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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
This is an old classic, and it is starting to show it. While it is hard to fault the premise, for at the time it was a true original, the preferred writing style of an audience has changed a great deal. There is a great deal of action and some great scenes and characters, yet they get buried in between pages of descriptions of molluscs, fish, engine design and electricity generation.
Read it gently, and be patient. It does take you into a new world of the mysterious Captain Nemo, but it also takes you back to the 1870's, when adventure was served up with some detailed science. Most of his books are like this, so you may pick one based on your interest in geology (Journey to the centre of the Earth), engineering (Mysterious Island), or the depths of the sea.
There is no faulting his imagination, for these books have become entertaining movies. A great story will always survive, and without doubt this is a great story.
Read it gently, and be patient. It does take you into a new world of the mysterious Captain Nemo, but it also takes you back to the 1870's, when adventure was served up with some detailed science. Most of his books are like this, so you may pick one based on your interest in geology (Journey to the centre of the Earth), engineering (Mysterious Island), or the depths of the sea.
There is no faulting his imagination, for these books have become entertaining movies. A great story will always survive, and without doubt this is a great story.
I read this as part of a directed study on Scientific Romances in college. All I can remember is the dreadful taxonomic lists of fish, and sea creatures.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought about leaving a rating off of this, because this book is definitely one of those that I may not like but someone else will adore. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be; I was expecting an action story. Which it was in some ways. There were even some places I had to laugh. The story: A "monster" is seen in the ocean and Professor Aronnax goes in search of it. He and two others fall into the ocean after an accident and get picked up not by a monster, but an extremely advanced submarine (especially for the time it was written). Captain Nemo tells them to protect his secrets they can never leave the Nautilus ever again, but they are welcome to look around as much as they like. What follows is 30-some chapters of rather involved scientific explanations and marine taxonomy of every little thing the characters see while on board. It's not until the last few chapters that there was any real sense FOR ME that there was any kind of a plot. Then all of a sudden the action took of like a shot and the ending caught me off guard but seemed rather appropriate for the enigmatic Nemo. I will admit I listened to this on librivox.org (free audio online for books in the public domain...good stuff!!) and I might have gotten more out of it if I had read it, rather than listened to it. All of the descriptions made the story drag for me, but it's really not a bad little book. You'll just have to sample it for yourself and make up your own mind.
After loving "Around the World in Eighty Days," I really thought I would end up rating this book higher, but it was just kind of average for me. Parts I loved, but parts were tedious...especially the endless naming/classifying of various species encountered along the journey, with very little description as to what those creatures actually were. It definitely read more like a biology textbook at times. But, having said that, I'm glad I read it!
Certes, ce roman peut être ennuyeux si le lecteur n’est pas curieux. Mais il il est curieux, ce roman est une merveille. Que de découvertes des milieux sous marins, du monde scientifique de l’époque.
Ce roman est aussi une trace de la façon dont on conceuvait le monde a l’époque.
Mais aussi quelle maîtrise sublime du français. Ce récit est l’un des plus beaux si on aime la langue française.
Ce roman est aussi une trace de la façon dont on conceuvait le monde a l’époque.
Mais aussi quelle maîtrise sublime du français. Ce récit est l’un des plus beaux si on aime la langue française.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea is a classic book about submarine and sea expedition. We all heard about Captain Nemo or watched movies based on him. Jules Verne creates an underwater world that breathes taking.
Ned Land, a harpooner, Professor Pierre Aronnax, and his servant Conseil, with a team of men, set out to find about a mysterious creature of the sea. But they were imprisoned at Nautilus by Captain Nemo. He treats them well, but they were not allowed to go back to land. Captain Nemo is generous but ruthless at the same time. His secrets attract the professor, and soon he becomes the part of Captain Nemo's expedition.
They traveled different seas, unveil magnificent creatures, and ruin cities. While the professor was pleased with the events, Ned Land wants to escape the submarine. The expression dead men tell no tale fits here because if one has to leave the Nautilus, they should be stagnant. I presume it is one of the reasons why Captain Nemo bestows almost all the functioning of the ship with the professor.
What will happen when the professor and Ned Land share different notions of their states? Is Captain Nemo a good man, or it is all just a pretense?
The story is narrated by the professor, which makes it exciting because his character is inquisitive all the time. Conseil's personality seems to be like a slave because he has no opinions, he is always ready to do whatever his master says. While Ned Land is firm, but I felt like that he is just there to remind the professor that they don't belong on Nautilus. Caption Nemo is the real deal, he is secretive, sensitive, brutal, stubborn, and fearless. Professor tried a lot to know the reasons why he built the submarine, why he left the land, and hate politics so much, but the Caption has a persona that no one was able to decode.
What I like -
Smooth narration.
The story is fast-paced and fun.
The language is lucid.
The expeditions of different places seem surreal.
The fights with deadly creatures were formidable.
If you love books based on sea creatures, voyages, submarines, then pick this book right now. I enjoy reading it and hope you'll too.
Read more here - https://www.bookscharming.com/
Ned Land, a harpooner, Professor Pierre Aronnax, and his servant Conseil, with a team of men, set out to find about a mysterious creature of the sea. But they were imprisoned at Nautilus by Captain Nemo. He treats them well, but they were not allowed to go back to land. Captain Nemo is generous but ruthless at the same time. His secrets attract the professor, and soon he becomes the part of Captain Nemo's expedition.
They traveled different seas, unveil magnificent creatures, and ruin cities. While the professor was pleased with the events, Ned Land wants to escape the submarine. The expression dead men tell no tale fits here because if one has to leave the Nautilus, they should be stagnant. I presume it is one of the reasons why Captain Nemo bestows almost all the functioning of the ship with the professor.
What will happen when the professor and Ned Land share different notions of their states? Is Captain Nemo a good man, or it is all just a pretense?
The story is narrated by the professor, which makes it exciting because his character is inquisitive all the time. Conseil's personality seems to be like a slave because he has no opinions, he is always ready to do whatever his master says. While Ned Land is firm, but I felt like that he is just there to remind the professor that they don't belong on Nautilus. Caption Nemo is the real deal, he is secretive, sensitive, brutal, stubborn, and fearless. Professor tried a lot to know the reasons why he built the submarine, why he left the land, and hate politics so much, but the Caption has a persona that no one was able to decode.
What I like -
Smooth narration.
The story is fast-paced and fun.
The language is lucid.
The expeditions of different places seem surreal.
The fights with deadly creatures were formidable.
If you love books based on sea creatures, voyages, submarines, then pick this book right now. I enjoy reading it and hope you'll too.
Read more here - https://www.bookscharming.com/
There were things about this book I really liked. It is a cross between a naturalist journal, and adventure story, with some engineering thrown in. However the adventure parts weren't that exciting, and I often had to re-listen to parts, as I found my mind wandering. It's very creative, especially for the time. Their constant evaluation of what different natural elements and creatures were "worth" monetarily without any regard to the inherent worth of the creatures themselves was a bit grating, especially as it became clear it was a recurring theme in the story. For how famous this book is, I'd give it a solid meh.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
One of my favorite pieces of literature and indeed, of science fiction. Its small wonder that Verne is still a king of science fiction to this day.