I am from Bangladesh and have a Bengali translated collection of 31 of Verne’s novels (I have read most of them in English as well). Verne is not as good as I used to think, a few books such as Around the World in 80 Days and Five Weeks in a Balloon is worth the read, otherwise not. Reasons:
1) Anti-British sentiment: Needlessly portrays the British as tyrannical colonialists, probably out of spite since the French lost several wars against the British and the chance to colonise India themselves. Also tries to caricature ambitious industrial projects, such as in “The Steam House”, British officers in India travel the country in the elephant-shaped mobile home with a steam engine. Also caricatures British people as snobbish or odd to the point of being laughable, e.g. Phileas Fogg, Detective Fix from Around the World.
2) Heroes in one book become villains in another, or vice versa. The much hated Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea becomes a benevolent protector of the marooned party in Mysterious Island, and turns out to be an Indian prince(surprise…) tired of British rule and their appeasing of Nawabs and other rulers of princely states.
3) Too many inventions: Whenever his characters are in a spot of bother, something will be invented and disaster will be averted.
4) Not Always Scientifically Accurate: The means stated of sending men to the moon in “From the Earth to the Moon” would kill any human being subject to it.
5) Not really authentic: Many people wrongly claim Verne invented everything for his novels. In reality, hot-air balloons were flown in France since 1635, the drawings for a submarine were made by Joseph Bushnell in 1776, while Verne wrote in the late 19th century.
6) Too much optimism: there is a general air of optimism about Verne’s novels, that is, technological advances will make life easy and simple in the future, overlooking the dangers of technology, unlike, say, H.G. Wells wrote.
