Robur the Conqueror

By: Jules Verne

Narrated by: Rayner Bourton

Robur the Conqueror (French: Robur-le-Conquérant) is a science fiction novel by Jules Verne, published in 1886. It is also known as The Clipper of the Clouds. It has a sequel, Master of the World, which was published in 1904. The story begins with strange lights and sounds, including blaring trumpet music, reported in the skies all over the world. The events are capped by the mysterious appearance of black flags with gold suns atop tall historic landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. These events are all the work of the mysterious Robur (the specific epithet for the English oak (Quercus robur) and figuratively taken to mean "strength"), a brilliant inventor who intrudes on a meeting of a flight-enthusiasts' club called the Weldon Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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Tedious & Contrived

Most of the book seemed to a recounting of geography as seen from the air. The conflicts and motives of the characters seemed contrived. May have been good in its time, but not nearly as good as other works by the author.

The reader had a rhythmic way of reading that was okay. However the post production editing of words, probably for pronunciation, was a bit jarring as the inserted words broke the rhythm and seemed harshly pronounced relative to the sentences that they were inserted in.