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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 2O,OOO Leagues Under the Sea
Review: This is actually my favorite book of all time next to Ivanhoe, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Man in the Iron Mask, and The War of the Worlds. I read this book in fourth grade and absolutely loved it. Now that I'm 3 years older, I appreciate it even more. Though there were some hard words, I loved the dialogue. There is even humor when Professor Aronnax explains how pearls are made and says, "Yes, my boy, oysters can produce many sharks" because he is scared to go shark hunting. Captain Nemo is a mysterious yet interesting character. My favorite parts are when they are at the sunken ship in the Mediterranean Sea, when they fight the giant squid, and when they are at Ceylon. Some of their other travels take them to the lost continent of Atlantis, a tunnel under the Suez Canal, and through the Great Ice Barrier. This is my favorite Jules Verne book, though it has some competition from Around the Moon and Journey to the Center of the Earth. This book is a must-have for science lovers. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves adventure and the ocean. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The first submarine novel.
Review: This is Verne's classic novel about Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus. What really fascinated me when reading this story and other Verne novels was not only Verne's contributions to the science fiction genre, but his founding of a whole new genre, one that, as far as I know, he has never been given credit. I think Verne was one of the first to write the techno-novel, a work that is filled with technical details ala Tom Clancy. For this novel, Verne did considerable research to describe what was known as accurately as possible. Professor Arronax and his servant Conseil board a U. S. ship that is searching for a monster that has sunk a number of other ships. They discover that it isn't a monster at all but a submarine, captained by a mysterious man known only as Nemo (Verne will present readers with Nemo once again in "The Mysterious Island"). Arronax, Conseil, and an American harpooner named Ned Land travel with Nemo and see many wonderous things and have many adventures. Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" has gotten some very poor reviews over the decades since it first appeared in 1869. In many cases, it was because of the translation and not because of Verne. A number of the early translators inserted their own sections with their own ideas and opinions and deleted much of Verne's own words. So, readers should be aware of the translator. I read an excellent translation by Walter James Miller that was also annotated. Such an annotated volume can prove to be very helpful to teenagers getting acquainted with Nemo and his submarine.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: disappointing end(3.5 stars)
Review: this book is full of adventure and fun.kids below 10 dont miss it.i found the end quite disappointing.as we follow the prisoners in the nautilus i thought the climax would be full of action but the book finishes as such.there are many biological facts which may hinder the adventure for young readers.i also recommend around the world in 80 days for young readers which is more thrilling than this one.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Classic Sci-Fi
Review: This is Jules Verne at his best, creating the enigmatic character of Captain Nemo.

The setting is the mid-nineteenth century. Deadly and mysterious calamities continue to befall ocean-going vessels, with wild reports by survivors that the culprit is a sea monster large enough to ram and sink ships. French professor M. Aronnax finds himself aboard the Abraham Lincoln, a ship charged with finding and destroying the beast. Accompanying him is his loyal servant, Conseil. The ship succeeds in locating the leviathan, but it, too, falls victim to a deadly attack. Aronnax, Conseil, and a Canadian harpooner named Ned Land are the sole survivors--rescued by none other than the "monster" itself, which turns out not to be flesh and bone, but the world's largest and most technically advanced submarine.

They meet Captain Nemo, the owner, inventor, and sovereign leader of the flag-less ship, Nautilus. He explains that they're now his prisoners for life, though they will be treated well and are free to roam the ship. Thus begins an underwater tour of the planet, narrated by the fascinated Aronnax. With today's knowledge of the seas, some of the action is laughable, but at the time this was leading-edge science fiction. Verne's vision of submarine technology, the use of electricity, scuba operations, and various other things is uncanny and typical of great science fiction writers' ability to foretell the future. The ridiculous episodes include traversing an underwater tunnel beneath the Suez to the Mediterranean; a visit to Atlantis; and a trip to the South Pole under the ice, where they break through the surface for a look-see. This would be difficult, considering that the ice is more than a mile thick with a continent of solid rock below. But remember that when Verne wrote the book in 1869, Antarctica had not been explored and remained a virtual myth.

The enduring lure of 20,000 Leagues, though, is Verne's Captain Nemo. It takes the entire book (and then some) to learn who this genius Nemo really is. What horrible ordeal has produced such a cynical man, one driven to build the self-sustaining Nautilus, to swear off all contact with the "civilized" world, never to touch land again, and to ruthlessly and brutally defend himself against any perceived threat? At one glance we see a maniacal scientist worthy of a James Bond thriller. But at closer inspection, Verne has captured the timeless personification of angst over the errors and excesses of Man's interminable war against Nature and himself. Aspects of this same character can today be found in political and environmental activism throughout the world. Actually, it strikes a cord with us all; everyone wants at some time to build what today would amount to a spaceship and shove off from this screwed up planet, saying, "Adios, idiots. It's your mess now." --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Big Ice.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Undersea Adventure
Review: This book is, by far, one of the best books I have read in the last year. It proves that classics are still the best books to read. In this undersea adventure, two unique characters travel 20,000 leagues facing everything from giant squids to themselves. This book is a must read for anyone whether you like science fiction to drama. You will enjoy it no matter what. I know I did.

