Any Similarities to Anderson?
Scientific precision.
American enterprise - Verne's approach initially satirical.
I am having to google some words, like "guttapercha" (p. 14).
Some humor - more in Verne.
Differences
The quality of Verne's writing is closer to ER Burroughs than to either Wells or Anderson.
So far, the technicalities of a Moon launch have merely been baldly stated either by the narrator or by the characters in conversation.
Anderson's Orion Shall Rise is incomparably better both as a novel and as an account of a space program.
Ironically, the Gun Club plans to fire at the Moon only because the end of the American Civil War has put its members out of business. Chapter XXV is entitled "Fire!" Like Robert Heinlein's "The Man Who Sold The Moon," this book is about all the necessary Earth-based activity that precedes a Moon launch. As yet, there has been no suggestion that anyone will travel inside the projectile.
Addendum: Having now finished From The Earth To The Moon, I have posted about it on the Science Fiction blog.
3 comments:
Hi, Paul!
To be fair to Jules Verne, it might not be all his fault that his novels seems so poor in their quality. I have read that many of his books were hastily and poorly translated into English. Not many of Verne's books seems to have been carefully and accurately translated for American and British readers. It's possible the original FRENCH texts reads much better in that language.
Sean
Sean:
I too have heard that, & also that the incompetent translator edited out any negative opinions about perfidious Albion. Apparently that translator is why Verne has a poor reputation in English speaking countries compared to his reputation elsewhere.
Kaor, Jim!
Exactly! And I hope Verne's novels are finally beginning to be treated with respect by English language translators.
Btw, the French could be biased too! Some used to claim the English had tails!
Ad astra! Sean
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