Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Booknote: The Mammoth Book of New Jules Verne Adventures

Ashley, Mike, ed., The Mammoth Book of New Jules Verne Adventures. Philadelphia: Running Press, 2005.

ISBN: 9780786714957

Genre: Science Fiction
Subgenre: Steampunk, Alternate History


 I finally finished this book. I mostly skipped through it after a while since very few tales really caught my attention or kept me engaged. Some of the stories were just too long and winded, not terribly interesting to be honest. For example, after dragging myself through "Cliff Rhodes and the Most Important Journey," I am still not sure what it was all about. 

However, there were some stories I did enjoy, For instance, I did find James Lovegrove's vision of a 21st century London to be an interesting one with a nice play on some things we have now in our 21st century. Another example of a story I enjoyed was Stephen Baxter's "Columbiad." It was pretty good, and I think the ending when we see who the speaker is talking to may make us appreciate the story a bit more. 

Overall, like many big anthologies, this book can be hit or miss, but there are a few stories worth finding. I may go back and try out one or two tales I skipped, but for now I am moving on. I would say this is a book to borrow rather than buy. Usually, I do like these Mammoth anthologies, but this one, in spite of one or two gems, did not have a lot to keep my interest.

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