About this title: A ship-sinking monster confounds American boats until they discover that the creature is actually a submarine powered by the nefarious Captain Nemo (Nemo is Latin for nobody), a swashbuckling villain with grandiose ideas and deadly intentions. Probably the most famous of the novels in Verne's Voyages Extrordinaires series.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Playmore Publishers
Date Published: 08/2000
ISBN-13:9780866119696ISBN:0866119698
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. Very Good, In very good dust jacket. Glued binding. Paper over boards. 240 p. Contains: Illustrations. read more
Description: Fair. No Jacket. Book has minor scuffing and edge wear. Tear to cover in upper left corner at the hinge. Spine has moderate creasing. Pages and text are clean and unmarked. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Great Illustrated Classics
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780764142796ISBN:0764142798
Description: Joseph Miralles. Very good. No dust jacket as issued. No rips or tears in book or bind. No writing. SMOKE FREE. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: Children/juvenile. read more
Description: Good. Spine has some creases. Covers show wear at the edges and corners. Good Grade B reading copy. Binding is Mass Market Paperback. Pages tanning. Used books may have price stickers. Most orders ship on the next business day. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Signet Book
Date Published: 1982
ISBN-13:9780451518491ISBN:0451518497
Description: Good. Spine is smooth. Covers show some wear at the edges and corners. Good reading copy. Binding is Mass Market Paperback. Pages tanning. Used books may have price stickers. Most orders ship on the next business day. read more
"Firstly, I won't deny that Jules Verne knows his stuff. This book is full of scientific analysis, with a detailed knowledge of zoology, ocean currents, geographical construction and engineering designs. While the character development is stalled and Nemo is the only one to truly grow (somewhat, that is), the amount of knowledge Verne shoved into the book made it sink- no pun intended.
I'm in no way denying that this book is interesting and is not worthy of a higher rating. There were parts where I actually felt myself getting drawn into the world. The description of the underworld life sucked me in, and I could almost see what Verne was describing. But after page after page after page of nothing but telling, not showing, I felt myself losing interest. There is only so much I can really take.
There was also a subtle humour. One part is when Aronnax is in one of his underwater walks with Nemo, and it starts to rain. He thinks to himself that he'll get wet, forgetting that is he underwater, and his realisation catches him off-guard. Furthermore, I did like Conseil, however he seemed to be much younger than his thirty years and had a rather strong romantic devotion to his Master. I'm not suggesting that Verne was unknowingly writing a homosexual relationship between Aronnax and his assistant, but reading it as a modern reader, I cannot help picking up on this relationship. After all, I wouldn't know of many fictional servants who would willingly plunge into the ocean depths simply because their Master fell after being pulled away by a then-thought-of gargantuan water monster.
In closing, this is a great historical work. I don't deny that, and I do recommend that book to people for that fact alone. It has inspired many sci-fi works today, and Verne is- was- a very knowledgeable scientific writer. However, it is not in my taste. The language isn't difficult, but after constant descriptions that appear to be written to explain to the reader alone (I don't know anyone who would explain the size of something in the amount of water it displaces!), I couldn't help feeling dragged down by it. Besides this, I really did like it, but couldn't give it a higher rating due to the difficulty it took to read line after line of description of fish."
"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea By Jules Verne is the best classic of all time. Not only does this book describe an exciting adventure, but it also describes how the protagonist's perspective shifts dramatically. In addition, Verne includes several allusions and foreshadowing clues to create suspense. Throughout the book, Verne throws out perilous obstacles at his characters and then creates a unique way to solve each and every one of them. Some include a thick ice sheet that rests in the way of the characters' route and a lack of oxygen in their ship. Also, Verne's details of the sea are very vivid and descriptive. At the chapter in which the characters surrounded in crystal-like ice, it is as if the reader can see it for their selves. In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Verne has an extremely controversial argument about what is terrifying and bumping into ships at sea. One scientist, Professor Anorrax, has a theory and has written a book to prove it. After months at sea trying to find and terminate the beast, he finds it. Anorrax and his two dearest friends have found Captain Nemo's Nautilus. Soon, Anorrax realizes that Nemo is actually a humane man who has invented a fantastic submarine that can withstand pressures up to 10,000 nautical leagues under the sea! Verne describes this metamorphosis in Anorrax with extreme cautiousness and amazing accuracy. He depicts every sea creatures around The Nautilus to all of the submarines compartments. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a book that is recommended to all."
"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was an intriguing story about Captain Nemo and his journey below the ocean' surface. Captain Nemo and his Nautilus were spotted by fishermen and conceived to be a giant narwhal. Professor Aronnax, his trusty servant Conseil, and their friend Ned Land set out on a search for the mysterious creature. Once they reached open waters they were confronted by the beast. It struck their ship and through the men overboard. The three men paddled helplessly in the ocean until they met the narwhal which turned out not to be a creature but a submarine. They were let unto the vessel but their freedom was taken by Captain Nemo in fear his great secret was in jeopardy.
Jules Verne keeps the reader interested with these unanswerable questions that haunt Professor Aronnax. To him Captain Nemo is a mystery that he can not figure out. The reader also has to wonder about this strange man. What are his connections to society? Is it possible he has none whatsoever? Why does he feel so strongly about keeping the men hostage? What language does he speak with his crew? What made him become such an aggressive person? I thought the book was enjoyable and well written. Jules Verne keeps the reader interested with cliffhangers at the end of chapters. His writing illustrates the scenes under the sea giving it a more interesting perspective. Overall I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read and someone who inquires the world around them."
"I have just spent the best part of the last 2 weeks reading this, and I'm wondering why I bothered. I had completely the wrong impression of what this book was about, not having heard the story or seen any of the films (apart from Captain Nemo turning up in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen!). I thought that the 20,000 leagues under the sea meant that they literally went down vertically to 20,000 leagues below the surface and there found a land full of fantastical creatures a la Journey to the Centre of the Earth (which I also haven't read). But it was basically a fictional travel guide to the world's oceans written in the 1860s and therefore now out of date. The language (which I understand is a translation) was flowery and at some points consisted of paragraphs of lists of names of various sea plants and animals. The one exciting bit of the book, which I had anticipated for 221 pages before I finally got to it, lasted for approximately one and a third pages!
I remember now why I don't read fiction that was written more than 50 years ago.
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