

It seems to me that Verne is only seen for his predictions (the scarily accurate ones, not the crazy ones that get swept under the rug), when his quality as a novelist is less than good. The predictions are interesting, as can be a dense report on quantum physics. Neither makes good reading for most of us.

So it seems to me that Jules Verne was either a mediocre novelist who is forgiven far too much for the sake of his prophetic abilities or someone who had only a theoretical familiarity with how human beings think or act. Like a robot. Or an autistic. FROM THE FUTURE.

How else could he know about the underground dinosaurs?

[Devero · Rating 2 out of 5]

I parallelismi tra questo romanzo e quello ben più famoso Ventimila leghe sotto i mari dello stesso autore si sprecano, e purtroppo non vanno molto a favore di questo. Tra Nemo e Robur vince Nemo. Robur di suo ha dei comprimari più divertenti rispetto ad Arronax e compagni, nonché un aggancio più forte con la realtà descritta. Ci fu davvero una forte diatriba tra i "pallonisti" che ritenevano che solo con qualcosa di più leggero dell'aria si sarebbero conquistati i cieli, e chi sosteneva il più pesante dell'aria, ossia i moderni aerei ed elicotteri. Chiaramente Verne tifa per questi ultimi, e quindi per Robur, e tenuto conto che il romanzo uscì nel 1886, quando la sua posizione era in minoranza, beh, è stato buon profeta. Anche perché fino alla metà degli anni '30 del secolo scorso la questione rimase aperta.
Comunque 2 stelle, 2 stelle e mezza al massimo.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Robur the Conqueror is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea but without a single likable character. The would-be protagonists are whiny, stubborn, and just don't care about any of the plot happening around them. The discount Captain Nemo lacks any of the intrigue of the original, and isn't an anti-hero or a villian per se, he's just a tool.

I quite enjoy other Jules Verne books, but this one felt cheap and rushed. I like to imagine he wrote it over a weekend for booze money.

[Little Timmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have enjoyed the SiFi stories of Verne before but this one was a bust. It was a poorly rewrite of 20,000 leagues to me but set in the air instead of the sea. Most of the book is just descriptions of the lands flown over. more of a travel journal than a SiFi story. Not recommended

[Luis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Verne es mas detallado que Google Earth en esta novela.
Me ha gustado mucho.

[Wreade1872 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful and boring. Its 20000 leagues, but with an airship instead of a submarine. Do you know whats interesting about flying? nothing apparently.

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

FRANÇAIS: Il est évident que Jules Verne a essayé dans ce roman de répéter le succès de "20.000 lieues de voyage sous-marin", dont il est une mauvaise copie. L'idée est la même: trois personnes sont enlevées à bord d'un véhicule volant (l'Albatross) et forcées de faire le tour du monde par le mystérieux propriétaire et constructeur de l'Albatros, Robur le Conquérant. Malheureusement, le Captain Nemo est beaucoup plus attrayant, mystérieux et énigmatique que Robur, qui se comporte souvent comme un bavard mal élevé. La même chose est applicable aux autres personnages: Oncle Prudent n'a pas de comparaison avec le professeur Aronnax, Ned Land est plus sympathique que Phil Evans et Conseil est un serviteur beaucoup plus attrayant que le Négre Frycollin. De plus, un voyage en avion n’a pas de comparaison avec un voyage au plus profond de la mer. La meilleure partie du livre est le combat final entre l'avion et l'aérostat: l'Albatros contre le Go Ahead.

ESPAÑOL: Es evidente que Julio Verne intentó en esta novela repetir el éxito de "20.000 leguas de viaje submarino", de la que es una copia inferior. La idea es la misma: tres personas son raptadas a bordo de un vehículo volador (el Albatros) y obligadas a dar la vuelta al mundo por el misterioso dueño y constructor del Albatros, Robur el Conquistador. Lamentablemente, el personaje del Capitán Nemo es mucho más atractivo, misterioso y enigmático que Robur, que suele comportarse como un bocazas maleducado. A los otros personajes les pasa lo mismo: el Tío Prudent no tiene comparación con el profesor Aronnax, Ned Land es más simpático que Phil Evans, y Conseil un criado más atractivo que el negro Frycollin. Además, un viaje por aire no tiene comparación en interés con otro por las profundidades del mar. Lo mejor del libro es el combate final entre la aeronave y el aerostato: el Albatros contra el Go Ahead.

