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Re: The Mighty Orinoco

From: Rick Walter <rwalter1~at~houston.rr.com>
Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2002 18:26:32 -0800
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>

----- Original Message -----
From: William Denton <buff~at~pobox.com>
To: Jules Verne Forum <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>
Sent: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 8:33 AM
Subject: RE: The Mighty Orinoco

>is THE MIGHTY ORINOCO good?

It's a 2-vol. opus, which means that in contrast to INVASION OF THE SEA,
there's ample room for humor, amosphere and character development; plus,
it's a shrewdly organized specimen of the well-made plot, with several
well-calculated surprises (which, hopefully, critics and commentators will
refrain from betraying); finally, it's very rich thematically, as Walter
Miller's annotations will make fascinatingly clear.

However, whether one regards THE MIGHTY ORINOCO as "science fiction" depends
on one's definitions, assumptions, and expectations. Clearly it's not one of
Verne's techno-thrillers, though there's a fair amount of science along the
way (hydrography, herpetology, anthropology, etc.), and it all culminates in
a utopian vision that's both startling and plausible. Consequently, it can
readily be classified in the handy category of "speculative fiction."

My verdict: B+ Verne. Zippy, humorous, engrossingly plotted. Not one of his
supreme masterworks, but a gem on its own terms.

Best,
Rick Walter
Houston, TX


> Is there a paperback edition of this as well? I see only a hardcover
> listed, but I think there were simultaneous hardcover/paper editions of
> MYSTERIOUS ISLAND from Wesleyan and I hoped they'd do the same for this.
>
> By the way, is THE MIGHTY ORINOCO good? What's the general opinion from
> those who've read a non-English edition?
>
> Bill
> --
> William Denton : Toronto, Canada : http://www.miskatonic.org/ : Caveat
lector.
>
Received on Wed 01 Jan 2003 - 02:26:12 IST

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