''César Cascabel'' is a novel written by

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

in 1890. It is part of

Voyages Extraordinaires The ''Voyages extraordinaires'' (; ) is a collection or sequence of novels and short stories by the French writer Jules Verne. Fifty-four of these novels were originally published between 1863 and 1905, during the author's lifetime, and eig ...

series (''The Extraordinary Voyages''). It was published in English in two-volume form, with subtitles "The Show on Ice" and "The Travelling Circus".

Plot summary

The story starts in

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

in 1867. The Cascabels are a French family of circus artists who plan to return home after several years spent touring the United States. However, their savings are stolen, so the family cannot afford the ship fare. Instead, César Cascabel decides to travel overland, via

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

and Bering Straits, through

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

and

Central Russia Central Russia is, broadly, the various areas in European Russia. Historically, the area of Central Russia varied based on the purpose for which it is being used. It may, for example, refer to European Russia (except the North Caucasus and ...

with their horse-drawn

carriage A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping an ...

, the ''Belle-Roulotte'' (the Fair Rambler). They expect to encounter no dangers along their intended route. On their way crossing the Alaskan border, with the help of native girl Kayette, they rescue a Russian political fugitive, count Narkine, whom they bring along so that he can see again his father in Russia. Count Narkine adopts Kayette as his daughter. While in

Sitka russian: Ситка , native_name_lang = tli , settlement_type = Consolidated city-borough , image_skyline = File:Sitka 84 Elev 135.jpg , image_caption = Downtown Sitka in 1984 , image_size ...

, the group witnesses the

transfer Transfer may refer to: Arts and media * ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović * ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film * ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies ...

of Alaska to the United States. On their way from

Port Clarence Port Clarence is a small village now within the borough of Stockton-on-Tees and ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated on the north bank of the River Tees, and hosts the northern end of the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge. ...

the travellers unfortunately end up on a floating iceberg that drifts in

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...

to the

Lyakhovsky Islands The Lyakhovsky Islands ( rus, Ляховские острова, r=Lyakhovskiye ostrova; sah, Ляхов арыылара) are the southernmost group of the New Siberian Islands in the Arctic seas of eastern Russia. The islands are named in hono ...

. There they are captured by the natives. Other troubles, including political ones, occur but Cascabels manage to get through

the Urals The Ural Mountains ( ; rus, Ура́льские го́ры, r=Uralskiye gory, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪjə ˈɡorɨ; ba, Урал тауҙары) or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western ...

Perm Perm or PERM may refer to: Places *Perm, Russia, a city in Russia ** Permsky District, the district **Perm Krai, a federal subject of Russia since 2005 **Perm Oblast, a former federal subject of Russia 1938–2005 **Perm Governorate, an administra ...

and then, easily, to France. An animated TV series inspired by the book was produced in 2001 in France. Image:'César Cascabel' by George Roux 03.jpg, Map of route through Alaska Image:'César Cascabel' by George Roux 39.jpg, Map of route through Russia

External links

Text of the novel in French
* (the TV series) 1890 French novels Novels by Jules Verne Novels set in Alaska Novels set in Russia Novels set in the Arctic Novels set in California Mexico in fiction Circus books Novels set in British Columbia Fiction set in 1867 New Siberian Islands {{1890s-adventure-novel-stub