FREE ESSAY ON FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON

FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON

From the Earth to the Moon
Verne, Jules
Personal Library
185 pp.
I believe Verne intended this book chiefly to be a satire of some people living at his
time who were unable to accept the peaceful condition of the world. The Gun Club is
nothing more than a group of disfigured and excitable old war mongers, who, since there
was no war, needed to create some grand project as an outlet for their destructive
energy. He also could have been satirizing the attitude of greatness that he perceived
Americans to have about themselves and their country. This is illustrated in many lines
of the members of the Gun Club, how they fear no obstacle, confident that American
ingenuity will conquer all. Another possible reason for his writing this book could have
been merely to express how he foresaw man reaching the moon. 
This book is a delightful satire, and is very enjoyable to read. It's written in a
smooth, easy to follow language, and has really no dull parts. I liked the way the story
was presented, through the eyes of the members of the Gun Club, who were very amusing
characters. It was also written in common language, so it was easy to read. 
Another thing I liked about this book were all the great characters. I especially liked
the members of the Gun Club, with their artificial appendages and talking about nothing
but past wars, future wars, and accomplishments in the field of artillery. I really liked
Matson who had multiple arm attachments, like a hook, a pencil, and a knife. Setting was
also described very well in this book. From the weapon filled meeting hall of the Gun
Club, to the construction site on Stone Hill, Verne always used such descriptive
language, that you could easily see the place in your mind. I especially liked how he
portrayed the enormous dimensions of the cannon and of the projectile itself. 
Another characteristic of this book was, unlike most others I have read, there is no
messy love story to get in the way of the plot development. I think Verne replaces a
female love interest with the desire to go to the moon, and then gives that desire form
in the cannon and projectile, which I think you can securely say the men were all in love
with.
Another quality of this book was that there was always something going on, there were no
wasted words. There was also a lot of suspense in many places throughout the book,
especially at the end when the cannon is fired. The pages leading up to that event were
extremely exciting. I even got a little nervous myself. The ending also was very
suspenseful, and I was a little upset. It really bugged me that you never really find out
what happened to the travelers.
This book is definitely not for everybody. If you don't like science fiction very much, I
wouldn't really recommend this book. Even though there is much more to this story than
just the technical mumbo-jumbo, a person could get bored in the detailed descriptions of
the different facets of the project. I, though, found those descriptions to be some of
the best parts. I was amazed that Verne could portray all that stuff that never existed
in such great detail. This book also shows how learned of a man Verne was. There are many
sections that would require much research about astronomy, astronomical tools, and
artillery.
In conclusion, if you're looking for a great science fiction book, with a lot of satire
and comedy, but also one with suspense and tension, then I highly recommend this book.
It's a book that you can easily read in a short time since the language is relatively
plain, and the story keeps you interested the entire time.