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The Mysterious Island

by Jules Verne, Stephen W. White (Translator)

3.88 · rating details · 5,265 ratings · 291 reviews

There is no safety visible beneath them, as the gas falls and the balloon loses altitude. The windswept, watery expanse presents not a single speck of solid surface upon which their anchor might hold.

That they are riding in this gondola beneath the balloon is already an act of desperation -- for they are prisoners of war, who hit upon this mad scheme for aerial escape: th

...more

Hardcover, 412 pages

Published July 1st 2008 by Aegypan (first published 1874)

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Feb 15, 2009

ScottK rated it

· review of another edition

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.

...more

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Jul 16, 2008

B. Zedan rated it

· review of another edition

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...more

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Aug 18, 2008

Lesley rated it

· review of another edition

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 survivin...moreA 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

· 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 ...more

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Aug 17, 2008

Dave rated it

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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 ...more

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Nov 09, 2011

Jessica rated it

· review of another edition

This was my first tread into Jules Verne. I was rewarded with a good read. The only complaint was that there was a lot of detail put into all the different mechanisms they had to make. However, it was still interesting to learn such things from the way to build many things from raw resources to how to create makeshift items to help with survival.

The story begins with 5 prisoners; an engineer, a sailor, a reporter, a servant, and a young man along with a very bright dog; traveling in a hot air b...more

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Mar 17, 2011

Rob Kennedy rated it

· review of another edition

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 w...more

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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 "...moreMysteries 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

· 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 m...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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Dec 16, 2011

David rated it

· 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 m...more

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Nov 28, 2011

Lindsay rated it

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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

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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 ...more

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Aug 03, 2011

Andrew Ives rated it

· review of another edition

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

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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,...moreIn 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

· review of another edition

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 ...more

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Jan 01, 2011

Russell rated it

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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 creat...more

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Jul 21, 2009

K. rated it

· review of another edition

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 c...more

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Feb 12, 2011

Elizabeth rated it

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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!" "...moreI 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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Jul 24, 2011

dragonhelmuk rated it

· review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. One of Verne’s best books! Far better than the Journey on the Amazon, and approaching the excellence of Vingt mille lieues sous les mers, which I strongly suggest should be read first. Basically it covers exactly what would happen if Jules Verne was marooned on a desert island. I had a tough time choosing just three quotes here (even Verne’s predictions for what we’ll do when the coal runs out are gone ), but here you have it:

(A little foreshadowing to the best line in the book - ...moreOne of Verne’s best books! Far better than the Journey on the Amazon, and approaching the excellence of Vingt mille lieues sous les mers, which I strongly suggest should be read first. Basically it covers exactly what would happen if Jules Verne was marooned on a desert island. I had a tough time choosing just three quotes here (even Verne’s predictions for what we’ll do when the coal runs out are gone ), but here you have it:

(A little foreshadowing to the best line in the book - “here is nitro-glycerine!” after Verne creates the most deadly substance out of coal in pottery…)
"Alas! we have no fire," said Pencroft, "or rather, captain, we have it no longer!" And the sailor recounted all that had passed the day before. He amused the engineer by the history of the single match, then his abortive attempt to procure fire in the savages' way. "We shall consider," replied the engineer, "and if we do not find some substance similar to tinder—" "Well?" asked the sailor. "Well, we will make matches…”

