A few weeks ago I received what I thought was Kevin J. Anderson’s latest book, Captain Nemo—only to find that it’s actually just the latest edition (originally published in 2002—a new edition from Titan Books is in stores now). I do try to keep up with these things, but the guy’s written over 100 novels—I’m not beating myself up too much.
So just in case YOU missed out, here’s a look at Captain Nemo - The Fantastic Adventures of a Dark Genius.
In reading Captain Nemo, I realized there’s a gaping hole in my credibility as a Sci-Fi aficionado. I’ve read Bradbury, Heinlen, Huxley—but to my shame, never Verne.
But I do have some knowledge of Verne, especially in regards to Captain Nemo; just recently I’ve been trying to convince my wife to watch Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, which I haven’t seen in years.
So while I might be Verne-deficient, I’m not totally unaware.
The conceit of Captain Nemo is that it imagines Nemo as a childhood friend of Jules Verne, and many of Verne’s novels are thus inspired by Nemo’s adventures. I won’t tout Kevin J. Anderson as a replacement for Verne (I’d lay odds he’d scoff at the notion), but it does function as a nice sampler of Verne’s work.
It’s an interesting take that allows for high-action adventures from Nemo’s perspective alongside Verne’s more introspective and down-to-earth experience as a struggling writer. Surprisingly, Captain Nemo also has one of the most realistic love triangles I remember reading in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel.
As a guy, that kind of thing isn’t high on my list of priorities, but it was gratifying to simply watch a situtation play through to a natural conclusion rather than the classic “Who’s she gonna pick?” scenario.
Team Verne/Team Nemo shirts are not required.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about Captain Nemo is that it’s a retelilng of Verne in the spirit of Verne. The popular thing to do lately is to update a classic story through the scope of all the incredible science stuff we’ve learned in the meantime, but Anderson doesn’t bind himself with that.
There was a distinct moment when I realized Oh wow, he’s really going there, and at that moment the story jumps off the map, as it were.
And perhaps that’s as it should be. After all, Verne himself was encouraged to tone down the science of his novels in favor of exciting and optimistic adventures, andCaptain Nemo channels the spirit of that.
I’m not sure where to peg Captain Nemo—viewed from a modern perspective it’s not exactly science fiction, but steampunk doesn’t feel right either. Wherever you decide to shelve it, Captain Nemo delivers on the adventures you’d associate with the title character, and I also love the idea of an author writing an author. It allows for some interesting results that, well—you’ll just have to read for yourself.
This review is based on a copy provided by the publisher. As always, the opinions expressed are mine alone.
