The Steam House: Tigers and Traitors

The Steam House #2

by Jules Verne

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1881. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER IV. A QUEEN OF THE TERRAI. THIS remark of the zoologist ended our visit to the kraal, as it was time to return to Steam House. I must say that Captain Hood and Mathias van Guitt did not part the best friends in the world. One wished to destroy the wild beasts of the Terrai, the other wished to catch them; yet there were plenty to satisfy both. It was, however, agreed that intercourse between the kraal and the sanitarium should be frequent. Each was to give information to the other. Van Guitt's shikarries, who were well acquainted with this sort of expedition, and knew every turn of the forest, were to render a service to Captain Hood by showing him the tracks of animals. The zoologist most obligingly placed all his men, and especially Kalagani, at his disposal. This native, although but recently engaged at the kraal, showed himself very intelligent, and completely to be depended on. In return, Captain Hood promised, as far as lay in his power, to aid in the capture of the animals which were yet wanting to complete the stock of Mathias van Guitt. Before leaving the kraal, Sir Edward Munro, who probably did not purpose making many visits there, again thanked K&lagani, whose intervention had saved him. He told him that he should always be welcome at Steam House. The native saluted coldly. Although he must have felt some sentiment of satisfaction at hearing the man whose life he had preserved speak thus, he allowed no trace of it to appear on his countenance. We returned in time for dinner. As may be imagined, Mathias van Guitt was our chief subject of conversation. "By Jove what an absurd fellow he is," said the captain. "What with his gestures, his fine choice of words, and his grand expressions, he is a caution Only, if he fancies that wild bea...

Genres: Science Fiction

38 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1880

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

[Julian Worker · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second part of a larger work called The Steam House.

The first part is called The Demon of Cawnpore and this is a reference to one of the leaders of the 1857 Indian Mutiny, an uprising against British East India Company rule. The conflict ended Company rule but ushered in direct British Crown control, otherwise known as the Raj. The book is set in this historical context.

I think this book is extremely well written, but I didn't like it because of the subject matter and the attitude of some of the characters, who could have featured in the Monty Python sketch 'Upper Class Twit of the Year'.

The character Colonel Munro believes that his wife perished in the Cawnpore Massacre and the colonel is upset so his friends propose a tour of India in a luxury 'caravan' - The Steam House of the title - drawn by a traction engine in the form of an elephant. Accompanying Munro are quite a few obnoxious people including Captain Hood whose 'aim' in life seems to be to remove the tiger from the surface of the earth. Also along for the ride is the French narrator Monsieur Maucler.

The caravan rescues an animal collector, Mathias Van Guitt, and helps him take his collection to the nearest railway station. You might not be surprised to hear that The Steam Train drawn by the mechanical elephant garners a lot of attention and is attacked by wild animals, a vast herd of elephants, and by dacoits or robbers who are only defeated by an explosion.

The book is imaginative and zips along at a good speed through the Indian countryside.

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jules Verne was often ahead of his time, writing about many subjects and ideas long before reality brought them to life. In this case, however, his work has not aged well. Despite the interesting concept of a caravan pulled across India by a mechanical elephant, this is an exceedingly dull book. That is not the worst thing about it though. There are several main aspects of this book that are just at odds with a contemporary view of the world, so much so that it's hard to have any investment or interest in them. Take for example, that many of the "thrills" of this book come from trophy hunting. One character is trying to kill his FIFTIETH tiger, and his efforts to trap and shoot them for sport are held up as the pinnacle of bravery. In other moments of tension, wild animals such as panthers, tigers and lions, and even later on elephants, are portrayed as bloodthirsty and antagonistic, to a degree that seems fairly ridiculous. At one point, the group's camp is stormed by what is essentially an army of tigers and Panthers and various other animals, all working together with the goal of killing humans. In Verne's time this view of wild animals may have been more understandable, but today we know that this is not at all how animals behave, and so it just seems ridiculous instead of scary. And finally, the main antagonist in this book is the Indian leader of an anti-colonialist rebellion. Reading this in the 21st century, I find myself sympathizing more with the villain, who attempts to fight the invaders in his land, rather than the european protagonists who travel around their ill-gotten empire shooting tigers and dropping disparaging remarks about the native population. I understand that this book was written a long time ago, but literally nothing in it has aged well. I have read books by Jules Verne that I have really enjoyed, but this is definitely not one of them.

Disclaimer: I went into this book not knowing it was a sequel, but had I read the book that came before it, I think my opinions on this novel would still be the same.

[Norrel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dit werk behoort tot het saaiste dat Jules Verne heeft geschreven. Het gezelschap uit deel 1 trekt verder door India, en verliest daarbij uiteindelijk hun voertuig. Verne doet wat vruchteloze pogingen om spanning in het verhaal te brengen, maar slaagt daar absoluut niet in.
Heeft u nooit iets van Verne gelezen, begin dan niet in dit boek. Het lezen ervan was tijdverspilling.

[Zulfiqar Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A somewhat dated but imaginative and well written Jules Verne classic set in British India.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

As in the first half of "The Steam House" very little happens for most of the book; the party continues to travel
across post-Mutiny India in a train pulled by a steam-powered
elephant. They have a feebly comic encounter with a Dutchman
who traps animals for circuses and zoos. Towards the end,
the story finally becomes more exciting; the expedition narrowly escapes destruction by a herd of real elephants, and
then Colonel Munro, a Mutiny veteran, ends up tied to the
mouth of a cannon by surviving Mutineers who propose to treat him as the British treated their comrades...