an English translation by Richard Howard was published by Random House in 1996. Literary significance and criticism The appearance of Verne's lost novel caused a stir among modern critics, who mostly received the book warmly, greeting it as "prescient and plausible". On the other hand, some found the book every bit as unnecessarily pessimistic about the future as Verne's publisher had. The book was a bestseller in France, where it was heavily promoted before publication. Some critics were put off by the publisher's hype about the book, although most readily admitted that it was "a work of inestimable historical importance". One critic, Evelyn C. Leeper, suggested that Verne might be a good candidate for a Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1996, and wrote that she had not read very many novels that were much better than Verne's work that year. The Hugo Award is given annually to honor the best science fiction of the preceding year. The novel is also of importance to scholars of Verne's literary achievements, some of whom had long asserted that none of his works ever came close to prophesying the future of a whole civilization. Within two years of the novel's appearance, it had been adapted as a stage play in the Netherlands. References External links Jules Verne: An Author Before His Time? reviewed at Silver Reviews Various editions of the work 1994 French novels 1994 science fiction novels 1860 science fiction novels Novels by Jules Verne French science fiction novels Novels set in Paris Novels published posthumously Fiction set in 1960 Novels set in the 1960s Novels set in the future