I remember reading some Jules Verne books when at school – they had a number of them along with H.G. Wells in the school library. I also remember enjoying them a great deal. Apparently I'm not alone in this liking, as Eric Brown shows in this novella he also has read and enjoyed Verne.

Jules Verne himself features in this tale, for a time traveller called Leroux picks him up in 19th Century Paris and transports him (via a quick trip to the Cretaceous) to the future where Verne is introduced to the despotic ruler of the world – a man called Robur.

He also encounters an alien race, takes a trip on a flying city and boards Nautilus (formerly commanded by a Captain Omen).

This is a fun little read, filled as it is with familiar ingredients taken from many of Jules Verne's books. But that's not where the similarities end. The writing style here feels like the style of Verne, or at least the translation I remember reading – I was never dedicated enough to read the book in its original French.

Even down to the chapter titles (the first chapter's is "In which Jules Verne makes the acquaintance of the extraordinary Leroux and hears a strange tale") this feels right. And don't think for a second that this makes the book a slow read. I could understand that feeling – especially if you had similar experiences of being forced into reading hugs turgid tomes of Victorian fiction when at school - all in the name of literature.

But this is nothing like those books, okay the style is different to a lot of modern sf, but it is very engaging. The characters are warm, friendly although reserved in a very believably Victorian manner. The science is also very much suggested rather than described, remember Verne's own stories never explained their marvels.

Once again I find I have to recommend a book from Eric Brown. The author's making a habit of producing fine books.

Synopsis
Paris, 1855. Jules Verne, struggling playwright and frustrated dreamer, finds himself whisked through time, first into the Cretaceous Period, and then into the far future, on a perilous quest to save the world from the tyranny of Robur, the insane Master of the World.

Verne is famous for giving the world such classics as Around the World in 80 Days, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. But what is not known is that Verne experienced an adventure equal to any he wrote about, a quest in which he met mad airship captains, beautiful rebels, and a race of ant-like aliens - and at the same time brought about the salvation of planet Earth and the dawn of a new Golden Age for humankind.