(A challenge! Can YOU follow this? Can anyone who isn’t Jules Verne?)
"Herbert," he asked of the lad, "is not this the 15th of April?" "Yes, captain," replied Herbert. "Well, if I am not mistaken, to-morrow will be one of the four days in the year in which the real time is identical with average time; that is to say, my boy, that to-morrow, to within some seconds, the sun will pass the meridian just at midday by the clocks. If the weather is fine I think that I shall obtain the longitude of the island with an approximation of some degrees."
…
"Also, since the night is clear, I will try, this very evening, to obtain our latitude by calculating the height of the Southern Cross, that is, from the southern pole above the horizon. You understand, my friends, that before undertaking the work of installation in earnest it is not enough to have found out that this land is an island; we must, as nearly as possible, know at what distance it is situated, either from the American continent or Australia, or from the principal archipelagoes of the Pacific."
…
"Well, my boy, I have just constructed two similar right-angled triangles; the first, the smallest, has for its sides the perpendicular pole, the distance which separates the little stick from the foot of the pole and my visual ray for hypothenuse; the second has for its sides the perpendicular cliff, the height of which we wish to measure, the distance which separates the little stick from the bottom of the cliff, and my visual ray also forms its hypothenuse, which proves to be prolongation of that of the first triangle." "Ah, captain, I understand!" cried Herbert. "As the distance from the stick to the pole is to the distance from the stick to the base of the cliff, so is the height of the pole to the height of the cliff."

(and Verne as always, up on his history)
… just before they lay down to rest, the heap of wood piled at the entrance was set fire to. Immediately, a regular explosion, or rather a series of reports, broke the silence! The noise was caused by the bamboos, which, as the flames reached them, exploded like fireworks. The noise was enough to terrify even the boldest of wild beasts. It was not the engineer who had invented this way of causing loud explosions, for, according to Marco Polo, the Tartars have employed it for many centuries to drive away from their encampments the formidable wild beasts of Central Asia.
(less)

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Mar 23, 2010

Randy Cashner rated it

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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 chara...more

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Feb 08, 2012

Stephanie rated it

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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.

...more

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May 23, 2011

Chico rated it

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The beauty of Jeles Verne is not so much the fantastical elements to his books, but the rich, accurate detail with which he justifies those elements.
The Mysterious Island is perhaps the best example of that. A small group of men, stranded on a desserted island with nothing (or next to nothing) except a talented and knowledgeable engineer go about making a life for themselves. Verne's vivid descriptions of the construction or reconstruction of the civilized amenities, which we all take for g...more

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Feb 22, 2009

Todd rated it

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I think overall this is a stellar book, if you like swashbuckling adventures that have it all!-with a little bit of mystery of course and a lot of science.
It takes a bit of work to get into but true to Verne's nature, he is extremely descriptive, and loses no time in settling into the day to day of the characters lives.
The book pretty much takes on an ease of read around 100 pages then rolls at almost the same pace for another 300, after that there is lots more action, and the myst...more

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Dec 16, 2011

06ezras rated it

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Have you ever read the book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea? If so I can recommend another great book. That book is The Mysterious Island, which happens to be the sequel. You might also like this book if you like the author Jules Verne.
I got my copy of this book from Barnes and Noble. I had started it before but always lost interest. This time was different, this time I got past the first couple of chapters. That is when the book got me. This book was perfect for me because...more

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Jun 29, 2011

Mr.B rated it

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In a manner of speaking, the sequel to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Jules Verne devoted much attention to practical matters and lore, as he seems to have done in all his books, which slows the pace of the reading somewhat, but provides fascinating information of all sorts. Here, five Union soldiers and a dog are marooned on an uncharted island in the South Pacific after a storm of Biblical proportions sends the balloon in which they were escaping Confederate custody 7000 miles astray. ...more

