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mtshuffman 's review for:
20000 Leagues Under the Sea
by Jules Verne
I am a fan of seemingly boring 19th-century novels, so I went into this with an open mind, ready to enjoy it. About halfway through, I was ready to declare this one a disappointment primarily due to the writing style, but in the end, I enjoyed it.
"20,000 Leagues" doesn't have the staying power of other adventure novels of its age like "The Count of Monte Cristo" or "Moby Dick," but I can still see the appeal. It must have been stunningly imaginative at its time, brimming with excitement for exploration, advancing technology and science while grounded by anti-imperialist political themes through the mysterious, conflicted Captain Nemo.
However, it reads like a daily logbook with one experience after the next described without any building action until the very end, which caused my interest to wax and wane (particularly when Professor Aronnax just lists sea creatures). The audiobook I listened to also wasn't helped by the narrator's strangely robotic voice for Captain Nemo, which didn't seem to fit the character. In all, I'm glad I read it though.
"20,000 Leagues" doesn't have the staying power of other adventure novels of its age like "The Count of Monte Cristo" or "Moby Dick," but I can still see the appeal. It must have been stunningly imaginative at its time, brimming with excitement for exploration, advancing technology and science while grounded by anti-imperialist political themes through the mysterious, conflicted Captain Nemo.
However, it reads like a daily logbook with one experience after the next described without any building action until the very end, which caused my interest to wax and wane (particularly when Professor Aronnax just lists sea creatures). The audiobook I listened to also wasn't helped by the narrator's strangely robotic voice for Captain Nemo, which didn't seem to fit the character. In all, I'm glad I read it though.