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The Mysterious Island (Extraordinary Voyages)

by Jules Verne, Caleb Carr (Introduction), Jordan Stump (Translation)

3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 · rating details · 13,231 ratings · 491 reviews

Based on the true story of Alexander Selkirk, who survived alone for almost five years on an uninhabited island off the coast of Chile. Verne's novel tells the story of five men and a dog who land in a balloon on a faraway, fantastic island of bewildering goings-on and their struggle to survive as they uncover the island’s secret.

Paperback, 723 pages

Published April 27th 2004 by Modern Library (first published 1874)

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Feb 15, 2009 ScottK rated it 5 of 5 stars

Last year I participated with a group of friends in doing a Secret Santa. This was the book that my Santa gave me (as well as Gulliver's Travels). I think it was because of the fact I was moaning about the lack of any Verne on Maui. I am SOOOOO glad my santa chose this book for me. It was amazing. Yes there were some dry parts, unless you like painstaking detail about how to make Iron or Bricks, but even they were quickly dispatched, and could be skimmed without really mising anything.

Verne's Ch...more

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Jul 16, 2008 B. Zedan rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Folks who want to read 500+ pages of self-important Industry of Man porno

Shelves: gutenberg-downloads

Oh my God. Some dudes are castaway on this island and I cannot put real words together to explain why I wanted to kill this book. So here are some select Twitters from when I was reading it:

* I find it a little horrifying that the castaways in Verne's 'Mysterious Island' never use bone for anything. Too savage? [though they end up using some whale bone, but that's pretty white so it's okay]

* They didn't use bone to tip arrows! They waited until the dog found a porcupine! How are clothes mended?!...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Jacques le fataliste et son maître rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: letteratura-francese, narrativa

«– Avevate una lente, signore? – domandò Herbert a Cyrus Smith.
– No, ragazzo mio, – rispose questi, – ma ne ho fatta una.»
Ne ha fatta una… Non sarà l’unica cosa che i naufraghi del cielo si costruiranno: dalla lente per accendere il fuoco all’esplosivo, al telegrafo. Fra i romanzi di Verne più famosi, L’Isola misteriosa è quello che contiene le invenzioni più “modeste” (una lente, delle candele, del vetro…) ma, in compenso, meglio rappresenta il processo inventivo nella sua essenza. E nel suo...more

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Aug 18, 2008 Lesley rated it 3 of 5 stars

A little while ago, I picked up The Mysterious Island mainly because it was one of the only books by Jules Verne that I knew almost nothing about. I took great care not to learn in advance what made the island so mysterious or really, anything about the plot at all.

This book is at its heart a standard "shipwrecked" adventure. The main characters are not really shipwrecked per se, but may as well be. The majority of the story deals with their trials and tribulations surviving on the island.

Where...more A little while ago, I picked up The Mysterious Island mainly because it was one of the only books by Jules Verne that I knew almost nothing about. I took great care not to learn in advance what made the island so mysterious or really, anything about the plot at all.

This book is at its heart a standard "shipwrecked" adventure. The main characters are not really shipwrecked per se, but may as well be. The majority of the story deals with their trials and tribulations surviving on the island.

Where I was intrigued by, say, The Swiss Family Robinson's trials to survive, The Mysterious Island felt rather absurd. These castaways not only were able to survive very comfortably with almost nothing (they did not have a ship of supplies to start with, as the Swiss Family did), but were able to manufacture nicely advanced pieces of technology in short periods.

When they started a fire with a couple of lenses from watches, I thought them clever. When they created a forge and manufactured crude steel, I was a bit skeptical. When they created nitroglycerine safely using only natural materials found on the island, I openly scoffed. And when they created a working telegraph (starting by building batteries from scratch), I just laughed. This was not the sort of book you could read and fantasize yourself doing the same in their position. Instead you find yourself wondering if people have somehow degenerated that much intellectually since Verne's time. I felt comfortably reassured to find Isaac Asimov scoffing over the same points in the afterword.

