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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
adventurous
slow-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
An adventure so nautical I feel like a shoobie just being on terra firma right now. Captain Nemo is the GOAT of the seven seas!
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I purchased this after the Titan submarine imploded above the Titanic in 2023 but didn't get around to reading it until months after the incident. Like a complete dope I purchased the Puffin Classics version of this book which was heavily abridged. Man am I disgusted with myself.
This was, in my mind, the pinnacle of adventure stories. I'm not a sci-fi reader at all and was not put off by Verne's stretching of the imagination for his story. A lot of the negative reviews would have been more positive had they read this abridged version that "has taken out the more arduous and dated bits of nineteenth-century science, and lists of underwater species, in order to clarify the main, thrilling adventure story". I doubt that those removed parts would have bothered me, as the similar sounding content did not bother me while reading Moby Dick. Someday, I will definitely need to buy the full unabridged version for the parts I missed but also to do better honor of this book in my private collection. This is up there with one of the best books I ever read. Captain Nemo is probably my all-time favorite character in literature.
This was, in my mind, the pinnacle of adventure stories. I'm not a sci-fi reader at all and was not put off by Verne's stretching of the imagination for his story. A lot of the negative reviews would have been more positive had they read this abridged version that "has taken out the more arduous and dated bits of nineteenth-century science, and lists of underwater species, in order to clarify the main, thrilling adventure story". I doubt that those removed parts would have bothered me, as the similar sounding content did not bother me while reading Moby Dick. Someday, I will definitely need to buy the full unabridged version for the parts I missed but also to do better honor of this book in my private collection. This is up there with one of the best books I ever read. Captain Nemo is probably my all-time favorite character in literature.
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
If H.G. Wells is the father of Science Fiction, then Jules Verne is the Grandfather. I went in knowing very little about the story, so little in fact that I thought it was akin to Moby Dick with a giant squid playing the role of Moby. Boy was I surprised to learn ol'squiddy doesn't show up until one of last chapters.
I was also surprised that the voyage wasn't 20,000 leagues deep but rather 20,000 leagues being the distance around the globe. And yes I know the ocean floor isn't 60,000 miles below the surface, I guess I thought that it was a sci-fi novel so anything is possible!
As for the story itself, it was really engaging. The characters were interesting and the plot was full of suspense that kept me turning the virtual pages (for mine is the e-book version). It did, however, get a tad tedious as he spouted off on the species of fish they passed. This sometimes went on for a full page. Towards the end I sort of glossed over those sections to get to the next exciting adventure.
All said, though, good stuff.
I was also surprised that the voyage wasn't 20,000 leagues deep but rather 20,000 leagues being the distance around the globe. And yes I know the ocean floor isn't 60,000 miles below the surface, I guess I thought that it was a sci-fi novel so anything is possible!
As for the story itself, it was really engaging. The characters were interesting and the plot was full of suspense that kept me turning the virtual pages (for mine is the e-book version). It did, however, get a tad tedious as he spouted off on the species of fish they passed. This sometimes went on for a full page. Towards the end I sort of glossed over those sections to get to the next exciting adventure.
All said, though, good stuff.