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May 30, 2010

Leigh-ann rated it

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I didn't want to give this book a one star rating, because I did enjoy parts of it. It's the rather outlandish story of a group of Americans who end up stranded on an island in the south Pacific and who manage to thrive and build most of the comforts of home through good 'ol American know-how and ingenuity. I never realized Jules Verne was so pro-American! "The Professor" from "Gilligan's Island" must have been modeled after Verne's character, Cyrus Smith, the engineer, be...moreI didn't want to give this book a one star rating, because I did enjoy parts of it. It's the rather outlandish story of a group of Americans who end up stranded on an island in the south Pacific and who manage to thrive and build most of the comforts of home through good 'ol American know-how and ingenuity. I never realized Jules Verne was so pro-American! "The Professor" from "Gilligan's Island" must have been modeled after Verne's character, Cyrus Smith, the engineer, because the guy is an expert in everything and manages to build candles, gunpower, a foundry, bridges, dams, a kiln, glass windows, a flour mill, an elevator, etc., etc., from items he just happens to find on the island. The inventions are fun and harmless, but other aspects of the book overshadowed the parts I enjoyed. There's a former slave, "Neb", who's freed by his master Cyrus but who loves him so darned much that he's devoted to serving him and following him everywhere without complaint. When Neb is happy, he "dances like a Negro". Neb never says much, but he does all the cooking and "housework", and eventually he's given an orangatan to train as an assistant. Not only was it offensive, it was ludicrous to propose that a wild organatan would just mildly submit to being taken hostage and "trained" to serve dinner. Speaking of dinner, these five men (four men and one teenage boy) are constantly killing and hunting so much that it's impossible they could ever eat it all. The sailor, Pencroff, just enjoys killing stuff, and they all eagerly anticipate "eradicating" jaguars from their island, even though they rarely encounter them and are in no immediate danger from them. Cyrus Smith is able to build gadgets like a 19th century McGyver, yet when the men complain of being cold through the winter, it never occurs to them to wear the skins of the many seals they've killed (for blubber), nor the hides of the hundreds of rabbits they've slaughtered. They don't figure out how to make warm clothes until they find wild sheep, tame them, and then make felt out of the wool. They kill seals and whales for the blubber (to melt into elements like glycerine), but they never speak of eating any of the meat of either creature. For all the time they spend patting themselves on the back for being brilliant and creating a modern civilization, they're also very wasteful. Not surprising that Jules Verne takes the stance that the earth's resources are "endless" (something he espoused in "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", as well). Cyrus Smith speaks for Verne when he says something to the effort of "Progress is always good!" in answer to Captain Nemo's complaints about British occupation of India... I suppose at the time, "taming of savages" was seen as a courtesy and not an unwelcome intrusion.
I only read this book because it supposedly contained the answer to the mystery, "Who is Captain Nemo"? It did get to that, towards the very end, but it was a lot to endure to find out the answer.
The best part of this book was the introduction, written by Caleb Carr, who explains some of the political climate at the time Verne was writing, and how his editor rejected the original story of Captain Nemo because it was "politically incorrect" for the times. Jules Verne put up with a lot of crap from his editor, and maybe his frustation at this interference is why some of his characters, like Pencroff, seem like unsympathetic jerks.(less)

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Jan 17, 2012

John rated it

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Apart from its enormous entertainment value, "The Mysterious Island" is notable for laying bare to the reader, in concise and lucid language, many of the industrial processes which transformed the world throughout the 19th century. Whether smelting ore, constructing mills, manufacturing batteries, or domesticating wildlife, the five (eventually six) castaways on Lincoln Island form themselves into a sort of living, breathing tableau from a museum of industrial history. Happily, none of...moreApart from its enormous entertainment value, "The Mysterious Island" is notable for laying bare to the reader, in concise and lucid language, many of the industrial processes which transformed the world throughout the 19th century. Whether smelting ore, constructing mills, manufacturing batteries, or domesticating wildlife, the five (eventually six) castaways on Lincoln Island form themselves into a sort of living, breathing tableau from a museum of industrial history. Happily, none of this is at the expense of the story, which combines the science with elements of a classic castaway tale and a dose of mystery thrown in for good measure.

Although all of the characters are stylized and, therefore, stereotypical in many ways, the character of Neb deserves particular attention. All of the "colonists" of Lincoln Island are escaped prisoners of the U.S. Confederacy during the Civil War. This immediately tips us off to Verne's sympathies, and it is abundantly clear that he supported the Union, not neglecting the issue of abolition. Neb, thus, is a former slave who, upon being freed, has chosen to remain with Cyrus Harding, his "master." Consider that this is from a progressive-minded writer who clearly opposed slavery. Neb is never condescended to, his observations and conjectures are listened to with all seriousness, and on numerous occasions he proves himself in every way the equal of his peers. But the prejudices still creep in, despite the best intentions. Neb becomes the colony's un-official cook, taking over the kitchen, the implication being that it comes "most naturally" to him. He is also depicted as the most superstitious of the bunch, despite the fact that he can read and write (i.e., it can't merely be chalked up to lack of education). And, in the end, he dotes over Cyrus Harding to the negligence of his own welfare, indicating a blind, fanatical devotion. Evidently, deep-set racial prejudices are hard to shake, and it encourages present-day readers to reflect on the content of their own characters.