Despite the absurdity of it, and the lack of any character conflict (all of the castaways are almost insipidly cheerful throughout), Verne does a good job in putting together a mystery that is intriguing, and kept me turning pages despite the rather dense writing style. Unfortunately, without giving any spoilers, I felt the payoff to the mystery to be unfulfilling and ultimately distracting from the plot of the book.

The ending of the book was the most disappointing part. It wrapped up reasonably, but it was extremely abrupt and felt very rushed after the previous pace of the book.

Overall I did enjoy reading this. But I would not recommend it to others without noting its flaws, as some are likely to be disappointed.(less)

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Dec 26, 2007 ANDY rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: adventure minded folks

I first read this book as a young boy and loved it! The adventure, the science, the making something out of practically nothing, the surviving the elements - as a young boy with a real desire for adventure and an interest in science I was hooked. I thought that Jules Verne was the greatest dude to have ever drawn breath. I quickly started a campaign to convince others how great this book was. My attempts to sway others was to no avail... no one else was interested.

I think this book was a Christ...more

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Aug 17, 2008 Dave rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: adventurista

This book by jules Verne was the first one I had read by this author. It has become one of my favorites. When I first started, the beginning was already suspenceful because of all the twists like the captain being swept off their hot air balloon. The Island, I thought, was strange since the shape sent shivers down my spine. The island had included everything to surive including fertile land that came from the ash of an active volcano.
In this book, I loved the way how you made the island seem hi...more

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Mar 17, 2011 Rob Kennedy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Finished it a few days ago. This book has restored my faith in reading. It's the second best book I've ever read. I've rarely read anything that has kept me spellbound from start to finish. I think I'd like to start reading it again.

For what is seen as an adventure book, it's mind blowingly in-depth, overly interesting and so well written, it has taught me many lessons in writing. I never new Jules Verne was so good. I already miss each character and even the animals. Poor Jup. Wow wow wow.

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Jul 03, 2010 Bryan added it · review of another edition

Mysteries abound: After reading The Mysterious Island, I wonder how much Jules Verne's current reputation is based on 1950s and '60s movies loosely--very loosely--adapted from his novels. In this book, there are no giant crabs or bees, or aliens, or even women. There are five men and a dog seeking to escape besieged Richmond during the Civil War who are carried off in a balloon by hurricane winds to an uncharted island in the Pacific, where they find and make what they need to survive.

The "colo...more Mysteries abound: After reading The Mysterious Island, I wonder how much Jules Verne's current reputation is based on 1950s and '60s movies loosely--very loosely--adapted from his novels. In this book, there are no giant crabs or bees, or aliens, or even women. There are five men and a dog seeking to escape besieged Richmond during the Civil War who are carried off in a balloon by hurricane winds to an uncharted island in the Pacific, where they find and make what they need to survive.

The "colonists," as they style themselves to avoid the negative connotations of "castaways," are an improbable assortment, each man having knowledge or skills that complement those of the others. Cyrus Harding, the engineer, is not only a bottomless well of information about mechanics, chemistry, navigation, and other practical topics, but is also a natural leader. Gideon Spillett, the reporter, is an expert hunter. Pencroft, the sailor, knows shipbuilding and is a willing worker, while his teenage ward, Herbert, is a knowledgeable naturalist and able hunter. Harding's servant, Neb, plays the role of cook and domestic, while Harding's dog, Top, provides keen senses and instinct. When Verne wrote, "It would have been difficult to unite five men, better fitted to struggle against fate, more certain to triumph over it," it cannot have been without some sense of irony, since he is the one who brought them together in his imagination.

