(45) Le Superbe Orénoque (The Mighty Orinoco, 1898) (2 volumes) 102K words


The 45th Extraordinary Voyage is the second one devoted to a river journey (after "Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon") and also the second one taking place exclusively in South America (again, after "Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon"). We had also been in South America in the novel "In Search of the Castaways", but only for part of it.


First read or reread?: This is a reread for me. This one was not among my favorites when I read it as a kid.


What is it about?: Three Venezuelan geographers, M. Miguel, M. Felipe and M. Varinas argue amongst themselves about the location of the headwaters of Venezuela’s majestic Orinoco River. They decide to make a journey up river to study the situation on the terrain and settle their disagreement. At the same time, Sergeant Martial and his nephew Jean are also making this same journey, although for a different purpose. They are seeking out Jean’s lost father, who they hope may still be found living somewhere far upriver. The two parties meet and travel together and are soon joined by another French party, composed of the explorer Jacques Helloch and his friend the naturalist Germaine Paterne. The parties on their travels upriver overcome many obstacles and dangers, both from natural causes and from a savage band of outlaws. More secrets than the source of the Orinoco will be discovered before this trip is over.


The book starts with the three geographers arguing like stubborn children over the Orinoco. Unlike the sources of the Nile in "Five Weeks in a Balloon", the headwaters of the Orinoco, although located in very remote areas, far from civilization, are not unknown. The disagreement is actually about which river in the upper Orinoco deserves the name Orinoco: the Parágua, commonly known as Orinoco, or one of its several important tributaries. One of the geographers believes that the river Guaviare, connecting the Orinoco to Colombia and the Andes, and surpassing the Parágua in length and water flow, deserves to be considered the main current of the upper Orinoco basin and therefore should rightly be called Orinoco. Another of the trio believes that the river Atabapo, connecting the Orinoco basin with the Amazonas basin through the Rio Negro is the one which deserves the name Orinoco. The third geographer, more orthodox, believes that the river Parágua is the upper Orinoco, as it is commonly believed.

I enjoy this kind of geeky disagreement between scientists, which is not uncommon in Verne's work, while the rest of the characters are thinking "what does this even matter?". The three learned men resolve to travel to San Fernando de Atabapo, where the Parágua, Guaviare and Atabapo join, and settle their argument there.

After the first part of the journey, which is made by steam ship, a longest journey, thousands of kilometers, has to be made by large canoes, guided by expert native boatmen. Continuing the journey with the three geographers, there is an irascible and overprotective old soldier called Sergeant Martial and his young nephew Jean, who are in search of the boy's father, disappeared in the upper Orinoco. These two become the main characters and are keeping a secret of their own.

The group is later completed by two French explorers and the expedition continues the journey along the middle Orinoco and later into the upper Orinoco.

This is one of the Verne books with a strong travelogue element. This is not at all uncommon, but perhaps in this one there's more level of detail than usual. Verne was using as his source the account published by Jean Chaffanjon, who had recently done extensive explorations of the Orinoco basin for several years. In fact, in the novel, the youngster Jean has a copy of that account and uses it as a travel guide to help them in their journey.

The novel has the usual Verne adventures, but the pace for most of the novel is slower than usual, and that's what prevented my younger self from enjoying this one as much as other Verne novels. Reading it now, I appreciate it more for the complete depiction it gives of this mighty river. In this sense, it's a better travelogue than "Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon", probably because of the sources being so thorough. The pacing is slower, however. Because of this, your enjoyment as a reader will depend on how much you appreciate the travelogue element. It's certainly one where I enjoyed following the characters' progress on the map.

I wouldn't want to give you the impression that this is just a travel narrative. There's an adventure, with some twists and surprises (which often are not difficult to guess, since Verne always gives a lot of hints). The novel becomes more focused on that adventure plot towards the end, and there's also a romance. I enjoyed the characters, typical of Verne, and their motivation and associated drama.

