Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Summary:

 French naturalist Dr. Aronnax embarks on an expedition to hunt down a sea monster, only to discover instead the Nautilus, a remarkable submarine built by the enigmatic Captain Nemo. Together Nemo and Aronnax explore the underwater marvels, undergo a transcendent experience amongst the ruins of Atlantis, and plant a black flag at the South Pole. But Nemo's mission is one of revenge-and his methods coldly efficient.(summary and book cover courtesy of goodreads.com) 

Review: 

“Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” is stunning to the senses and, as with all of Verne’s books, extremely descriptive.  Though at times the running dissertation of observations can be tedious, it is an aspect of the book that makes them so believable.  Written from the point of view of Dr. Aronnax, it is hard at times to believe the book is not a scientific report of a long past expedition.

 Anytime I read a book about a future long past, it is fascinating.  It’s hard to remember for example that submarines barely existed at the time of the writing: the book was published in 1870.  While the theories about submarines certainly proved accurate, it is also entertaining to note some of the other hypotheses that did not.  I highly recommend this book for lovers of adventure.  Captain Nemo is certainly one of Verne’s most interesting characters.

Rating: 4 stars! 

Who Should Read It? I would argue this is a book everyone should read once, but it will particularly appeal to adventure fans or anyone with naturalist tendencies.