[db105]

(16) Les Indes noires (The Child of the Cavern, aka The Underground City, 1877) (1 volume) 56K words


The sixteenth Extraordinary Voyage does not really involve much voyaging. Its original title is "Les indes noires" (literally "The Black Indies"), which makes reference to the Scottish coal region, as rich in natural resources as the Indies. It's the second Verne novel (after Journey to the Center of the Earth) to be set mostly underground.


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


What is it about?: Receiving a letter from an old colleague, mining engineer James Starr sets off for the old Aberfoyle mine, thought to have been mined out ten years earlier. Starr finds the former mine overseer Simon Ford and his family living in a cottage deep inside the abandoned mine. The Fords claim they have discovered a new, large vein of coal. However, unexplained happenings and accidents start to occur around the main characters. Is it the work of goblins and firemaidens, or is there someone interested in keeping the mine closed?


This is a low-key adventure when compared to other Verne novels. In that sense, it reminded me of The Floating City, although I felt The Floating City was more solid as a novel.

Even though it involves some underground exploring, this novel is a mystery more than an adventure story or a tale of exploration. There is also a romantic element, which is not Verne's forte, since he is always more focused on the plot than on the character's feelings and internal life.

One element I enjoyed is the vivid descriptions of Scotland, tying the various locations to Walter Scott's novels. Verne's knowledge of the region was not the result of his reading, like in most of his novels, but of a trip he had made to Scotland years earlier, his first trip abroad. Verne loved Scotland and Walter Scott, and it shows.

The enthusiasm for living underground, illuminated by electric lights, was an interesting element, although I can't say it converted me. It looks like a miserable way to live. Verne, I suppose, placed too much trust on electric illumination as a substitute of natural lighting. Being more familiar with electric lights, I know they do the job, of course, but they can't really replace the sun, at least for me. Maybe it's just that, unlike the Ford family, I don't have miner's blood running through my veins.

My main objection is that the central plot, although intriguing, does not end up offering any of those twists or memorable moments that many other Verne stories have. The whole thing gets solved in a relatively inconspicuous manner. There might have been a more thrilling story to be told with this material.


Enjoyment factor: This was pleasant to read and not without interest, but it's a minor Verne work. The pace is fine (these one-volume Verne novels are quite short, you don't have time to get bored). As a romance it is not convincing. I liked the descriptions of the setting and the mystery was intriguing, although the resolution is somewhat lackluster.


Next up: Dick Sand, A Captain at Fifteen