Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

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.