Review: In the Year 2889

In the Year 2889 by Jules Verne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The very last paragraph tells you exactly what we have here:

"Such, for this year of grace 2889, is the history of one day in the life of the editor of the Earth Chronicle."

But it doesn't tell you just how rich with ideas this story is. There are some interesting territorial changes:

"Though, by a just turn-about of things here below, Great Britain has become a colony of the United States, the English are not yet reconciled to the situation."

There are some fun new tech bits, like this futuristic calcamulator:

"Thanks to the Piano Electro-Reckoner, the most complex calculations can be made in a few seconds."

Some things are indeed automagical:

"Why, Doctor, as you well know, everything is done by machinery here. It is not for me to go to the bath; the bath will come to me."

And some things apparently never change, hurry up ladies:

"She is late! Woman's punctuality! Progress everywhere except there!" muttered Mr. Smith

This next quote nearly hits a few marks but ultimately misses. Still pretty good for a late 19th century understanding of science:

"Nay, so early as ten centuries ago it was known that the differences between the several chemical and physical forces depend on the mode of vibration of the etheric particles, which is for each specifically different."

And I guess, extrapolating the error with a bogus analogy is how we get the "piano-calculator" mentioned above, from the following:

"When at last the kinship of all these forces was discovered, it is simply astounding that 500 years should still have to elapse before men could analyze and describe the several modes of vibration that constitute these differences."

It's a fun little snapshot of a future almost nine hundred years away, imagined over a hundred years ago. If you have the opportunity, you should check out this very quick read. It's available for free on the Gutenberg Project site.

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