It is easy to level other criticism against "The Mysterious Island" as well. Lincoln Island is presented as a near-perfect microcosm of the Earth. Very few resources are lacking, and for those that are, reasonable substitutes always seem to be at hand. The island provides them with water, food, and dubiously convenient natural shelter. The suspension of disbelief is challenged on numerous other counts. For example, the castaways happen to have brought an intelligent and faithful dog with them, who proves invaluable with regard to both hunting and security. Similarly, through a series of unlikely events, the castaways are able to domesticate a wild orangutan, training him to serve as a sort of valet. Even the presence of Cyrus Harding (not "Smith" in this edition) is remarkable, as the depth and breadth of his technical knowledge apparently know no bounds. Harding is the equivalent of a 19th century Renaissance man, despite the fact that, by the time this book was written, it was practically impossible to obtain such mastery over so many specialized areas of knowledge. And, as Isaac Asimov notes in his afterword, the colonists never rub each other the wrong way (let alone fight), and the subject of women is never mentioned.

Interestingly enough, none of these criticism mar the novel much, even to a contemporary reader. Verne so effectively intertwines science, adventure, mystery, social commentary, and character development, that the flaws just cited are only regarded as afterthoughts. The reader is swept up. As regards the mystery, Verne allows it to percolate very slowly and, in the end, it provides closure to a story arc which he had initiated many years earlier. Elements of the ending may come off as predictable, even trite, from our perspective, but it's always best to consider how readers in 1874 might have responded.

Exciting, provocative, and worthy of the mystery in its title. One of the best Verne novels I've read.(less)

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Aug 04, 2009

Laura rated it

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Shelves: classics-stories

Have you ever wondered who Captain Nemo really was? Where he lived and why he hated mankind? Here’s your chance to find out! In this sequel to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, we are introduced to five men who escaped from the Confederate possessed city, Richmond in a hot air balloon, and land on a remote and desolate island which they name Lincoln Island. As they explore the island and begin to cultivate it, many ‘unexplicable’ events occur which lead the men to wonder if some supernatural ...more

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Aug 17, 2009

Jennifer rated it

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The girls and I took weeks to read this, one chapter per night (sometimes more) wondering WHAT was making all these things happen?! WHO was saving these poor souls? The language was difficult for the girls, but after talking them through it for the first night, they quickly picked up the rhythm and the vocabulary which is far beyond their 6- and 9-year-old levels. I'd never read this story before; knew nothing about it. Just spotted it at the library and gave it a go. It's a bit wordy at times (...more

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Aug 05, 2011

Giovaennchen Lozano rated it

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El libro que más me gustó de Julio Verne. Es la historia de unos náufragos perdidos en una isla y cómo hicieron para sobrevivir y llevar una vida relativamente cómoda hasta encontrar un medio de salir o de ser rescatados. En este libro no todo es puro ingenio, ya que gracias a algunas ayudas misteriosas, logran más de lo que se esperaba. Invita a desarrollar el ingenio y la creatividad, la inventiva y el espíritu práctico. ¿Si no tuvieras los objetos que hacen tu vida más fácil a tu disposición,...more

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About Jules Verne

Jules Gabriel Verne (February 8, 1828 – March 24, 1905) was a French author who pioneered the science-fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Journey to the Center of the Earth (written in 1864), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (written in 1870), and Around the World in Eighty Days (written in 1873). Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before navigable aircraft and pra...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.” — 15 people liked it

“Before all masters, necessity is the one most listened to, and who teaches the best.” — 15 people liked it

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