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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
I have very fond memories of reading this book as a kid. When I was 11 or 12 it was my favorite of Verne's books, but I remembered very little about WHY I loved it. I came across this lovely audio recording read by the inimitable Tim Curry, whose vocal talent truly made my latest listening experience enjoyable, because I must admit that Journey (tragically) did not hold up so well for me over the years.
The biggest annoyance was Achsel, the young-ish narrator and nephew of the preeminent Hamburgian geologist who of course gets dragged along into the bowels of the Earth for the sake of SCIENCE(!). I recall identifying with Achsel when I was a kid, probably because he IS so darn childish--a whiney, cowardly pain-in-the-a$$ in the view of my adult self. Mr. Curry himself seems to revel in pumping Achsel's voice so full of navel-gazing angst you can just tell he's making fun of the poor guy. Heh heh.
I laughed out loud when Achsel's fiancee tells him flat out to stuff a sock in it, and that if he does NOT leave her and go spelunking with his uncle, he'll never become a man in her eyes. Seriously, the professor should have taken her along instead--she would have actually contributed value to the expedition.
I also remember being rather fond of Hans the duck-hunting Icelandic guide and servant, who is basically the Sam Gamgee of this expedition, carrying the supplies and solving all the problems while being mostly ignored by the Prof and his nephew. This time around I found myself craving more dramatic human interactions between the characters, particularly a cathartic fist-fight between Hans and Achsel...but sadly no. The characters are shunted aside for Verne's pseudo-science which I remember being so wild and interesting as a kid--especially the Plesiosaur/Ichthyosaur battle--but which this time I found so dull and which got in the way of my matured frontal cortex. Sigh. Why did have to grow up?
The biggest annoyance was Achsel, the young-ish narrator and nephew of the preeminent Hamburgian geologist who of course gets dragged along into the bowels of the Earth for the sake of SCIENCE(!). I recall identifying with Achsel when I was a kid, probably because he IS so darn childish--a whiney, cowardly pain-in-the-a$$ in the view of my adult self. Mr. Curry himself seems to revel in pumping Achsel's voice so full of navel-gazing angst you can just tell he's making fun of the poor guy. Heh heh.
I laughed out loud when Achsel's fiancee tells him flat out to stuff a sock in it, and that if he does NOT leave her and go spelunking with his uncle, he'll never become a man in her eyes. Seriously, the professor should have taken her along instead--she would have actually contributed value to the expedition.
I also remember being rather fond of Hans the duck-hunting Icelandic guide and servant, who is basically the Sam Gamgee of this expedition, carrying the supplies and solving all the problems while being mostly ignored by the Prof and his nephew. This time around I found myself craving more dramatic human interactions between the characters, particularly a cathartic fist-fight between Hans and Achsel...but sadly no. The characters are shunted aside for Verne's pseudo-science which I remember being so wild and interesting as a kid--especially the Plesiosaur/Ichthyosaur battle--but which this time I found so dull and which got in the way of my matured frontal cortex. Sigh. Why did have to grow up?
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
Writing a review for a classic is always more difficult for me, especially when I know the book’s general premise and plot going in. I picked up the book hoping to explore the text’s status as a classic more so than truly getting immersed in the plot. The book delivered some key features I was hoping for while not quite hitting the mark on others.
I want to start by saying that I definitely see how it achieved the status and popularity it did. There writing, for one, held up fairly well and included some beautiful descriptions sprinkled throughout the book. It’s exploration of early scifi themes was also incredibly enjoyable. The dynamic between Lidenbrock and Axel forces the reader to consider the true implications of defying conventional wisdom with no easy answers presented. The exploration of that theme kept me the most engaged throughout the book.
Other factors slowed the pacing of the book to a frustrating degree. For my personal taste, the level of detail surrounding scientific minutiae was a bit too heavy handed as the book went on. Some aspects and facts repeated unnecessarily and made the book drag the further into it I got. A bigger factor that impacted the pacing was the proportion of time spent at the “center” of the earth rather than the journey to get there. I of course, expected the journey to be a large part of the book. But the time spent in largely featureless underground tunnels felt unnecessary. This aspect wasn’t quite as frustrating in the moment, as I had my hopes set on a big payoff when they reached the center. But I found the degree of exploration at the center to be less involved than I’d hoped.
Overall I’d give this book 3.5 stars. There were some truly great elements that made the book shine and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a short, more straightforward classic. And while it not a book I’ll likely read again, it still left me interested in exploring Verne’s later works.
I want to start by saying that I definitely see how it achieved the status and popularity it did. There writing, for one, held up fairly well and included some beautiful descriptions sprinkled throughout the book. It’s exploration of early scifi themes was also incredibly enjoyable. The dynamic between Lidenbrock and Axel forces the reader to consider the true implications of defying conventional wisdom with no easy answers presented. The exploration of that theme kept me the most engaged throughout the book.
Other factors slowed the pacing of the book to a frustrating degree. For my personal taste, the level of detail surrounding scientific minutiae was a bit too heavy handed as the book went on. Some aspects and facts repeated unnecessarily and made the book drag the further into it I got. A bigger factor that impacted the pacing was the proportion of time spent at the “center” of the earth rather than the journey to get there. I of course, expected the journey to be a large part of the book. But the time spent in largely featureless underground tunnels felt unnecessary. This aspect wasn’t quite as frustrating in the moment, as I had my hopes set on a big payoff when they reached the center. But I found the degree of exploration at the center to be less involved than I’d hoped.
Overall I’d give this book 3.5 stars. There were some truly great elements that made the book shine and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a short, more straightforward classic. And while it not a book I’ll likely read again, it still left me interested in exploring Verne’s later works.
Pretty interesting. Not as spectacular as I thought it might be. Worth a read. Will probably cross 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea off my list.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I've changed my rating for this one. Originally it was a 4 star read, but the more I think about it the more I realised I was bored through like 80% of it.. so it's been dropped it to 3 stars🤷🏻♀️
It's a classic, the way it's written is boring, it dragged on and on and nothing seemed to happen. There was a lot of scientific theories and things thrown around in it and honestly I just expected it to be alot more exciting than it was.
It's a classic, the way it's written is boring, it dragged on and on and nothing seemed to happen. There was a lot of scientific theories and things thrown around in it and honestly I just expected it to be alot more exciting than it was.
adventurous
funny
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
slow-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No