While a mysterious influence, whose acts are ambiguous at first but become more tangible over time, rescues the settlers or provides them with just what they need just when they need it, the real mystery of the island is the island itself. Perhaps Verne misunderstood or misused common names; he calls Jup's troop both "orangutans" (apes) and "baboons" (monkeys). He might have been pandering to a Victorian taste for the exotic. The island that the settlers call "Lincoln" for their wartime president is an impossibility of nature. Creatures from nearly every continent and ecosystem roam among an equally unlikely mixture of geological formations and collection of plants. Onagers from the Asian steppes and Middle Eastern deserts, koalas (described as "large" and speedy) from Australia, jaguars from Central and South America, orangutans from the Borneo rain forest, and musmons from isles of the Mediterranean are among Nature's bounty found on this small temperate island. Here, tropical apes, cats, and parrots survive below-freezing winters as easily as the musmons and goats.

The mineral riches are equally diverse, but even as he wonders about this paradise, Harding tells his comrades, "Nature gives us these things. It is our business to make a right use of them," signaling the beginning of man's never-ending quest to conquer and destroy nature. Even the water must be tamed; the settlers must "borrow its power, actually lost without profit to any one."

Under Harding's leadership, and with the occasional help of the island's secret benefactor, the colonists build an incredible infrastructure that provides them with shelter, water, food, clothing, power, tools, and weapons. Harding is not the leader because he is rich, good looking, charismatic, well spoken, or the other things that appeal to civilized man; he is the leader because he knows what to do and how to do it, and has faith in his ability to do it--and because he has intelligent followers in whom he can instill that same faith. The lack of discord among the colonists is as unlikely as the flora and fauna, but it may be Verne's commentary on leadership when it is most needed. When an important decision must be made, Harding refuses to make it without obtaining the opinions of all concerned, including his own servant. Taken away from civilization and its layers of social, moral, and other complexities, and forced into a situation where able leadership and willing cooperation mean not only survival but comfort and satisfaction, these men rise to the occasion. It is no coincidence that the impetus for the arrival on Lincoln Island is the Civil War, one of America's bloodiest, most savage times.

In the afterword, author Isaac Asimov tried to determine the appeal of "robinsonades" like Robinson Crusoe, Swiss Family Robinson, and The Mysterious Island. He came to the conclusion that such tales answer the question, "What do I do if civilization fails me?"--a question that could apply to castaways on an uncharted island or survivors of a civil war or a nuclear or chemical/biochemical holocaust. Perhaps, though, the question is more basic than that. It might be, "Do I need civilization at all?"

While the North and South were counting and burying their dead and trying to heal the nation--a process that in some ways has not been completed--Harding and his group were using both their minds and their hands to shape a near-paradise (interestingly, one in which tobacco is missed sorely, but not women).

The Mysterious Island starts off slowly; too much ink is dedicated to Pencroft's desire to kill eat every creature they encounter, and the characters can seem psychologically shallow and limited to a mature reader. At some point, however, I found myself so interested in Lincoln Island that I, like the colonists, was reluctant to leave it. I was even disappointed by the ultimate fate and home of the settlers, as it did not seem the right place for them to be. While not a literary masterpiece, The Mysterious Island does not need giant crabs, bees, or even women to be a good story of its kind.(less)

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Jan 05, 2009 Dave rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: speculative-fiction, fiction, translated, literature

"The Mysterious Island" is the second book in the Early Classics of Science Fiction series which is being published by Wesleyan University Press. This novel is a much better choice for the series than Verne's "Invasion of the Sea". Although not as well known as some of Verne's novels, it is certainly a better representation of his style than "Invasion of the Sea" was. As with the first in the series, this release features a new and unabridged translation, which is much superior to previous trans...more "The Mysterious Island" is the second book in the Early Classics of Science Fiction series which is being published by Wesleyan University Press. This novel is a much better choice for the series than Verne's "Invasion of the Sea". Although not as well known as some of Verne's novels, it is certainly a better representation of his style than "Invasion of the Sea" was. As with the first in the series, this release features a new and unabridged translation, which is much superior to previous translations. They also include a wealth of material about the history of previous translations, the inception of the novel, the historical context of the novel, and they have done a fantastic job of including notes in the novel itself, explaining where Verne is making references to other works, where he has made errors, and other interesting information regarding the text of the novel itself.

