Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

A really good sea adventure book. It especially drew me in with the scuba diving parts, to which I can now happily relate! This particular version has a chronology of historical events, giving readers some context for the scientific/technological aspects of the book. For example, to us a fully electric submarine is a fact, but this was written twenty years before the first modern submarine - putting it firmly in the realm of fantasy for its time.

What I didn't like about this book was the over-detailed descriptions of sea animals and plants. Whole pages were devoted to simply listing off the types of creatures seen by the narrator, and sometimes it was upwards of five pages before the writing returned to the plot. Another complaint is that the narrator conveniently lost consciousness during tricky plot twists, so that “unavoidable” disasters were actually avoided but with no description of exactly how.

Verdict? Still a good read.

Published in 1869, it is astonishing the then future technology that was imagined in this Science-Fiction novel. It tells the story of Professor Aronnax after he, his servant Conseil, and Canadian whaler Ned Land wash up on Captain Nemo's submarine the Nautilus. They embark on an underwater adventure that takes them around the world.

First off, while reading this, I had to keep reminding myself the technology thought up for this novel was ahead of it's time. I did skim over some Verne's extensive scientific descriptions but the action and plot were really riveting. There is a clear picture painted of this underwater world and I loved the distribution of the life under the sea. The author leads his characters and the reader to the red corals of the Red Sea, lost shipwrecks from historic battles, and the discovery of Atlantis. And the pace of the story improves when the characters use diving suits to go pearl hunting and fight a giant squid. The biggest mystery is not in the depths of the ocean but the people themselves. The reader is the witness to the curious Captain Nemo's decisions and it is only hinted at why the Captain choices to exile himself from the world. While I'm okay with the mystery of the Nemo's past and motive, it does make you wonder about a man who will give a whole pouch of pearls to a poor Indian pearl diver but at the end destroy the lives of so many and leave his men up to a possible devastating fate.

I think this is a very worth wild read if you can get pasted the scientific jargon. It will not be a read for everyone but I am happy I read it.

Excessive detail at times; it was hard to stay focused. The characters are well developed but the climax was ... anticlimactic to say the least. I was planning on reading the original French version of this but the text will be dated. It might do the plot more justice reading it in it's intended flavor but I don't think I have the patience to endure those mind-numbing paragraphs about ocean life again.

A crazy man guiding the ship who has given up on mankind and who refuses to stand on dry land. A coral cemetery. Passing through the Suez. Atlantis. An iceberg. The South Pole. Ice that almost traps the ship. A battle with poulps. A terrible storm. A ship with all her crew sunk. A maelstrom.

These are just some of the adventures you will experience when you read this zany book. At times, you will feel like you are reading from an encyclopedia of the time and at times you may wonder whether Jules Verne just made up random creatures and random facts about the underwater world. But I think, in the end, you will be glad you made this voyage.

I read everything by Jules Verne when I was young, 10 and so. I was already then seduced by the amount of information... he can really drop information, huge amounts, in the middle of the story, without it taking anything away from it, on the contrary.
This time, 4 decades later, I kept remembering that Jules Verne didn't write adventure novels, he wrote science fiction... in the purest meaning of the term. He loved geography, technology, scientific inventions and discoveries, everything about this planet of ours.
I thought that Jacques Cousteau must have loved this book, and it must have been what ignited his love of oceans and marine life... (and sure enough, Jacques Cousteau called this his “shipboard bible” :-D)

It is... so... contradictory though.

“Conseil was my servant, a true, devoted Flemish boy, who had accompanied me in all my travels. I liked him, and he returned the liking well. He was quiet by nature, regular from principle, zealous from habit, evincing little disturbance at the different surprises of life, very quick with his hands, and apt at any service required of him; and, despite his name, never giving advice—even when asked for it.

Conseil had followed me for the last ten years wherever science led. Never once did he complain of the length or fatigue of a journey, never make an objection to pack his portmanteau for whatever country it might be, or however far away, whether China or Congo. Besides all this, he had good health, which defied all sickness, and solid muscles, but no nerves; good morals are understood. This boy was thirty years old.”

sigh

This was so fun! I haven't read a lot of sci-fi from the days of yore. Mostly Burroughs, I would say. I didn't have many expectations about this book. I do have a board game called Nemo's War which is inspired by this book, but that didn't really tell me much I didn't already know from just absorbing popular culture.

Having been in the Navy and served on submarines for 10 years, and grown up in New England with whaling and the sea as a backdrop, and having just finished reading Middle Passage by Charles Johnson I was primed for a seafaring yarn, and this delivered quite remarkably well.

My favorite part of the book was the delightful turn of phrase. I know it was translated from French, and the version I read was translated by Lewis Page Mercier. I don't know how much license he took or whether the original was so clever and at times non-sensical, a majority of which centered around Ned.

“...friend Ned is busy making a kangaroo-pie which will be a marvel.”

“All these pigeons are only side-dishes and trifles; and until I have killed an animal with cutlets I shall not be content.”

“Friend Conseil, I like you much, but not enough to eat you unnecessarily.”

“Ned Land did not speak, but he opened his jaws wide enough to frighten a shark.”

“Ho! ho!” said Ned Land, moving his jaws significantly.

Ned and his jaws are apparently very impressive. I made assumptions that the translator was probably a “very proper British chap” and indeed, he was a Reverend from London educated at Oxford University. I recently read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and many passages were reminiscent of Carroll's intended approach to literary silliness.

