The Jules Verne novel that was too forward for its time

Author Jules Verne (born 194 years ago this week) is remembered for his prescient science fiction, most notably 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

But Literary Hub would argue that Paris in the Twentieth Century — his 1863 novel — was the most eerily accurate of them all.

Verne's editor thought it was "lackluster and lifeless" and advised him not to publish it.

It wasn't until 1994 that his vision of 1960s France came out — and to critical acclaim.

Lit Hub lists off a number of Verne's correct predictions in that novel, including gas-powered cars, an internet-like communication system, the recording industry, and many more.

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