The novel was first published in "Magasin" from January 1st, 1874 through December 15th of 1875. It is not as good as his more famous works, but it is still worth reading, especially this new translation. It is the tale of five men who find themselves stranded on an island, and who through the course of trying to survive notice mysterious happenings and become convinced that there is one or more benefactors helping them. The one movie I saw bearing the name of this novel, bears little resemblance to Verne's story. Absent from the novel are the giant animals (chicken, crab, bees), nor are there any women on the island. Verne considered his stories to be scientific fiction, as opposed to science fiction, and so an island of giant creatures is far from the kind of story he would write.

The main characters in this story are Cyrus Smith, who was a Union staff officer who was captured by the South, and he is also the scientist of the group. Next is Gideon Spilett, a reporter who was also captured and met Smith when both were prisoners of war. The next is Neb, who is described as "a Negro born of slave parents into the engineer's estate" who stayed with Smith after he was freed by him. He came to find Cyrus Smith, in Richmond when he learned Smith was a prisoner. The next man is Pencroft, a sailor who found himself trapped in Richmond because of the siege. The last is Harbert Brown, a fifteen year old boy who is an orphan that Pencroft takes care of as if he were his own son.

The novel is divided into three main sections. The first of these is titled "The Castaways from the Sky". It opens with the men desperately trying to keep their balloon aloft until they are able to reach land. Verne quickly fills the reader in on the history of these men, who have escaped from Richmond in a hot-air balloon, only to have been swept away in a storm which has taken them into the South Pacific. There they are fortunate to get near to an Island which they name Lincoln Island. The first section is devoted to them building a home on the island; there are a few unusual events, but nothing which can not be explained away. The section ends with the first undeniable evidence that someone else either is, or recently was on the island with them; a lead bullet.

The second section is titled "The Abandoned One". In this section they do a more thorough search and survey of Lincoln Island, and they find it is a very diverse island, which can provide for most all their needs. While searching their island, a group of apes take over their residence. Under unusual circumstances they are able to regain their home, and with it they gain an Ape servant (Jup). They build a small ship to investigate a nearby island when they find a note in a bottle. There they find a man (Ayrton) who has been abandoned there and become more animal than man. As with the first section, there are many unusual events which lead them to suspect they are not alone on the island. This section ends with the sighting of a ship.

The third section is titled "The Secret of the Island". In this section they deal with the pirates who appear to have come to make the island their own personal base. At the end, they do find their mysterious benefactor who has helped them throughout their time on the island. With the volcano nearing an eruption which threatens to destroy the island, they rush to build a ship in a last ditch effort to save themselves. When time runs out, they find their benefactor has reached out to them one last time.

I recommend this book to those who are interested in early science fiction or in the works of Jules Verne. However, I do expect that other people are likely to find the pacing rather slow. It is over 600 pages long, and the mysterious part of the tale builds slowly. In today's fast-paced action world, it could easily be viewed as slow and/or lacking in action.(less)

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Jan 10, 2013 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who wants to know how to survive a deserted island.

Shelves: survival, action-adventure, comradery, pirates

Jules Verne is a writing god! I had previously read some of his more popular works like "Around the World in 80 Days," and "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," and I loved them. I read those at my local library, and I had recently saved enough money for a nice copy of my own, so I went to the bookstore, but they didn't have any of the books I was looking for. All they had was, "The Mysterious Island," which I had never heard of before, but hey, it was Jules Verne, so I bought it where it laid on my b...more

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Dec 07, 2012 James Field rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 29, 2012 Rozonda rated it 4 of 5 stars

I re-read this book thanks to my Amazon Kindle, and I found it as fascinating and charming as I did when I first read it, in an almost full version, at the age of eight (I was surprised to find how little the editors of that children's version had suppressed- the book was almost exactly the same). I'm more conscious now of some details of this book, as the lack of female characters (a "sin" often commited by authors of Verne's time) or the idealization of characters, which are all strong and goo...more

