''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 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 Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

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 ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

and Bering Straits, through

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

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 two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1 ...

, 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, the group witnesses the transfer of Alaska to the United States. On their way from Port Clarence 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 oceanic divisions. It spans an area of approximately and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, ...

to the Lyakhovsky Islands. There they are captured by the natives. Other troubles, including political ones, occur but Cascabels manage to get through the Urals to Perm 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 the 19th-century Russian Empire Novels set in the Arctic Novels set in California Novels set in circuses Novels set in British Columbia Fiction set in 1867 New Siberian Islands {{1890s-adventure-novel-stub