I don't bother to comment on this most of the time, since I would just be repeating myself, but this is another example of Verne's 19th century attitudes towards colonialism and race. He makes some comments that would not be acceptable today, like saying some particular tribe was at the lowest end of the human scale (because of them being uncivilized and aggressive), but also depicts indigenous people in positions of authority, managing things in a very capable manner.


Enjoyment factor: I enjoyed it, with some reservations because of the slower pace, at least during the first part. Because of that, it would not be one I would recommend to a novice Verne reader, unless particularly interested in the travelogue element or in the Orinoco river. Beyond that reservation, I didn't lack things to enjoy here.


Next up: The Will of an Eccentric


See all my Verne reviews here: https://www.sffworld.com/forum/threads/reading-vernes-voyages-extraordinaires.58... ( )

Tři učenci se vydávají na dobrodružnou cestu lodí, aby rozhodli svůj vědecký spor o umístění pramenů venezuelského veletoku. Po cestě se k nim připojují dva Francouzi, seržant Martial a jeho mladý synovec Jean. Brzy vychází najevo, že Jean je ve skutečnosti převlečená dívka Jeanne, která se vydává za chlapce, aby pro ni byla cesta napříč divočinou o něco bezpečnější.

Like many people, I have not read any of the works of Jules Verne, I just saw the movies. When I told one friend I was reading the first English edition of Verne’s The Mighty Orinoco, I got a look of pity and the comment that Verne was a dry read. But not so! As Walter James Miller points out in the introduction to this book, the standard English versions of Verne are flawed by inaccurate translations, political editing, and removal of some text. This new translation is not only better, but includes numerous annotations that increased my enjoyment of the work. These show that The Mighty Orinoco is a novel of scientific discovery, of adventure and of the human need for each other.
The plot revolves around two expeditions going up the Venezuelan river Orinoco. One is a group of three scientists who are searching for the source of this river: echoes of the search for the source of the Nile are not accidental, as Verne knew the public was thrilled by such adventures. The second group of travelers is Sergeant Martial and his nephew Jean. They are searching for Jean’s father who settled along the river after an accident killed his wife and he believed also his son. One could say they are also search for a source: the source of Jean.
The trip up the river has beauty, mystery and excitement. Verne includes many details of the region, touching on the wildlife and the people living near the river. In parts, it is almost a travelog. But there is danger, both from the Orinoco with its rapids and wild animals, and from hostile Indians and bandits that prey on river traffic. Throughout, there are hints that show the various opinions of the author. Not all are comfortable to us: Verne describes many of the natives as “savages�? and he is careful to point out that the three Venezuelan scientists are of European background with “not a single drop of Negro blood�?. In other areas, he is ahead of his time: after describing a large river turtle, Verne commented that over-hunting of the eggs had already reduced the population so that “the species could disappear someday�?.
There is more to The Mighty Orinoco than a travel narrative. Adventures come from nature and man: earthquakes and fires threaten the travelers as much as the violence and greed of men. Beyond adventure, Verne touches on social topics and has an intriguing look at gender roles with an interesting view on the appropriate place for young women. As with many of his works, his French bias shows, which is one of the reasons The Mighty Orinoco was not translated into English when first published. His political and social comments were somewhat radical for his day and he often used the British as the villains of his works, a issue for contemporary translators who were British themselves. By the time this work appeared, there were other authors of scientific romance who did not espouse Verne’s problematic opinions, so The Mighty Orinoco was not known to English readers until now.
This delay is to your advantage. Before you is an accurate translation, with no missing parts or gratuitous edits. It is a work full of science, wonder, and adventure, the hallmark of a Jules Verne story. It cannot be overstated how much the Miller’s notes add to this work: not only does he explain contemporary issues, but he also enriches the text with current information on the area. If you have never read Jules Verne, this is a good start and if you have, try this work and see if it exceeds your previous Verne experience.
Originally published in The Alexiad: contact jtmajor[at]iglou.com for more information. ( )