ENGLISH: It is obvious that Jules Verne tried in this novel to repeat the success of "20,000 leagues under the sea", of which this book is a bad copy. The idea is the same: three people are abducted aboard a flying vehicle (the Albatross) and forced to go around the world by the mysterious owner and builder of the Albatross, Robur the Conqueror. Unfortunately, the character of Captain Nemo is much more attractive, mysterious and enigmatic than Robur, who often behaves like a rudemouth. The same thing happens to the other characters: Uncle Prudent has no comparison with Professor Aronnax, Ned Land is more sympathetic than Phil Evans, and Conseil a more attractive servant than the Negro Frycollin. In addition, a trip by air can't be so interesting as another through the depths of the sea. The best part of the book is the final combat between the aircraft and the aerostat: the Albatross against the Go Ahead.

[R.L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Κριτική στα Ελληνικά πιο κάτω...

Robur the Conqueror is one of the less known novels of Jules Verne, an author who wrote an impressively large ammount of books, articles and novels. The problem here (and other works of Verne) is that while the main idea is exceptional, the actual read is less so.

There are many descriptions on the book that reflect the scientific knowledge (or assumptions) of the author's era, his unlimited curiosity to learn of foreign cultures, geography, customs, new discoveries on any kind of science and human nature and of course his amazing fantasy which sort of predictσ many situations and future invensions.

On one hand, one can admire Verne's ability to predict things like underwater or flying crafts or space travel, on the other hand one will definately smile on some statements like the one about flying crafts threatening to shake their passengers off due to the amazing speed of 200 km per hour.

The problem in this novel is, that the plot and characters don't make much sense. For example there is no decent explanation why Robur behaves as he does, nor why Uncle Prudence and Phil Evans react as they do. Jules Verne paints Robur as a strong headed person who tries to attract publicity on his invensions, yet latter on he appears wanting to keep Uncle Prudent and Phil Evans with him on an isolated place. He appears as a somehow evil mad scientist, yet he interfers to prevent a human sacrifice and drives some cast aways to safery. And while the other two heros appear to be passionate aerostatics bus otherwise sensible persons, their acts suggest otherwise. Last but not least, it is extremely hard to believe that they say no word after their adventures with Albatross and noone push them to do so and they carry on with their plan with Go Ahead.

A major pet-peeve is that I find the character of Frycollin and many of Verne's comments about black people too disturbing. This happens to other Verne's works too and while up to a point this is a troubled subject on many people's minds at the time, Frycollin presence in Robur the Conqueror, painted as a caricature, is far more annoying and obvious than on other Vernes books.

This is a book that someone can read on a few hours and it's not extremely bad, but it's not good either. There are other Jules Verne's books that are far more interesting and complete.


Ο Ροβήρος ο Κατακτητής είναι από τα λιγότερα γνωστά έργα του Βερν, ο οποίος ως γνωστόν ήταν πολυγραφότατος. Το πρόβλημα είναι ότι μάλλον ο Βερν είχε πίεση χρόνου ή άλλα θέματα να τον απασχολούν και ενώ η κεντρική ιδέα είναι εξαιρετική, σε πολλά διηγήματα η εκτέλεση υστερεί.
Έτσι και εδώ είναι παρούσα η γνωστή φιλομάθεια του συγγραφέα με περιγραφές των πρόσφατων μηχανικών επιτευγμάτων, των γεωγραφικών και λαογραφικών γνώσεων της εποχής (γνώσεις και αντιλήψεις άλλοτε σωστές και άλλοτε λανθασμένες ή παρωχημένες σήμερα) και φυσικά η παροιμιώδης φαντασία του που μπορεί να χαρακτηριστεί κατά κάποιον τρόπο προφητική.

Σε μία εποχή που τα πτητικά πειράματα και οι θεωρίες για την κατάκτηση των αιθέρων αφθονούσαν και στρέφονταν κυρίως στα αερόστατα και ως ένα βαθμό (κυρίως θεωρητικό) στα αερόπλοια, ο Ιούλιος Βερν οραματίζεται πτητικές μηχανές βαρύτερες από τον αέρα που κινούνται και κυρίως αιωρούνται με μηχανική δύναμη και θα υπερτερούσαν σαφώς από τα ελαφρύτερα από τον αέρα αερόστατα που βασίζονταν στις ιδιότητες των ευγενών αερίων.

Όπως και σε πολλά άλλα έργα του συγγραφέα δεν μπορεί κανείς να μην τον θαυμάσει για αυτήν του την διορατικότητα και να μην χαμογελάσει ταυτόχρονα με την αφέλεια ορισμένων δηλώσεων, όπως ας πούμε την τρομερή ταχύτητα των 200 χλμ την ώρα που σε συνδυασμό με τον ούριο άνεμο μπορεί να ρίξει τους ήρωες μας από το κατάστρωμα του Άλμπατρος, ή το σύστημα των ελίκων που το κινεί και το κρατά στον αέρα.

