Name: Cinq semaines en ballon
Rating: 3.615384615384615 (13 reviews)
ISBN: 9782010045080

Jules Verne

Pannemaker

Une ville flottante

Cinq semaines en ballon

Five Weeks in a Balloon

Tim Pendry

The first of Verne's novels and so the first of his 'Voyages Extraordinaires' appeared in 1863 (1865 in English translation). It counts (just) as science fiction insofar as the balloon journey across Africa was 'ahead of its time'. This journey is described in sometimes nerdy scientific detail. Detail that you would later come to expect from a description of armament in twentieth century thrillers would have been part of the appeal of the book to young males seeking vicarious pleasure. Scientific 'realism' adds to the feeling of 'being there' as our white men cross the Dark Continent. The casual and obvious racism of the novel will shock many of today's more sensitive souls. There are heavily bowlderised versions of the tale out there but you should avoid these. To get the pleasure of the past is to see it as it was and not as we would have liked it to have been. The detail extends to topography. You have a sense of being able to trace on a good map the balloon's precise journey across what would come to be first the British imperial zone and then the French with many boy's own adventures and accounts of fauna and territory along the way. What is striking is that Verne, a Frenchman, makes his three heroes British archetypes (scholar-scientist, man of action and man-servant) pre-figuring the Phileas Fogg of 1872, whose superiority stands despite the coruscating critique of the British Empire by anti-hero Nemo in 1869. This ambivalence is pragmatic. This was the age when Victorian Explorers, riding the back of trade routes, were opening up Africa. Livingstone had undertaken the first traverse of the central continent between 1853 and 1856 and Burton and Speke were on the track of the source of the Nile. These were exciting times not only in Africa but in Canada and Australia. Tales of triumph over hardship in order to open up 'new territory' were becoming a staple of popular literature. To imagine early flight speeding up the process was the stuff of dreams. In this context the British hero was the natural hero unless Verne had been inclined to polemic French nationalism which he clearly was not. Verne was (it is recorded) not really interested in ballooning. He was interested in Africa. He just wanted to make traversing Africa relatively quickly plausible. As to the racism (increasingly normalised in that imperialist period when anthropology was only just beginning to come to terms with Darwinism), it is sometimes savage and nasty though not dominant. The local peoples are positioned half way between animal and civilised. They knew no better then. The race issue is matched by a class issue with the ranking of the self-sacrificing man-servant clearly a significant notch below the two educated 'pals'. Joe is a loyal retainer half way perhaps between natives and the elite. He may not understand much but he knows his duty and is loved for it. Placing those discomforts aside, his first novel helps to tell us why Verne (already in his mid-30s) was to become one of the most loved of popular authors globally and one of the fathers of science fiction (the others being Wells and Gernsback perhaps). Quite simply he can tell a rollicking good yarn. Scholars now tend to agree that the science fiction components of his ouevre have been retrospectively exaggerated so that it is probably best to think of his stories as primarily richly imaginative adventure tales set in a world unfolding in real time before his readers' eyes. The book becomes a snapshot not so much into the French mid-nineteenth century mind (only the rescue at the end betrays French pride) but of a common European mind that seems almost child-like in its curiosity, adventurous nature, happy ignorance and disregard for our 'ethics'. It is as if 'science fiction' simply emerges at this point out of that rich imagination finding ways to exploit a remarkable expansion of knowledge for the middling sort. Balloons and submarines are just a way of exploring the novelty and rockets to extend further outwards the urge to 'find things out'.

Colleen

3 Stars

Five Weeks in a Balloon is the first in Verne's "Extraordinary Voyages" series. And if I'm not mistaken, the first of his books to be published. It very much sets the example of how the rest of that series would go. Although it is evident that he was still finding his style, and I did not enjoy this book as much as some of his later works. But I like to read author's debuts and see how their style and techniques change over time.

This is a classic adventure story wherein three men attempt to explore Africa (which was at the time still largely unknown) via a hot air balloon. Verne took some liberties with the science and obviously had to make up some details about things that were unknown, but overall he writes a convincing story. And it is certainly stuffed full of daring escapades and hapless misadventures. It is an interesting combination of science, exploration, and at times very poetic scenic descriptions. 

But it should definitely be noted that this book is not up to twenty-first century criteria of political correctness and should definitely be taken with a grain of salt.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

Sarah Escorsa

Un grand classique toujours agréable à lire et à relire.

Svetlana 

Sherry

Cat Josephson

395-M

Martin Pannier

Valentina dossi

Hasta esa fecha, un joven Julio Verne únicamente había escrito algunas piezas teatrales de mediano éxito. Sin embargo, su reciente matrimonio y su trabajo en la casa de la bolsa no eran suficientes. Fue entonces cuando retomó una vieja historia de escribir libros de ciencia: ya había escrito algunas publicaciones cortas, como "Martín Paz",[8] y, sintiéndose listo, escribió un relato titulado "Voyage en l'air" ("Viaje por el aire"), una historia de aventura científica. Sin embargo, el texto fue rechazado en varias editoras; seguramente la historia de este gran autor hasta allí hubiera llegado de no haber tenido la suerte de conocer a Pierre-Jules Hetzel. No se sabe de qué manera llegó Verne a la puerta del editor, pues existen varias versiones acerca del encuentro, pero lo cierto es que, un día de 1862, Verne llegó a su editorial y le presentó el manuscrito de la aventura de su invención.

Cinco Semanas En Globo

Florencia Sime

Aimed at young readers, this adventure-themed collection of adapted classic books will entertain youngsters with characters and storylines that seek to foster their love for reading. These classics are a great way for young readers to start building their very own library. Orientado al público infantil-juvenil, esta colección de obras clásicas de aventura busca entretener a lectores jóvenes con personajes e historias que fomentarán su amor por la lectura. Estos libros clásicos son la manera perfecta para que los jóvenes empiecen su propia biblioteca.

Cinq semaines en ballon Une ville flottante

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