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(7) Autour de la lune (Around The Moon, 1870) (1 volume) 57K words

This is a continuation of From the Earth to the Moon, starting right where the previous novel finishes. In fact, we only consider them as two different novels because they were originally published that way, but it would make sense to think of them as a single novel in two volumes, and sometimes it's published that way.


First read or reread?: This is a first read for me.


What is it about? (from goodreads): Having been fired out of the giant Columbiad space gun, the Baltimore Gun Club's bullet-shaped projectile, along with its three passengers, Barbicane, Nicholl and Michel Ardan, begins the five-day trip to the moon.


In my review of From the Earth to the Moon I commented that the book was short of action, being more about the preparations than about the actual space trip. Well, at last here is what happens in the actual trip.

The tone is different from the previous book, with less humor and more action. There's still the problem that, while a lot of things happen, the characters have limited influence on the events, given that, once the projectile is shot, its occupants have a limited ability to influence its ballistic movements.

Because of that, the emphasis is in the interaction between the characters (even though this is not as satirical as the first part, there's still some humor because of that) and the scientific sense of wonder of the journey. In fact, the characters seem more scientifically competent here than in the first book (well, except for Michel Ardan, who is as incompetent in that sense as ever). But Barbicane, who seemed a glorified cannon-maker, is here quite knowledgeable about astronomy.

What doesn't change is how geeky this novel is. To give you an idea, there's a whole chapter devoted to discussing an equation. That is played for laughs, showcasing how unable Ardan is to understand maths, and I'm afraid readers who know little physics won't make sense of the maths either. With Ardan's constant interruptions it's not explained clearly at all, but the equation itself is a simple conservation of energy formula, describing how the total energy (kinetic and gravitational potential) of the projectile must remain constant after the launch, thus allowing us to calculate the speed as a function of its distance to the Moon. They do discover a mistake the Observatory of Cambridge made, which seemed unrealistic (one would think the calculations would have been rechecked many times before the launching).

Anyway, there is also a lot of direct observation, and scientific discussions about the Moon, its formation, the possibility of it being able to support life (now or in the past)... Of course, some of the science is outdated (there's even discussion of aether), but it's fascinating how Verne tries to keep everything grounded and believable in the context of the knowledge available at the time. This is indeed hard science fiction.

Among the mistakes, one example is how Verne is unaware of the effects of opening a window into space. He knows that the air would go out and that it must be closed immediately to avoid losing all of it, but he absolutely underestimates how violently air would leave. This goes to show just how little knowledge there was about space at the time, which in a way makes this book more meritorious.

One thing that strikes me about this story is how blindly optimistic the characters are about their chances. They know it's very risky and they are willing to die, but they seem unaware of just how impossible their survival seems. They are upbeat about finding water and a breathable atmosphere on the Moon, even if it's only in the deepest valleys. And they handwave a lot about how exactly they intent to survive the impact against the Moon. Sure, the gravity is lower, but even so...

The ending is good. I'm noticing that Verne was quite good at writing endings that give a satisfying payoff after all the adventures.

I suspect the success of this story depends a lot on how much the reader is able to appreciate the wonder of this voyage from the point of view of people living in the 19th century. For those unable to appreciate retro-science-fiction, a lot of that sense of wonder will be lost. The two novels are also heavy in the scientific exposition, so readers who dislike these not-plot-related infodumps may be advised to choose a different Verne novel. Or even a different writer altogether, because those digressions are quite common in Verne's work, even in the more adventure-oriented. One thing that redeems Verne even for these readers is that he was a good storyteller. Some readers will tolerate his digressions because they enjoy his adventures, while others appreciate his didactic style as well. Personally, I appreciate his didactic style, being a reader of popular science too, but even so I understand why people complain about infodumps.


Enjoyment factor: I enjoyed this novel, along with the first part. It may not be the easiest one for casual readers to enjoy, though, unless they are interested in the early science fiction element. There's a lot of sense of wonder, if the outdated science doesn't prevent you from getting into the story. There's humor, and there's excitement about the fate of the explorers. There's also a lot of talk about astronomy, so if that's not your thing at all, you might want to try a different novel.


Next up: A Floating City