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May 12, 2012 David Sarkies rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure

While this is a book written by the man who has earned himself the title of the 'Father of Science-fiction' many of his stories are more like adventure stories than they are pure science-fiction. I have written elsewhere about how it is actually difficult to describe a book as being science-fiction simply because the genre seems to overlap with a lot of other styles as well, meaning that science-fiction is more of a setting than a genre (in a very lose sense since genre is really only composed...more While this is a book written by the man who has earned himself the title of the 'Father of Science-fiction' many of his stories are more like adventure stories than they are pure science-fiction. I have written elsewhere about how it is actually difficult to describe a book as being science-fiction simply because the genre seems to overlap with a lot of other styles as well, meaning that science-fiction is more of a setting than a genre (in a very lose sense since genre is really only composed of prose, drama, and poetry).
The story starts in the United States during the American Civil War when a group of prisoners in the South steal a hot air balloon and flee the war for a better place. This initially I found a little odd because the balloon itself would have had to cross the entire continent and then half of the Pacific Ocean to actually reach its end destination, and in a way it is probably the less believable of Verne's writings, but as I have previously indicated, this story is more of an adventure than anything attempting to be realistic. However, realism is one of Verne's styles, and even though a number of his stories deal with ideas that had not been fully developed (submarines, airplanes, interplanetary travel) Verne did tend to lean towards the possible as opposed to the fantastic (which came to the fore with H.G. Wells).
It is not the balloon trip that is the focus of the story though but rather how the castaways managed to survive and thrive on a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific. What originally drew me to this story was how this group managed to turn the island into an industrial paradise with little more than the resources that they have available. However, as it turned out, this island was actually a wealth of resources, and with a little ingeniuty and know-how, the characters were able to marshal these resources to their use.
Jules Verne actually prided himself on the accuracy of his research. We are told that he used to pour over travelogues and encyclopedias to try and create the most realistic stories as possible, and even then it was not just these books that he would read, by also scientific theories, such as the railgun that was designed to launch the capsule to the moon. I noticed that H.G. Wells also borrowed the same concept when he wrote his story 'The War of the Worlds'. In that story the Martians used railguns to launch their invasion force against Earth.
It is difficult to determine how realistic Verne's little society would actually be. Remember that Verne had socialistic tendancies, however his stories never seemed to come out as utopian ideas. The mysterious island is far from being a utopia, and its characters are more interested in creating a means of escape than they are in creating a paradise for themselves. I won't go too far into the ending of the story as I do not want to actually give away the little plot twists at the end. However, I feel that the thing that attracted me to this story was the character's ingenuity, their ability to not so much turn a bad situation around, but rather the resourcefulness of creating a modern world in deserted land.
I guess this is an idea that had been floating around for a while as we saw the expansion of the British Empire as well as the industrialisation of the American continent. As the Anglo-American Empire expanded, with its expansion came its technology, though we must remember that this expansion of technology was not necessarily for the native populations but rather of the imperial overlords. In Australia, and in America, many of the native populations to relegated to reserves where they could attempt to return to their traditional lifestyles, and that was where integration was not working. In many cases, while integration was preferred, it was resisted by the native populations. Even then, where they could integrate, there was still quite a lot of discrimination against them. It is the idea of 'White Man's Burden' where the imperial masters go to attempt to civilise the barbaric races of the world.
However, there is none of that on this island. All I could effectively remember was a monkey that they had captured and began to train to be a servant. In a way this is a typical colonialist attitude of the times. The native inhabitants, particularly in Australia, were considered to be sub-human, and treated as such. Because the aboriginal peoples were not considered human, killing them was not murder, and enslaving them was not slavery. Murder only counted against humans, as did slavery, therefore if they were not human, they could be bought, sold, and killed. Moreso, if they were not classified as human, then the continent would not be classified as being inhabited.
I guess the use of the ape in this novel is the key to the idea of colonialism, as well as the industrialisation of the island. Building a smelter and a power station is seen in a sense as a key to civilisation, as is clothing the natives and teaching them the English language. I do suspect that Verne did not necessarily agree with many of the attitudes of the time, particularly since he was a socialist, however I am not entirely clear on his political views since most of the books that I have read of his tend to be more in the line of adventure stories. I guess the closest that I have read that is of a political nature would be Paris in the 20th Century (which, I must admit, I read while I was in Paris).(less)

