Review of 'Around the Moon'
Around the Moon by Jules Verne
Sequel to From the Earth to the Moon, “Around the Moon” sees the passengers on the projectile blasted from a cannon toward the moon surviving the launch but missing a moon landing, instead finding themselves flung around it. In the rather elaborately furnished capsule Baltimore Gun Club president Impey Barbicane, armour specialist (and former Barbicane rival) Captain Nicholl, and whimsical, wealthy, French adventurer Michel Ardan the three spend their time examining the world outside their capsule - The stars and, of course, the approaching surface of the moon.
I am not a fan of this book. The characters are in no way appealing (the macabre and impassionate way they deal with the death of one of their dogs, for example) and not much really happens. The story drags on forever and ever with even the main goal of the trip never achieved. Unlike other Verne's novels there is no real “science” here either though this is likely because the author quite overstretched the bounds of what was known at the time with laughable ideas of the details of such a trip (lack of gravity is generally ignored and other technical aspects are dealt with clumsy waving of the writer's pen).
Readers will appreciate that, unlike the first book, this one does end with a degree of satisfactory finality. But getting to that point is long and arduous. Not one of Verne's best but it certainly is fantastic…
Rating: “A slight glimmer of hope, but mostly awful”
Review Date: 2025-07-26
Genre: Fantasy
Publication Date: 1870