"The year 1866 was marked by a strange event, an unexplained and inexplicable occurrence that doubtless no one has yet forgotten."

I wanted to love 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas. I have never read Jules Verne but I've watched enough movies based on his books to last a dozen late nights. Fun fact about me: I'm a 1950's sci-fi movie junkie. I love the various views of future and alternate worlds and the cheezy special effects. Can you believe how disappointed I was then to find out that Jules Verne is a bland and methodical writer? He obviously did extensive research -- reading field guides and naturalists' notes -- and then he regurgitated it all into a 400 page book. What I thought would be a quick, entertaining read turned out to be a two week trudge through listings of fish species and depths in each ocean around the world. If I hadn't studied marine biology, I would have been completely lost during most of the book. Even the parts that should have been exciting -- being trapped under a glacier, sailing through boiling seas, being attacked by a pod of giant squid -- were written with the same level of excitement as the descriptions of the meals on board the Nautilus.

I will probably try one more Jules Verne book -- preferably something that is less scientific. Perhaps I will try Around the World in 80 Days. I'll let you know how that turns out! Does anyone else read Jules Verne?

Feeling washed out,
K


Buy 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas on Amazon or find it at your local library.