Το αρνητικό με το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο είναι ότι υστερεί πολύ η πλοκή σε σχέση με άλλα του βιβλία και οι χαρακτήρες είναι εντελώς ασυνάρτητοι. Ποτέ δεν εξηγεί ο συγγραφέας για ποιο λόγο ο Ροβήρος απαγάγει τους άλλους αφού φαίνεται ότι μάλλον σκόπευε να τους κρατήσει στο σημείο Χ. Σε τι θα του ήταν χρήσιμοι; Επίσης συνεχώς ο χαρακτήρας του ταλαντεύεται μεταξύ ενός μυστήριου σατανικού επιστήμονα και ενός ήρωα που ακυρώνει ανθρωποθυσίες και σώζει ναυαγούς Ο Μπαρμα-Φρόνιμος και ο Φιλ Έβανς σκιαγραφούνται σαν παθιασμένοι αεροστατικοί με ζωηρό χαρακτήρα αλλά στην πορεία του βιβλίου η στάση τους δεν έχει νόημα Είναι λογικό να είναι έξω φρενών με την απαγωγή τους, αλλά οι απόπειρες διαφυγής τους στην μέση του πουθενά δεν είναι δείγμα λογικού ανθρώπου ούτε βέβαια βγάζει νόημα η απόφασή τους να καταστρέψουν το Άλμπατρος. Επίσης είναι εξαιρετικά δύσκολο να πιστέψει κανείς ότι δεν μιλάνε καθόλου για την περιπέτεια τους και όλοι σέβονται αυτή τους την απόφαση.

Ένα πολύ ενοχλητικό σημείο είναι ο χαρακτήρας του υπηρέτη Φριφρή, η συμπεριφορά των άλλων απέναντι του και τα άφθονα ρατσιστικά σχόλια εναντίων του και εναντίων των μαύρων γενικά. Υπάρχουν τέτοιες πινελιές και σε άλλα έργα του Βερν. Bέβαια η κατάργηση της δουλείας είναι σχεδόν σύγχρονη της εποχής του και οι μαύροι στην Ευρώπη μάλλον κάτι εξωτικό και άγνωστο, ωστόσο εδώ ο Βερν το παρακάνει νομίζω.

Για να μην μακρηγορώ, είναι ένα έργο που διαβάζεται άνετα σε λίγες ώρες, όχι όμως ιδιαίτερα καλό συγκριτικά με άλλα του συγγραφέα.

[Dudley Starks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leggere Verne è come viaggiare nel tempo, ridare vita a ricordi di letture spensierate ma dal grande impatto immaginifico, tornare in quel mondo dove le possibilità erano infinite e gli sviluppi della scienza aprivano orizzonti di grandi conquiste, bastava solo perdersi tra le pagine di avventure fantastiche.
Robur il conquistatore è certamente un opera minore nella vastissima produzione di Jules Verne, a ben vedere è anche un romanzo non pienamente riuscito, ridondante e a tratti noioso nella lunga parte centrale fatta di interminabili descrizioni di paesaggi e luoghi esotici, dove all’accuratezza dello scenario non corrisponde un adeguato approfondimento dei personaggi.
La prima parte del romanzo è invece molto divertente, costruita sulle focose diatribe del tempo (siamo nel 1886), vere e proprie battaglie ideologiche tra chi sosteneva che la conquista dei cieli fosse possibile solo attraverso l’utilizzo di palloni aerostatici e chi invece puntava sulle “macchine volanti”.
Verne parte da un contesto realistico e non lesina riferimenti alla storia dell’aviazione, ma al tempo il cielo non apparteneva ancora all’uomo e lo scrittore anticipa di qualche anno i fratelli Wright creando una rivoluzionaria aeronave guidata da un personaggio enigmatico e ambiguo di nome Robur.

É chiaro che lo scrittore parteggi con convinzione per Robur e il suo stupefacente Albatros, nonostante lo stesso personaggio non sia privo di lati oscuri Verne rende i suoi antagonisti Uncle Prudent e Phil Evans ancora più disprezzabili e antipatici.
Eppure i due figuri, eminenti rappresentanti del Weldon Institute di Filadelfia, un prestigioso club di sostenitori del “più leggero dell’aria” (il pallone aerostatico come unica via percorribile nella conquista del cielo), vengono rapiti dallo stesso Robur e costretti a viaggiare per il mondo a bordo del suo Albatros, oltre a non avere possibilità di fuga devono subire l’umiliazione di vedere le loro teorie superate dalla straordinaria invenzione del misterioso ingegnere.
Il finale a sorpresa e decisamente rocambolesco risolleva un po' le sorti del romanzo che tuttavia resta lontano dai vertici raggiunti dall’autore nelle sue opere migliori, ma alcuni elementi della storia dovevano aver colpito i lettori dell’epoca tanto che Verne scriverà un seguito dal titolo Il padrone del mondo pubblicato nel 1904.

