Five Weeks in a Balloon, or, Journeys and Discoveries in Africa by Three Englishmen

A few years ago I was at Barnes & Noble with my friend and on an impulse bought “The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and a book with seven of Jules Verne’s novels.

I finally took this Jules Verne collection with me to read some while I had the summer off from law school. I started at the beginning with “Five Weeks in a Balloon.” Verne is one of the authors I read as a kid (I mean mainly 1^st to 3^rd grade). I was proud of being able to read it and I really enjoyed “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” Mainly I liked that this author, hundreds of years in the past was writing novels about things that were later made, or could yet be made, hundreds year old science fiction that was still fiction! So, I loved the books…

Unfortunately, apparently, not everything the author wrote was that great. “Five Weeks in a Balloon” is dry.

The part I probably enjoyed most was that hydrogen was listed as an inflammable gas and used to inflate the balloon because it was light and safe like that. It is always funny reading old scientific knowledge that was later proved (disastrously) wrong.

Aside from being dry, I did not like the author’s or character’s view of the natives of Africa. Self-serving senses of superiority generally do not sit all that well with me, especially when based on a racial foundation.

The book reminds me of phrase my high school English teacher Mrs. Miller said to us about writing: “Show it, don’t tell it!”

This book told, and told, and told, but was much disengaged. Even the very action filled parts were blunted.

I kind of had ambitions to blaze through these seven novels and leave the book for my seven year old cousin. Unfortunately, I do not think that will happen. I will read the other novels, and I hope to find the ones I liked so much as a child to be just as enjoyable now, though now I have my doubts.

In conclusion: “Five Weeks in a Balloon” is dry and dated.