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The Extraordinary Voyage Of Jules Verne by Eric Brown
01/10/2005 . Source: Shaun Green 
pub: PS Publishing. 137 page limited edition book. Hardback: Price: £25.00 (UK), $4500 (US). ISBN: 1-904619-35-5. Paperback: Price: £10.00 (UK), $1800 (US). ISBN: 1-904619-34-7. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.pspublishing.co.uk
Connoisseurs of Jules Verne will feel right at home with this novella from PS Publishing. Within its pages, the famous French novelist himself is spirited away on an adventure every bit the equal of any he ever wrote of. Cunningly enough, Brown has even written in the style of Verne, albeit in a modernised fashion that reads as quaint and fun without a hint of dryness.
At the opening of the tale, Verne is bemoaning his lot, keeping books and writing copy to fund his more creative endeavours, all the while living in a humble Parisian apartment. Whilst nursing cognac at a bar, he is engaged in conversation by a huge bear of a man named Leroux, who hints at wild tales of voyages Verne can but imagine. This man, by now drunk, then recruits Verne to assist him in making his way 'to the gateway'.
From here things pick up rapidly. Verne is taken first back in time to the Cretaceous and then forwards in time to an Earth centuries ahead of our own. Along the way, he encounters dinosaurs, an alien spacecraft, an ant-like alien species, a sexy and scantily clad provocateur, a flying city, a submarine called the Nautilus and more. Most of this is passé to modern readers, but it can be enjoyed again through Verne's shocked and incredulous eyes.
The story is fast-paced and linear as befits both a novella of this length and a tale of Verne. It is reading that is both comfortable and disturbing. Comfortable in its evocation of a simpler and more wondrous style of writing, yet disturbing in some of the incidents that an ambassador of a simpler time is forced to confront. 'The Extraordinary Voyage Of Jules Verne' is a highly entertaining read and is one that will probably be read again and again.
PS Publishing have produced a beautiful edition of the book. The cover art is a stunning Edward Miller painting and Ian Watson provides a short introduction, in which he explores the historical roles of Jules Verne and HG Wells in Science Fiction. Collectors should also note that the paperback edition is limited to 500 copies which are all signed by Eric Brown. The hardback is limited to 300 copies and is signed by Eric Brown and Ian Watson.
Shaun Green
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