[Martijn Vsho · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Weldon Institute has been working on a lighter-than-air machine that will allow them to conquer the air. Yet one day a man named Robur walks in and critiques such machines in favor of heavier-than-air ones. The next day the president and secretary of the Weldon Insitute dissapear. What happened to them? Who is this man and does he have any basis for his critiques? And who is right, the Weldon Insitute or Robur?
In this novel, Jules Verne explores lighter-than-air and heavier-than-air modes of flight. It was fascinating to think about this in Verne's context, a time when this was a heavy debate and before airplanes were invented. I enjoyed the novel. At first I thought that the plot reminded me a little too much of another book of his, Master of the World. This disheartened me until I reread the translators introduction and found out that Master of the World is the sequel to this book. The translator sometimes notes these connections as well in the footnotes.
I read the translation by Alex Kirtukas, which I really enjoyed. It contains an introduction about the book and its context, footnotes explaining details about the book and comparing Verne's published version with his initial manuscript, an annotated bibliography listing Verne's works and recommended translations in English, and the very different original manuscript ending to the book which Verne changed before publication. These extras make this an edition worth reading for all Jules Verne fans.
Overall, I was happy with the book and I give it a 4/5 rating.

[Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of Verne's stories that I've read, they tend to consist of two major elements, some science fiction and a travelogue. These elements contributed to his success during his life and his continued popularity; he defined the Scientific Romance. In Robur he uses those elements and he tries his hand at another Captain Nemo, but with limited success. Robur is a genius, without a doubt, bold and daring, inventor of a fantastic means of travel, scoops up three unwilling passengers and carts them off for the trip of their lives, but he lacks Nemo's charisma and sanity.

In short Robur builds the first heavier-than-air ship, the Albatross (I kept thinking of Coleridge's poem), a kind of proto-helicopter but with propellers on the sides as well, like a giant prop powered Osprey, and after a pretty successful publicity stunt, he angers a whole club of balloonists in America (Verne's depictions of America are charming, if a bit wrong) and captures the President, his manservant, and the Secretary of said club, hauls them around the world while insulting and belittling them.

Sadly the book doesn't live up to the introduction, but given Verne's output, they can't all be Around the World in Eighty Days.

It's not a bad book, but it's not a superb adventure either.

[Julio Bernad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leí este libro en plena fiebre steampunk. Desde chiquitín sentí fascinación por Julio Verne, mi eterno tocayo: sus inventos adelantados a su tiempo, sus aventuras freneticas, sus personajes rebeldes y misteriosos, sus parajes de fantasía antediluviana. Si, me gustaba Julio Verne, y me he leído un buen tochete de su obra, que abarcan maravillas -su mayoria- a horrendos pastiches de si mismo.
Y, ¿Que es Robur el Conquistador? Robur es un romance científico, como gustaba llamarlas su autor, una aventura cuyo protagonista es una maquina asombrosa que choca contra todo lo creado en 1870, al estilo de 20.000 leguas de viaje submarino o De la tierra a la luna, guardando mucha relación con la primera.

Reseña completa aqui: http://gymnopedieygnossiennes.blogspo...

[BJ Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a masterpiece! The Albatross is to the skies what the Nautilus in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is to the oceans.

Jules Verne was surely a genius - in his scientific knowledge, in his imagination, in his ability to tell a great story. His words create beautiful visual pictures of the regions the Albatross flies over - what a great geography lesson! And the man had a prodigious vocabulary - words such as crepuscular (at twilight), fulginous (like lightning), phanerogam (spermatophytes - plants that produce seeds)

[Christian Chaille · Rating 1 out of 5]

A racist travelogue featuring three impossibly inflated egos, one non-inflated flying machine, and one black character who's entire purpose is to repeatedly remind the viewer of just what Verne thinks of black people.

[Ella Caitlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 20% I found the narrative stagnant and uninteresting and prose style laborious and unrefined. Coupled with the disgusting racism I decided not to finish the book since I didn’t envisage gaining anything from such a novel let alone enjoying the experience.