20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

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It's a hit!

Jules Verne is the embodiment of the adventure story and this book is a great example of it. Very imaginative and very exciting to read however the... (show more)

Jules Verne is the embodiment of the adventure story and this book is a great example of it. Very imaginative and very exciting to read however there are times that it boring because of the recurrence of the classifications of the animals which is very much thoroughly discussed by both Conseil and Mr. Arronax but set aside that and you got yourself one hell of a adventure novel. The novel itself is full of details and it is very well written and it also has a wide ranges of knowledge that is about the sea, we have explorations, dates, battles, events and the like. Also Captain Nemo is truly a unique and mysterious character which keeps us at the edge of our seats as we progress through the novel. The humanity factor of this novel is very much felt by this character and is very much felt all throughout the novel. A fantastic book to read and it is truly an ageless novel. (show less)

 

 

by Mel Basconcillo

No, it's a flop!

All due credit where credit is due -- Jules Verne was way ahead of his time. His description of the submarine was dead on. His knack for characteri... (show more)

All due credit where credit is due -- Jules Verne was way ahead of his time. His description of the submarine was dead on. His knack for characterization was up there with the best of modern sci-fi writers. Still, this book dragged on and on, with an endless litany of sea creatures' names in Latin. Doubtlessly this netted him tremendous credibility, but it left me cold. After looking up the first hundred or so names to correlate them to identifiable names of animals, I gave up and would breeze through the list, thinking, "There were a bunch of fish." The lists so robbed the story of its potential that I soon found myself just wondering when the squid would show up. Alas, that event was startlingly frank and disassociated with any real development in any of the characters. Even the crushing of a warship left me cold. In the end, all I was left with was a sense that Verne was dead on in many technical aspects, showed tremendous promise in characterization, but never fulfilled his story's potential. From the perspective of sifting through the remains of yesterday to find the origins of today, this book is worth a read. Otherwise, check out Robert Heinlein, Ursula LeGuin, Ben Bova, or Orson Scott Card. (show less)

 

 

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  This book has supposedly inspired science fiction writers for ages. I think it inspired science fiction writers to write more interesting science fiction. Other than biology students, who wants to read a whole paragraph listing taxonomic categories of fish? Who wants to read more than one at different intervals during the novels. This novel contained some of the most boring filler I've ever read. Jules Verne must have been paid by the word because that kind of torture is the reason publi... (show more)

  This book has supposedly inspired science fiction writers for ages. I think it inspired science fiction writers to write more interesting science fiction. Other than biology students, who wants to read a whole paragraph listing taxonomic categories of fish? Who wants to read more than one at different intervals during the novels. This novel contained some of the most boring filler I've ever read. Jules Verne must have been paid by the word because that kind of torture is the reason publishers invented a position called Content Editor. Otherwise, there were a few interesting scenes. My favorite, of course, was the part where the Nautilus is attacked by multiple giant squid. Giant squid are awesome. I also found it kind of funny that the professor mistook the Nautilus for a giant narwhal. It was even more funny when the ship they were on started trailing bacon in the sea to attract the narwhal. Otherwise I understand why there are so many abridged versions of this book available. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook User on Dec 06, 2009 at 07:24AM

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  I have already been captivated by Jules Verne's around the world in 80 days so I figured I'd give this one a go. We started listening to this one in the car on a family trip and I ended up finishing off the book all by myself. I had read some reviews before I started the book and there was some complaint about the lack of real resolve in the story. The ending is abrupt and some of the major conflicts never get resolved (at least not in my mind). However, I think it's a great book to read ... (show more)

  I have already been captivated by Jules Verne's around the world in 80 days so I figured I'd give this one a go. We started listening to this one in the car on a family trip and I ended up finishing off the book all by myself. I had read some reviews before I started the book and there was some complaint about the lack of real resolve in the story. The ending is abrupt and some of the major conflicts never get resolved (at least not in my mind). However, I think it's a great book to read with your kids as it leads on a literal sea-bound odyssey. I will plan on using this in my homeschooling as a "jumping off" point for 1001 (or should I say 20,000) discussions of different scientific topics. I am amazed that this book was written when it was. Jules Verne was certainly showing off the depth and breadth of his scientific diet in this novel. If you're looking for a fun read with a lot of interesting scientific tidbits... give it a read. If you're looking for a moving plot, look elsewhere! (show less)

   

   

  by Chris Pollock on Nov 22, 2009 at 03:26AM

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