Book review: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is an old classic, and it is starting to show it. While it is hard to fault the premise, for at the time it was a true original, the preferred writing style of an audience has changed a great deal. There is a great deal of action and some great scenes and characters, yet they get buried in between pages of descriptions of molluscs, fish, engine design and electricity generation.

Read it gently, and be patient. It does take you into a new world of the mysterious Captain Nemo, but it also takes you back to the 1870's, when adventure was served up with some detailed science. Most of his books are like this, so you may pick one based on your interest in geology (Journey to the centre of the Earth), engineering (Mysterious Island), or the depths of the sea.

There is no faulting his imagination, for these books have become entertaining movies. A great story will always survive, and without doubt this is a great story.



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