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Mar 05, 2012 Crosly Anderson rated it 5 of 5 stars

While I was reading 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, I noticed the small footnote in one of the last pages. It said, "If you want to find out what happened to Captain Nemo and his ship, read: The Mysterious Island." Immeditatly, I dashed towards Chapters to find this mysterious enigma of a book. I asked my father about it and he shrugged and said: "I read 20, 000 Leagues Under The Sea, but I never read the sequel. I never even KNEW there was a sequel."

So therefore, I found the book in the Adult Fi...more

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Dec 16, 2011 David rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

The Mysterious Island was a very engaging read, but it is a little hard to classify. It begins as historical fiction, set in Richmond, VA during the Civil War. It continues as a high-flying adventure (in a balloon) and survival (on an remote Pacific island).

Although the castaways have little in the way of resources, the make up for it with ingenuity, most of which is supplied by their leader, the engineer Cyrus Smith.* They make use of the local flora, fauna and minerals.** They make dynamite,...more

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Nov 28, 2011 Lindsay rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: z2011, fiction, kindle

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 06, 2011 Durdles rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: boy-s-adventure

Really good. Really gripping. Five resourceful (understatement) American prisoners hot-air ballon their way out of Civil War-torn Richmond, Virginia and crash to earth 7,000 miles away in a strange land with only the clothes thay stand up in and their store of combined education, courage, fraternity and unfailing optimism to help them survive... and prosper - occasionally with the aid of an invisible and benificent force.

A paeon to the values that made the USA the country it is. And written by a...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Andrew Ives rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites

Quite brilliant. For what it is, a 700 page tale of some men stranded on a desert island, it is surprisingly captivating. There is some slight repetition and some of the earlier animal hunting scenes are not necessarily to my taste, but the general educational value of how to get by when you fall on hard times is something I would recommend to any schoolkid. The very politically incorrect scenes where Joop first arrives (although he's rather like a Jar Jar Binks kind of character) are amusing in...more

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Jun 21, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

In this slightly less famous of Jules’ Verne’s novels, we meet five brave men who have been stranded on an unmapped island in the middle of the ocean. They boarded the balloon as a means of escaping their imprisonment by Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. By the fluke of the century’s worst storm, their balloon is carried nearly 1,000 miles and they barely make it alive onto an undiscovered island. Realizing there is little hope of rescue, Cyrus Smith, Pencroff, Spilett, Neb, an...more In this slightly less famous of Jules’ Verne’s novels, we meet five brave men who have been stranded on an unmapped island in the middle of the ocean. They boarded the balloon as a means of escaping their imprisonment by Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. By the fluke of the century’s worst storm, their balloon is carried nearly 1,000 miles and they barely make it alive onto an undiscovered island. Realizing there is little hope of rescue, Cyrus Smith, Pencroff, Spilett, Neb, and Harbert do their best to make a home on this island, which they christen Lincoln Island. Using their various skills in science, botany, hunting, and sea navigation, they not only survive but thrive. However, there’s a mystery on the island in the form of a shadowy benefactor, who makes a point of helping them at opportune moments yet still remains hidden in identity.

