This is the first book I have read by early science-fiction author Jules Verne, and it’s a fairly odd book to first be inducted into Verne’s writings. The first aspect of the book that deserves mention is it’s publication history. The book was originally written in 1863, just after Verne penned his original novel “Five Weeks in a Balloon”, but a few years before Verne wrote his science-fiction works. However, Verne’s publisher did not want to publish the book, as the publisher believed that the book was not an accurate enough depiction of the future. The manuscript was rediscovered, and published, in 1994.

It’s always odd reading older SF books like this – they were written in the past to make predictions about the future, but the future predicted is still in your past. I always feel the need to try and compare the world depicted in the book to my knowledge of what the world was like at that time, constantly asking myself whether this invention, and this depicted society occurred in this manner or not. That said, my lack of detailed knowledge about Parisian life in the 1960’s takes this away from me. The prelude of the book claims that the predictions are startlingly accurate, and my superficial knowledge of the world at the time seems to support this assertion – there are electric lights, facsimiles, an underground rail system, gas-powered automobiles, and other inventions that I am certain were not invented in the 1860’s, but not knowing a lot about France or Paris, I will have to defer to someone else’s knowledge on the makeup of the city, it’s development and history.

In spite of the prelude of the book discussing the accuracy of the predictions, I think that the most accurate prediction by far is the basis of the plot itself. “Paris in the Twentieth Century” is the story of Michel Jérome, a young man living in 1960’s France, which has become a centre of industry and development, and is a paragon of capitalism. All efforts and industry are directed towards earning money, and the world has no place for classical writing, far less for a man like Michel, whom wishes to produce his own original works of literature. For those whom wish to work in the arts, society demands deriviative plays, poems and stories, produced solely to make money. It’s quite a pertinent story – a genuine case could be made that a similar situation occurs today, with writers for a myriad of mediums and genres paid to produce deriviative and unchallenging works. Although I am only a consumer of writing, I sympathise with Michel in his plight.

For anyone who decides to attempt this book, it needs to be said that there are a lot of references to France that are going to go over the heads of those whom have not made an effort in studying the French culture, particularly it’s literature prior to the 20th century - a group in which I include myself. However, unlike some science-fiction novels that I have read that reference classic authors in some contrived manner in order to look more sophisticated, in this case, the references are there because they are necessary to depict the characters themselves, to show that they understand and appreciate their French literature, and does not seem like simple name-dropping. The characters appreciation of the authors and their works provides a contrast to the dreary poems that “celebrate the wonders of industry” that feature in the novel. In any case, the references are not overbearing, and the book can be read and appreciated even with my meagre (read as none) knowledge of French literature.

In short, although I would have gotten more out of “Paris in the Twentieth Century” should I have more knowledge of France, it’s culture and history, the novel is written in such a way that a lack of knowledge in this regard does not detract too greatly from the story, and I cannot ignore the relevance of a story where a man wishing to write original works in a society that fails to reward those that do so. ( )

Written in 1863 but first published only in 1994, about a young man who lives in a technologically advanced, but culturally backwards future. Often referred to as Verne's "lost" novel, the work, set in August, 1960, paints a grim, dystopian view of the future.

Paris in the Twentieth Century's main character is 16-year-old Michel Dufrénoy, who graduates with a major in literature and the classics, but finds they have been forgotten in a futuristic world where only technological writing is valued. Verne narrates this tale in an unusually (for him) concise format. The story includes his trademark predictions of future inventions that came to be. I have yet to read a Verne novel that I did not enjoy and find entertaining. For science fiction Verne is an original. ( )

This is a highly significant novel because of its discovery nearly a century after the author's death by his great-grandson. It makes very accurate technological predictions based by extrapolation on developments up to the 1860s. However, in other fields, the predictions are very much less accurate, for example in this reality most of the major states (France, England, Russia and Italy are mentioned, but not Prussia/Germany) have disarmed due to "perfection of engines of warfare" and have done away with the armed forces and the whole military state, implying that there has been world peace throughout the 20th century. Interestingly, the only weapons mentioned are swords and sabres, whereas in reality this was written only a few years before the mass shootings and shellings of the Franco-Prussian war and the siege of Paris. Another difference is that British landowners have been buying up large tracts of land in France to the extent that the French fear for the very ownership of their own country.

The society depicted here, while based on accurately predicted technology, goes to the extreme of having science and technology completely vanquish literature and the arts in a way that mercifully has not happened in reality, such that, for example, Victor Hugo is totally unheard of in the Paris of 1960.

These interesting facets aside, there is little room left for actual plot in a novel of 200 pages printed in a large and well-spaced font (with a few line drawings), and the actual story is mediocre, the characters flat and one-dimensional, though the ending is sad and poignant.

Overall, this book is really for Verne completists, or those with an interest in predictive fiction, or lost novel curiosities. Those new to Verne should definitely first read one of his famous classics. ( )

Written by Jules Verne in the mid-19th century, this novel was his idea of what the 'future' would look like. I always find books like this fascinating: they always end up having some things fairly right, and some things that are way off, and the future in question generally tells us more about the culture that created it rather than the actual future. In that sense, it's an amazing book, although Verne definitely improved as an author between this book and his later works. ( )