I devoured many exciting passages, and loved that Captain Nemo remained an enigma throughout. While I have heard that some people were turned off by it, I never minded all of the listing of scientific names of fishes and seaweeds and other discoveries. I could imagine Professor Aronnax carried away by the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see such wonders, and was amazed at his knowledge of so much geography, being able to identify islands by the mountains and other features. I am amazed at the thought that this book was published around 1870 considering how much Monsieur Verne got right or nearly right. I'm also amazed at the idea that this was written at a time when there was no Internet, no Google, and even maps and reference books were potentially inaccurate and hard to get. Verne truly was a scholar. I mean, really, Spoilerhow much did we know about Antarctica in 1870?

As a former submariner I scoffed at some of the things he got wrong, but for the most part was very willing to grant a large amount of leeway considering the date of the book. Inaccuracy regarding the speeds and depths of submarines, for example, are part of what make it science fiction. For me the most egregious wrongs were that when you are on a ship or submarine of any kind you would need to “stow for sea” and couldn't just Spoilerhave a museum of priceless spoils on display like you were in a living room, and you can't play demolition derby with your submarine. There were many scenes of using it to batter ships and ice that had me cringing.

Despite those issues, I loved it. I couldn't give it five stars, mostly because of the sense of European colonialism that informed various interactions. Spoiler”I could easily have knocked down this native, who was within a short length; but I thought that it was better to wait for real hostile demonstrations. Between Europeans and savages, it is proper for the Europeans to parry sharply, not to attack.” That quote perfectly encapsulates both the highs and lows of the book, but as someone who wrote many years before several of my favorite early 20th century science fiction and fantasy authors, I look forward to further exploration of his work and more from that era.

I think what's most remarkable is how much of this book can still be full of (fictional?) wonders for the average modern reader, the bottom of the ocean has not become less remote a prospect for most to explore despite 150 years of scientific and technological progress. That being said, if you like detailed descriptions of ocean life, on repeat, with scientific calculations and recountings of history, you'll have a better chance of enjoying this book than if you go in looking for an adventure story. The ratio leans heavily towards observations and discussion, rather than action - which doesn't stop Verne from jam-packing the last eighth with some memorable episodes. I appreciate that mystery remains regarding the figure of Captain Nemo, though his convenient metamorphosis from amiable tyrant happy to discuss ship, navigation and ocean to anguished obsessive bent on vengeance felt a bit abrupt. 
Following the science was also tricky because after this many decades, without setting myself a research project, where is the line drawn between what is fictional and what has simply been disproven  in the interim? I just felt disengaged from so much of that content because I couldn't float along clearly on ‘suspended disbelief' or ‘nifty facts discovered'. 
Did make me sad to see the narrator recount the many species in the sea, the clarity of the water.  What a difference a century and half of humanity has made (even if I don't subscribe to Nemo's misanthropy). 
The promise of knowledge versus the chance at freedom is not a dichotomy I've seen presented so thoroughly as a character dilemma before, so convincingly, it added admirable tension to the narrative. 
Ned and Conseil are occassionally amusing interlocutors, but Conseil is too often servile as an identity and Ned is too often a wet blanket or point of friction stereotype to make for fully fleshed out characters. 
One last thing, because I'd like to believe I'm not the only one who had this wrong based on the title: 
Leagues is primarily a distance measurement, they mostly used yards for depth, so it's not 20,000 leagues straight down, it's that they were underwater, traveling around various oceans at various depths for 20,000 leagues distance. You're welcome. 💁🏼‍♂️

⚠️Outdated and offensive terms for Black and Indigenous peoples used, a lot of discussion of all the animals which can be and are caught and eaten, (some butchery involved); assessing various ocean life for purely commercial value, lot of ‘this guy ‘discovered' this place', as well as explorer history; tries to mash together Biblical creationism/ Bible history with actual science/history on occasion- never a comfortable mix

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is Verne's masterpiece. As a sci-fi classic the book has aged well. While the story is escapist fun, it still retains its literary and scientific significance. It is also a tale of isolation and madness.

A mysterious sea creature haunts the oceans of the world. Scientist Pierre Aronnax embarks on a voyage to capture it. But a strange turn of events leads to his capture, along with his manservant, Conseil and Canadian harpooner Ned Land. All are taken aboard the Nautilus. They are prisoners of the mysterious yet charismatic Captain Nemo. Nemo claims to have renounced all land, the three men find themselves on a global journey. All experience the incredible world that they didn't even know existed under the surface of the sea. With each day bringing greater marvels than the previous. And yet, none of them can fathom what future has been decided for them by Captain Nemo.

The story has a meticulous attention to detail. In fact, so much so, the book can become monotonous. Notably when it goes into pages of fish and sea animal descriptions. Many races are stereotyped, based on when the story was written. The Nautilus serves as a character all it's own, that was as odd and unyielding as her Captain. 20000 Leagues Under the Sea deserves a 4-star rating as for the late 1800s this book contains extremely creative and imaginative thinking.

The book comes across as a bit dated to me and it's hard to engage otherwise. When I read Sherlock Holmes stories I notice the same thing, technology and ideas that were cutting edge at the time just don't have the shock value in modern age. There is a lot of imagining of what living a sub would be like and I feel like a lot of it is plain wrong. Romantic and probably interesting for the time, but wrong and in this day and age noticeably so.

It was shortish, so I appreciate that. I feel like this could get a re-write given the robber barons of today. Jeff Bezos declares a burning hatred of humanity and retreats to the sea. Maybe I'll go write that book....