If you’ve read any of Jules’s other works, you know how scientifically he writes his fiction. He never leaves anything unexplained. This can be satisfying and overwhelming at the same time. For example, I appreciate that we receive an explanation as to how Cyrus Smith was able to make nitro glycerin, but I don’t really need to know why he rejected making dynamite on the scientific level. And you receive this level of information about most aspects of the castaways’ lives. This is balanced, however, by the mysterious presence on the island, who at times helps and alternately terrifies the inhabitants of Lincoln Island.

I always have to force myself to get into a Jules Verne novel, because I am not as scientifically bent as he probably hoped many of his readers would be. But he is a wonderful storyteller, and in spite of these emphases on science, you come to deeply care about his characters and can find it easy and natural to care about what’s going on in the plot. This book has a thoroughly enjoyable story and a satisfying ending. I recommend it to any of you who don’t mind a bit of wordiness.(less)

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Feb 28, 2011 Eric B rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Mysterious Island is a story about five Americans who escape from imprisonment by the Confederates by stealing a hot-air balloon. A storm forces the balloon out towards the Pacific Ocean. The balloon bursts and the escapees crash into the ocean. The five friends wash up on the shores of a deserted island, lost and without any food, water, or tools.
From the moment the men land they work to live and thrive on the island by using only their own scientific knowledge, willpower, and the abundant...more

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Jan 01, 2011 Russell rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is one Verne's paeans to the Scientific Man, and he pulls out all the stops. It's his version of Robin Crusoe and The Swiss Family Robinson but cast with 4 men and one boy of iron will and backbones of steel.

Verne threw in everything, escape from foes by balloon, intrepid and stalwart companions, dedicated manservant, loyal dog, engineer that was a veritable walking encyclopedia, narrow escapes, pirates, an unseen hand lending aid when all hope seemed lost, man's ability to create what he...more

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Jul 21, 2009 K. rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: sciency adventure lovers

Shelves: boy-s-bookshelf

Didn't actually realize until looking at the book I read just this moment that mine was abridged. Apparently the real thing is something like 700 pages (mine was 300). Wow.

Anyway, it was great! I little more "sciency" than totally suits my fancy, but it was good for me. If I had a "lost on a desert island" 72-hour kit this book should be in it! They figured out their location by the sun, a watch, and by knowing the date. They figured out the height of things by calculating the shadow (took a pa...more

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Feb 12, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I could easily be talked into giving this four stars for its high adventure, intriguing mystery and appealing characters. You've got to love a book that grabs you right from the beginning:

"Are we rising again?" "No on the contrary." "Are we descending?" "Worse than that, captain! We are falling!" "For heavens sake heave out the ballast!" "There! The last sack is empty!" "Does the balloon rise?" "No!" "I hear a noise like the dashing of waves! The sea is below the car. It cannot be more than 500...more I could easily be talked into giving this four stars for its high adventure, intriguing mystery and appealing characters. You've got to love a book that grabs you right from the beginning:

"Are we rising again?" "No on the contrary." "Are we descending?" "Worse than that, captain! We are falling!" "For heavens sake heave out the ballast!" "There! The last sack is empty!" "Does the balloon rise?" "No!" "I hear a noise like the dashing of waves! The sea is below the car. It cannot be more than 500 feet from us!" "Overboard with every weight!...everything!"

I must say, that listening to this (via the Kindle's speech feature while I was driving) was better than having to read all those exclamation points, but I was hooked and enjoyed the vicarious adventure.

Jules Verne's MYSTERIOUS ISLAND embraces the ever-popular story line of men surviving--even thriving--on a deserted island, but instead of getting there by shipwreck, these men have escaped from a Civil War Richmond under siege in a hot air balloon and are blown thousands of miles off course in the grip of a raging storm. Eventually, their balloon loses air and they fall into the sea and are washed up on an island. There they establish a settlement, and with remarkable know-how, tenacity, and courage, they make quite a nice life for themselves that lasts about four years, despite the challenges of tempest, wild animals, injuries, pirates, and, most intriguingly, a mysteriously benevolent but invisible presence that seems to defy the castaways' belief that they are alone on the island.

