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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (Captain Nemo, #2)

Jules Verne

Start date: August 1, 2018

Finish date: August 31, 2018

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What Members Thought

Feb 19, 2014 Angie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Of course I had heard of Verne's most famous books. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Around the World in 80 Days, I just had never read them before. I knew of Captain Nemo but not really who this person is in literature. Just what movies and pop culture have told me. I was pleasantly surprised. Despite the book being written in 1869 is still reads really well. Sometimes when I read old books they are dated but this one stands the test of time.

The story is a grea Of course I had heard of Verne's most famous books. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Around the World in 80 Days, I just had never read them before. I knew of Captain Nemo but not really who this person is in literature. Just what movies and pop culture have told me. I was pleasantly surprised. Despite the book being written in 1869 is still reads really well. Sometimes when I read old books they are dated but this one stands the test of time.

The story is a great adventure story. You get to go on this great adventure in the ocean inside a submarine that is piloted by Captain Nemo. There is A LOT of scientific information in this book though. Lots of descriptions of fish fish fish. Did I mention fish??? And Plants!!! It is like reading a researchers journal at some parts. The Professor Arronax who ends up on board with Captain Nemo loves this and collects as many plants and shells and whatever else he can. Towards the last chapters of the book I did start to skim these paragraphs. Just way way too much. I don't even know if have the creatures mentioned were real or not? Well of course the big monster at the end of the book isn't.

Jules Verne just has a way of writing that captures the imagination. I could feel myself on the ship The Nautilus, as if I was apart of the adventure. There is one character, Ned Land, who starts to get panicky and wants off the ship. While reading I started to feel like him and just wanted to get back to land. I also thought before reading the book that 20,000 Leagues was how deep the Nautilus goes in the water.. but it is actually how far the distance Professor Arronax travels in it. I have no idea if I read a good copy of the book? I read that over the years the translations have cut more and more and even words and character names have been changed.

I have been trying to read more classic books lately and this one is great for those who like science fiction. I am glad that I ended picking it up and can't wait to read more Verne. ...more

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May 07, 2013 Marla rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, challenged, adventure, zz-2014, young-adult, bad-books, classics, audiobook, adult, barely-finished

Barely 3 stars and just because I'm kind of a science nerd. It astounds me that none of today's technology existed in Jules Verne's 1870 world, yet it all sounds so plausible and it all came to be. BUT it was sooooo long and it was sort of like Bill Nye the Science Guy was in a submarine kidnapped by Jacques Cousteau. They just sort of wandered in a seemingly aimless way around the oceans looking at cool sea life.

Sorry, I know we aren't supposed to be critical of literary classics, but if there ...more

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Jan 30, 2009 Kellyanne rated it really liked it

Shelves: classics, read-in-2009

I had watched the movie based on the book when I was a kid and did not realise how so far removed the film was from the book. It was like reading a completely different story to that of the film. But saying that, I did really enjoy the book.

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