Review of 'Robur the Conqueror (or "The Clipper of the Clouds")'
Robur the Conqueror (or “The Clipper of the Clouds”) by Jules Verne
Flags begin to appear atop tall historic landmarks around the world. At the Weldon Institute in Philadelphia they firmly believe that lighter than air craft will rule the skies rather than heavier than air with their construction of a massive dirigible called the “Go-ahead”. At a meeting the mysterious Robur appears and argues that heavier than air craft are the future and they should not be wasting their time on the dirigible. He is ejected from the meeting but later that evening the president, Uncle Prudent, his secretary, Phil Evans, and valet, Frycollin are kidnapped, finding themselves onboard the battery-powered “aeronef” called the Albatross piloted by Robur, which has many vertical propellers to provide lift, and two horizontal propellers to drive it forward and backwards. It is revealed that his crew have been placing the flags on the monuments and over the course of three weeks, Robur takes the captives on a tour around the world at fantastic speed as he tries to convince them of the future of heavier than air airships…
A fantastically descriptive story from the late 19th century that concentrates on the story of flight with little concern for character development or, indeed, of any morale. At the end of the story the captives find themselves picking up literally right from where they left off before their journey, changed not a bit. I found some of the aspects of the novel quite disturbing seen in the light of modern sensibilities such as the scorn heaped upon the black valet Frycollin who is seen as a whining incompetent and often subjected to ridicule or, frankly, torture. It is interesting to see that of all of the characters he is perhaps the most fleshed out as an individual with the rest merely there for exposition.
Of course, the premise is completely ridiculous and Verne suggests as much in the way he tells the story in the third person, ridiculing, it seems, the ridiculous Americans failing to see the obvious blatantly seen by their own eyes. This is to the extent that Verne uses several derogatory words to describe them in passing and the end very much is the victory of Robur's Albatross over the Go-ahead containing the naïve Americans of the Weldon Institute. Perhaps this is the moral? The courage to change your mind in face of evidence to the contrary of your ideas?
In any case, an interesting, if somewhat boring and occasionally disturbing read. Not one of Verne's finest.
Rating: “A bit better than average”
Review Date: 2025-06-08
Genre: Fantasy
Publication Date: 1886