The Green Ray: A New Translation

By Jules Verne

This new edition of The Green Ray brings the rarely available title by the famous French author Jules Verne to a new generation. The mysterious scientific phenomenon of the green ray is unpredictable and elusive. When Helena hears of its apparent mystical effects on the mind and soul she enlists her uncles and two very different suitors, one artist and one amateur scientist, to find it. They travel to Scotland to seek to catch a glimpse of green rays which shoot out from the sunset. Their numerous attempts are always unsuccessful, thwarted by clouds or boats blocking the sun, until finally the phenomenon is visible, but they are no longer watching the horizon. BACK COVER The ray has the virtue of meaning that anyone who has seen it can no longer make a mistake in matters of sentiment; its appearance destroys illusions and lies. When a newspaper article tells Helena Campbell, whose impending arrange marriage is less than a love match, that seeing the green ray is an indication of true love, she refuses to marry anyone until she has seen it. Her quest to find the green ray takes her on an island-hopping tour of the Hebrides that nearly costs her her life, and Helena must ask herself - is seeing the green ray worth it? With which of her suitors will Helena see the ray? Or will she never see it at all? The Green Ray has all the hallmarks of a Verne classic - danger, romance, and of course a tale of marvellous adventure. Karen Loukes' new translatioj of Jules Verne's 'lost' Scottish novel recaptures the spirit of the original French text.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Luath Press
• Release date: Jan 31, 2014
• ISBN: 9781909912823

Jules Verne

Victor Marie Hugo (1802–1885) was a French poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic movement and is considered one of the greatest French writers. Hugo’s best-known works are the novels Les Misérables, 1862, and The Hunchbak of Notre-Dame, 1831, both of which have had several adaptations for stage and screen.

Reviews for The Green Ray

[andreablythe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When Helena Campbell reads of the green ray in a local newspaper, she insists that she must see it, refusing to accept her uncle's plans for her to marry until she does. Thus she and her uncles sets off in an effort to see it with two potential suitors in tow. This is not my favorite of Verne's books. In part this is due to the fact that it is more of a romance and because the main character is female. Neither of which he seems to write very well. He's much better at the boy's club grand adventures. However, I found enough humor and interest in this book to keep reading. I didn't mind much when it ended, though.

[danielstj · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the least surprising and exciting Verne novels that I have read. It seems to be rife with experimentation with a different genre, trying to blend two into one, and unfortunately it doesn't deliver the results that we are accustomed to through reading Verne's fiction. Not the worst novel out there, but one that you can skip in Verne's oeuvre.2 stars.