Propeller Island

Propeller Island (French: *L'Île à hélice*), also published as *The Floating Island, or The Pearl of the Pacific* and *The Self-Propelled Island*, is a science fiction novel by Jules Verne (1828–1905). It first appeared in 1895 within the *Voyages Extraordinaires* series. The story follows a French string quartet whose adventures take place in Milliard City, a metropolis built on a colossal ship that cruises the Pacific Ocean and is populated exclusively by millionaires.

The plot begins when the quartet—Sébastien Zorn, Frascolin, Yvernes, and Pinchinat—is traveling from San Francisco to a performance in San Diego but is diverted to Standard Island. A comic moment occurs when they arrive at night and are ignored after playing well; they then deliberately play out of tune, which quickly gets a reaction. Standard Island is an enormous artificial island designed to navigate the Pacific. Its residents are all wealthy, measured in millions. The quartet is hired to perform concerts during the island’s tour of the South Pacific (the Sandwich, Cook, and Society Islands). Though the island appears a paradise, it is divided between two factions: the Larboardites, led by Jem Tankerdon on the left half, and the Starboardites, led by Nat Coverley on the right half. The company that built the island goes bankrupt, but the wealthy inhabitants buy it and initially keep the company-appointed leader. The journey faces various obstacles, but matters turn serious when the original commander is killed, and both faction leaders seek to succeed him. They attempt to recruit a former king as a compromise candidate, but he refuses, endangering the island’s future.

English versions of the novel appeared in several forms. In October 1896, Sampson Low in London published *The Floating Island, or The Pearl of the Pacific*, translated by W. J. Gordon, with 80 illustrations. Although Gordon was an accomplished translator, the dark social commentary of Verne’s original did not sit well with his publishers, leading to numerous cuts. As Arthur B. Evans noted, dozens of pages were removed for being critical of Americans or the British, including passages about the U.S.