This book was written in 1874, and must surely have been influenced by SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON which was written in 1812. The similarities are striking in the remarkably clever things the castaways envisioned, built or fabricated to ensure their comfort and safety...everything from their lodging and outbuildings to a small sailing ship. Between them, they conveniently brought extensive knowledge of engineering, sailing, ship-building, astronomy, geography, botany, and chemistry.

The book does bog down occasionally, and the 19th century language is somewhat stilted. Every conversation seemed to include a "my boy" or "my man" or "my friend" (e.g., "'No doubt, my boy,' answered the engineer..."). The characters were ennobled by the author to be unrealistic paradigms of 19th century virtue: industrious, courageous, practical, and compassionate.

But these are quibbles in the face of the pleasure given by such a good story, and the way Jules Verne tied this book in with the story from 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA was an interesting and unexpected twist. This book is a classic for a reason.(less)

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Apr 19, 2013 Carly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

La Isla Misteriosa de Julio Verne es un libro que realmente me sorprendió, por más aclamado y famoso que fuera el autor, yo creí que no hallaría algo que me gustara demasiado en alguna de sus obras, creo que porque sabía que sus escritos tenían mucho de ciencia, supervivencia, ~~y no romance. Sí, por desgracia soy una lectora romántica empedernida~~. Me decidí a leer primero éste que Cinco Semanas en Globo, porque sólo tengo esos dos en mi estantería, lo tomé porque estaba bastante aburrida y no ten...more

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Mar 18, 2012 Corinne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 07, 2012 Martin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was a fast paced adventure from the very first page till the last. Not once was I left wanting and bored and I had to keep turning the page to find out what would happen next.

At first I admit I was annoyed by the characters, they were too calm and everything was too easy for them. In that situation I imagine most would panic and someone like me would probably be dead within the first 5 and a half seconds after the crash. But then I delved deeper into the story.
The whole 'everything bei...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Rachelle rated it 1 of 5 stars

I know this is a classic but I couldn't stand reading this. I would seriously rather go to the dentist! My 14 year old son is reading this and is loving every word that is there but there are just some things that I can't wrap my brain around. In this instance I believe there is a difference between boy and girl brains. He loves reading about how they are exploring and building things on the island. He loves how they are measuring things to find out where they are and get the latitude and longit...more

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Mar 23, 2010 Randy Cashner rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a book that I have threatened to read for yearsand just now got around to reading. It is an interesting read but, at times, it is ponderous in its details. I was struck by the fact that there wasn't anything that the American engineer Cyrus Smith could not accomplish, build or figure out. The novel was written during the industrial revolution in America with railroad expansion, the expansion of America's industrial might and the reliance on science were all being expressed by the charact...more

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Jan 14, 2013 David Rieckmann rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Mysterious Island is definitely my favorite of all of Jules Verne's novels and is followed closely by Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

Verne creates an island world that is by far superior to most writing from the same time period. His skillful use of descriptive narrative provides the reader with a full picture of the world surrounding the characters in the book.

He used significant research in the book and created true life circumstances that one could follow. The events in the book al...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic, science-fiction

Click here for my full review.

My recent foray into the oeuvre of Jules Verne has been enlightening in a number of ways. I’ve learned how it’s possible to write multiple books using a cast that varies between books only by name, and how it’s possible to arrange for said character to escape whatever end-of-the-world situation in which they find themselves by manipulating the Earth itself into a rather impressive series of contortions and natural phenomena. Houdini would be proud.

But in The Mysteri...more

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About Jules Verne

Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the genre of science-fiction. He is best known for his novels "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1864), "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" (1870), and "Around the World in Eighty Days" (1873).

Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before navigable aircraft and practical submarines were invented, and before any means of spa...more

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“It is a great misfortune to be alone, my friends; and it must be believed that solitude can quickly destroy reason.” — 31 people liked it

“Before all masters, necessity is the one most listened to, and who teaches the best.” — 21 people liked it

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