The book is truly unique. Jules Verne brings the wonders of science and drama to this book. If you are smart, you will read this book because it will make you smart. It is awesome, a must read, unbelievable. Highly recomend.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A thrilling adventure under the sea
Review: In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne, Professor Arronax, a professor of Natural History at a museum sets off in search of a gigantic sea monster that is destroying ships. The United States Government sends Professor Arronnax out to sea on the ship called the Abraham Lincoln to search for the monster. Professor Arronnax and his servant, Conseil, set out on the adventure.

Professor Arronnax soon learns that the monster is really a steel-plated submarine, called the Nautilus. The Nautilus crashes into their ship and Professor Arronnax, Conseil and Ned, a harpooner, fall into the water and are captured by Captain Nemo. On the Nautilus, Professor Arronnax, Conseil and Ted watch Captain Nemo as he explores the under water world. On the Nautilus they visit many places including the lost continent of Atlantis, the South Pole and the Great Ice Barrier. They search for treasure and have fights with unfriendly sea creatures. Captain Nemo, however, rams the Nautilus into other ships when they get into his way. Nemo rams the Nautilus into a war ship one day because he believes the people on the ship are responsible for killing his family and taking everything away from him that he loves. Professor Arronnax realizes that Captian Nemo is crazy and that they must escape. Professor Arronnax, Conseil and Ted plan their escape only to learn that the Nautilus was caught up in the Maelstrom, the most violent whirlpool in the world. No ship had ever escaped the current of the Maelstrom! Do Professor Arronnax, Conseil and Ted escape the Nautilus and the violent whirlpool or do they drown in the whirlpool and sink to the bottom of the sea?

I chose to read this book because I like adventure books and this certainly has adventure and excitement in it. I think that anyone who enjoys reading adventure stories should purchase this book because the characters go to many different places and always are in constant danger. I could not put the book down! This is one of the best books that I have ever read. I think that everyone will like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea because it is such an interesting book.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: 111,120 KM Under the Ocean
Review: Confusing Title: My husband and I were talking the other night about the Jules Verne novel 20,000 Under the Sea and we both admited to having been confused by the title at one time. 20,000 leagues (60,000 miles or 111,120 kilometers) is 8.5 thousand times deeper than the deepest point on the ocean. 20,000 leagues is the distance the two men traveled on the Nautilus.

Obsession Worse than Nemo: I remember in 6th grade a group of boys did a huge series of blue prints for the Nautilus based on the book. I thought it was a waste of time back then and still do but apparently lots of folks don't. The blue prints of the Nautilus feature in Clive Cussler's book Valhalla Rising. And there's an entire website devoted to blue prints and 3D models.

Closing thoughts: I much prefer the sequel to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. If you get a chance, read The Mysterious Island.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Under the Sea
Review: This is Jules Verne's most famous novel, and it still holds up pretty well. It has a slower, more deliberate pace than today's readers are probably used to, but it is still a good read. I don't think I need to say much about it, because the story is pretty well known. But I will say that Captain Nemo is a very intiguing character, and people interested in Victorian Era fiction should definitely get this book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Great Escape into Another World
Review: Jules Vernes captures our imaginations in his tale of adventure and science. The narrator, Dr. Arronax, is a French naturalist who goes on an expedition to hunt down a mysterious sea creature spotted by many sailors. However, in an interesting turn of events, he finds out that the enigma that roamed the oceans is in fact a futuristic submarine (the Nautilus) built by Captain Nemo. Dr. Annonax, along with his Flemish companion Conseil and Canadian harpooner Ned Land, are held hostage on the Nautilus and through their time aboard they experience the great wonders of the seas. Giant squids, ice caps, pearl hunts, close calls with Papuan natives, are only a fraction of the exciting events they experience.

Using Arronax as the narrator, Verne gives us a look into the mysteries of the deep seas. While Arronax often gets carried away labeling and categorizing sea life, it makes the narrative seem more authentic. I felt a little cheated about not learning the life story of the brilliant and enigmatic Captain Nemo. We learn that he is driven by revenge, yet we don't know exactly why and who is his unfortunate target. However, this lack of revelation allows the reader to create his/her own theories, which can be quite fun.

This book may not be for action junkies, as shown by previous reviews. However, I recommend this book to readers who are curious about the unknown with an interest in science. It is an interesting and very creative read, and should not be missed!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Poetic Masterpiece
Review: Jules Verne is one of the most captivating and poetic writers ever in existence. All of his novels are complete masterpieces, but this novel is the best one I have ever read. Its intricate plot line and complicated writing style make the novel seem both romantic and adventerous. Although for some the writing style may be too round-a-bout, I find it completely matches the story-line. The unusual adventure needs a writing syle to complement its exciting subtleness, and Jules Verne does just that. Read this from cover to cover and don't skip a word, because each and every one is of significance.


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