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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne.
Thus, to that question asked six thousand years ago by Ecclesiastes, "That which is far off, and exceedingly deep, who can find it out?" only two men have the right to answer: Captain Nemo and myself.
I have changed my mind about "not liking science fiction" because I keep finding science fiction books that I really enjoy like The Martian, the YA novels Illuminae and The Fifth Wave and now this book. 20,000 Leagues is really amazing.
The characters are very well done - Professor Arronax, his valet Conseil, and their Canadian companion, harpooner, Ned Land, match wits and wills against the enigmatic Captain Nemo. I love how Jules Verne told Captain Nemo's story by letting his readers come to some of their own conclusions about why he acted the way he did, and about the larger point about society at large.
One thing that I love about books is that readers are allowed to live vicariously through the characters and the action of the stories that they read. In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, it felt like I was taken on a wondrous journey to places and was allowed to see things that people only dream about. From the deep ocean with its plethora of marine life, to the discovery of the lost continent of Atlantis, to breaking through the ice barrier at the South Pole, et al, science meets fiction very compellingly in this book. This will probably be the best science fiction novel I've ever read and that I'll ever read.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Thus, to that question asked six thousand years ago by Ecclesiastes, "That which is far off, and exceedingly deep, who can find it out?" only two men have the right to answer: Captain Nemo and myself.
I have changed my mind about "not liking science fiction" because I keep finding science fiction books that I really enjoy like The Martian, the YA novels Illuminae and The Fifth Wave and now this book. 20,000 Leagues is really amazing.
The characters are very well done - Professor Arronax, his valet Conseil, and their Canadian companion, harpooner, Ned Land, match wits and wills against the enigmatic Captain Nemo. I love how Jules Verne told Captain Nemo's story by letting his readers come to some of their own conclusions about why he acted the way he did, and about the larger point about society at large.
One thing that I love about books is that readers are allowed to live vicariously through the characters and the action of the stories that they read. In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, it felt like I was taken on a wondrous journey to places and was allowed to see things that people only dream about. From the deep ocean with its plethora of marine life, to the discovery of the lost continent of Atlantis, to breaking through the ice barrier at the South Pole, et al, science meets fiction very compellingly in this book. This will probably be the best science fiction novel I've ever read and that I'll ever read.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
It is a very creative book, taking the scientific advancements of the time and propelling it forward a hundred years and more. It had me googling fascinating theories, inventions and apparatuses from that time. It must've taken a great deal of research.
It envokes mystery and wonderment and it must've been incredible to read in the 1870s.
And that was the problem for me. At this day and age, the book loses a large part of its sense of wonder. And sadly that is the most interesting part of this book for me.
After about 1/4 of the book, the biggest mysteries were solved. Then it turned into a travel journal. Here it felt like the story stopped progressing. Interesting and fascinating places are visited, some stuff happens, and we get the occasional list of information. But it felt like most of it had no relevance or reasoning other than to fascinate the main character (and the reader) about the submarine world.
The wonderous adventure is largely nullified by the modern world and the thin story and characters are not able to make up for it.
Nonetheless I am happy to have read the book. I can't help but wonder how incredible it must've been to read at the time when it was written.
It envokes mystery and wonderment and it must've been incredible to read in the 1870s.
And that was the problem for me. At this day and age, the book loses a large part of its sense of wonder. And sadly that is the most interesting part of this book for me.
After about 1/4 of the book, the biggest mysteries were solved. Then it turned into a travel journal. Here it felt like the story stopped progressing. Interesting and fascinating places are visited, some stuff happens, and we get the occasional list of information. But it felt like most of it had no relevance or reasoning other than to fascinate the main character (and the reader) about the submarine world.
The wonderous adventure is largely nullified by the modern world and the thin story and characters are not able to make up for it.
Nonetheless I am happy to have read the book. I can't help but wonder how incredible it must've been to read at the time when it was written.
It is hard to place myself in the mind of the 19th-century person, much less a reader of Jules Verne's well-told fantastical voyage. Today I can see videos and pictures of millions of underwater sea creatures, read about them in great detail, and probably even see one in person at a local aquarium. And while it is true that some of the excitement and novelty is not really something that can be captured today, I still found that I enjoyed Verne's beautiful descriptions and incredible imagination. As a sci-fi book, it definitely delivers the good, especially since it seems Verne was using current science as a jumping off point. Some of his ideas seem rather silly based on what we know today, but they are still fun to imagine. It reminds me of how much joy I get watching old Star Trek episodes. The special effects and costumes are bad, but the acting and stories are fully realized and with depth. Verne's characters - Arronax, Land, Conseil, and of course Nemo, are vivid and with the same depth of Melville's Moby Dick. I found myself thinking of Moby Dick quite often while reading this narration. If you get bored in the beginning, stay with the book. Somewhere in the late middle it really picks up and it becomes an incredibly fun yarn.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
This was yet another book that was not what I expected. I expected a dry but interesting story that takes place on a sub. What this story is is one of the most vividly fantastical speculative stories I've ever read in my life. It had lush descriptions of the flora and fauna that really made you feel like you were there. The series, I believe, is called Extraordinary Voyages and the name couldn't be more apt. From underwater "hunts" to going underneath the ice to reach the south pole this book just doesn't let up. And it was so visual. I don't believe I could possibly explain this book... it's just absolutely brilliant. The imagination that it takes to invent all of this stuff when there weren't even cars (or horseless carriages, although I think Benz created it's first around this time) absolutely astounds me. And yeah, he got a few things wrong, but he also got a hell of a lot of things right and it completely blew my mind.
Note: I want to reread this immersion style.
Note: I want to reread this immersion style.
adventurous
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thinking there is a dangerous sea monster in their midsts marine biologist Pierre Aronnax, his manservant Conseil and Canadian harpooner Ned Land, set out to kill what they think is a giant Narwhal.
The Narwhal turns out to be a futuristic submarine and the men find themselves on an adventure they may not return from.
This one has been on my TBR for years. While entertaining, I did fine my mind wandering.
The Narwhal turns out to be a futuristic submarine and the men find themselves on an adventure they may not return from.
This one has been on my TBR for years. While entertaining, I did fine my mind wandering.
challenging
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced