20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and other Classic Novels by Jules Verne

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and other Classic Novels Reviews

• 
  Elise

  French marine biologist Pierre Arannax, his servant Conseil, and Canadian harpooner Ned Land all get thrown overboard during an ocean expedition and are picked up by an ultra-fast, massive deepwater submarine. The submarine is owned by reclusive billionaire Captain Nemo, who offers the confused trio the opportunity to travel the world in his luxurious submarine, though they will need to leave society and their lives behind. With seemingly no other choice, they accept the deal. While Pierre thoroughly enjoys his globetrotting adventures with Nemo, Ned grows increasingly frustrated by their lack of freedom and longs for an opportunity to escape.
  
  This is what I would consider a classic "dad book," complete with an all-male cast of characters going on an adventure and A LOT of long, dry descriptions of random fish and crustaceans. I wish there had been less focus on fish and more on Nemo's backstory. Regardless, the ever present tension surrounding the group’s ideas of freedom and the air of mystery around Captain Nemo kept my attention throughout the MANY detailed descriptions of marine life. While this book is nearly 200 years old, the creative concept of this science fiction classic as well as the easy to understand plot and prose really hold up.
  
  
  A Warning: If you are considering picking up this book…
  
  There are elements of this novel that have aged very poorly. Pierre casually uses terms like “savages” and “orientals” and expresses a “Europeans are the most civilized people” mindset at several points throughout the story.
  
  Also, Pierre’s servant Conseil has no personality other than being willing to die for Pierre. On three separate occasions Pierre is on death's doorstep and passes out, only to wake up because Conseil saves him. Conseil unflinchingly supports Pierre’s every whim, certainly going beyond the bounds of an employer-employee relationship, and yet the pair are clearly not friends since this support only goes in one direction. Pierre never shows interest in Conseil as a human being with, I assume, his own non-fish interests. At times I was left wondering whether Conseil, eager to live and die by the whim of his master, was a fevered slave fantasy born from the mind of a classist imperialist, rather than the paid servant he’s apparently supposed to be. If Conseil’s portrayal was more front-and-center in the story I would dock more stars from my rating, but alas, he’s barely even relevant to the plot, so it was less of a glaring issue overall.
  
  As for the instances of racist and imperialist language, while it should definitely be a red flag for any reasonable 21st century reader, I had to remind myself this book was written in 1849, and it’s certainly not aged as badly as some other “classics” in this regard. This once again raised the question for me of how a modern reader should evaluate books written for a different time, other than to point out these issues when we discuss the books today. I don’t really have an answer. After all, who knows what people will think of the seemingly unproblematic books we are publishing now 170 years in the future.
• 
  Will Brown

  I was really looking forward to taking a deep dive into the work of Jules Verne, but I don't think I'll touch another book of his because this was such a chore to read. Once the main cast joins up with Nemo, the book ditches the idea of having an over-arching plot for just going on crazy trips around the ocean. And you know what? That's fine. I'm cool with reading a simple adventure story and 20k has some pretty cool locations/settings. Unfortunately 20,000 Leagues is a science-fiction book from the mid 20th century AND IT READS LIKE ONE. Long winded descriptions of fauna, entire chapters where characters do nothing but mope around the Nautilus; it's too dry and too long for it's own good. Sorry Nemo, I'm headed back to the surface.
• 
  David

  This book is justifiably a classic. For science fiction written in 1870, it retains a remarkable freshness and Verne created a very compelling character in Captain Nemo. Verne was well-acquainted with the science of his day and it shows in his work; it's a lot stronger on science than most modern science fiction is. Some of the concepts, of course, are a bit less amazing than they were when the book was written, since things like submarines and electric power are now realities. There is also more description than most modern readers are used to seeing. Jules Verne lived a long time before Jacques Cousteau and there were no video documentaries of the undersea world then. To some extent, Verne seems to have been trying to provide the next best thing: a detailed verbal description of it, based on the best knowledge then available. These features do slow down the action a little, but the slower pace is worth it. Relax and enjoy the voyage.
• 
  Joseph Spuckler

  Quite a story and well ahead of its time. I liked how Verne throws in the math and science when discussing the submarine. Is the math right ? I don’t know and in context it seems believable. A bit distracting are the units of measure. The story teller is a Frenchman and France had the metric system for 70 years but the measurements are all imperial— yards, feet, Fahrenheit.... also there are the nautical measurements although I am trying to figure out the difference between a league and a French league.
• 
  Mattia Ravasi

  Featured in my Top 5 Jules Verne Novels:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV_87...
  
  Hands down the best adventure story of the 19th Century, better than The House on the Borderland, better than Gordon Pym, better than Conan Doyle's stuff. (HG Wells doesn't count as 19th C, come on).
• 
  Macayla Fryc

  The more I read of Jules Verne, the more I enjoy his writing. There are few reasons for that.
  
  1) Each book mentally transports me to Disney World, waiting in line for the Journey to the Center of the Earth or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea rides. Disney brilliantly creates the world around you so you forget you're waiting in line for 2 hours for a 4 minute ride. As you stand in line, there's no end of things to discover, as you're immersed in an animatronic science experiment. Beakers are boiling, log books lay open, specimens are propped up on the counter, and instruments of great discovery are strewn everywhere. This strange amusement in observation is how Verne needs to be enjoyed. Don't expect a classic story arc, just be happy with the journey.
  
  2) Verne does an exceptional job at bypassing the "novel" and creating something that quite literally could be a professorial documentation. That's most certainly the charm of it all, and that type of charm has to be appreciated before Jules Verne can be truly enojyed.
  
  Ahem, an example: "The division containing the zoophytes presented the most curious specimens of the two groups of polypi and echinodermes. In the first group, the tubipores, were gorgones arranged like a fan, soft sponges of Syria, ises of the Moluccas, pennatules, and admirable virgularia of the Norwegian seas, variegated unbellulairae, alcyonariae, a whole series of madrepores, which my master Milne-Edwards has so cleverly classified, among which I remarked some wonderful flabellinae, oculinae of the Island of Bourbon, the "Neptune's car" of the Antilles, superb varietys of corals, in short, every species of those curious polypi of which entire islands are formed, which will one day become continents. Of the echinodermes, remarkable for their coating of spines, asteri, sea-stars, pantacrinae, comatules, asterophons, echini, holuthuri, etc., represented individually a complete collection of this group.
  A somewhat nervous conchyliologist would certainly have fainted before other more numerous cases, in which were classified the specimens of mulloscs. It was a collection of inestimable value, which time fails me to describe minutely."
  
  Couldn't have said that better myself, sir. (And yes, every word that you think would be spell-checked, was indeed underlined in red.)
  
  The reader who enjoys Jules Verne would laugh at that unending string of...practically non-sensical science, and those who do not enjoy his writing would roll their eyes. That's just fine, he's not for everyone. But I get a kick out of it.
  
  3) The imagination of this man. You have to consider the fact that Verne's writings were from the 1870s. For reference, things that were happening in the 1860s-70s: Jack the Ripper made a name for himself in the slums of London, the Civil War raged, the first transatlantic telegraph cable was completed (and makes an appearance in the book), Victor Hugo writes Les Mis, and the American West was being settled. Read: People were busy with life and the idea of journeying across the world in a megalith submarine in an era where submarines were still a new concept was genuinely a figment of the imagination. Those concepts had simply not existed before, which is wild to think about (and also why I like Dracula so much, but that's for another review). Verne not only created his world, but then brilliantly crafted it into a figurative work of science. (If you want to read about how he calculated the thickness of the sub's glass domes based on the pressure of each cubic foot of sea, the weight distribution of the material, and the curvature of the concave shape, hit me up.)
  
  Bonus: You know that scene with the giant squid that has become the iconic mascot of the book? The one that's meant to be harrowing and treacherous and novel? The one where you should be sitting on the edge of your seat, hurriedly scanning the page? Try listening to that scene where every place the words Monster or Creature or Squid or Beast or Nightmare was replaced with the British pronunciation of Poulp. Because it is. And when you say it with a British accent there isn't any "L". Try remaining gripped when it's a giant "poop" slinging people around and trying to devour the ship. That's "poop" 22x.
  
  Saved room for critique: Verne uses "Rapidity" with far too much frequency, and with as much time as he spends describing crustacea, he honors a sailor being thrown about in the tentacles of a giant squid, possibly plunging to his death with the mere description of "an unhappy man."
  
  I about Jules Verne's audiobooks a similar way I feel about Chronicles of Narnia audiobooks. They each are very different, and not comparable, but they both do provide comfort and happiness simply by being on in the background.
• 
  Jim Sibigtroth

  I read the free eBook version from
  www.gutenberg.org
  Though more famous than the other two novels in this series (In Search of the Castaways, 20,000 Leagues..., and The Mysterious Island), I didn't enjoy it as much as In Search of the Castaways. There were too many long detailed and rather dry descriptions of obscure undersea flora and fauna, and specific locations (latitude and longitude)/speed/depth to suit me. Some facts were incorrect because they were not known at the time the book was written (such as the description of them finding open water at the South Pole.) The book is rather long with long slow sections separating the more interesting events. Combined with the relatively difficult old vocabulary, I think modern middle-grade readers will struggle to maintain interest long enough to finish.
• 
  Jareth Navratil

  I know it’s wildly superfluous to review such a classic and timeless novel, but I enjoyed my read through so much I feel compelled to throw my praise upon the century and a half pile of positive reviews for this amazing story. Verne’s wondrous descriptions of maritime life and wonderful characterization had me enthralled. I felt as if I had been given a tour of the Nautilus so complete that by the end I was familiar with its inner workings and fantastical machinery.
  
  A word of caution… This novel is not near as action packed as many modern counterparts, relying on wonder to keep one on the edge of their seat. But if you can open yourself up to experiencing Verne’s vision of submariner life I genuinely think you’ll enjoy your time as crew of the Nautilus as much as I did.
  
  So says I.
  
  *on that note, can we please bring back first person dialogue tags like Verne’s. I don’t know why, but it feels so much more in the moment to read, “said I” or “said he” rather than the inverse.
  
  Cheers!
• 
  Conejo Literario

  Escribo esto a 5 minutos de haber terminado el libro y no me puedo detener a escribir una reseña en forma por que estoy buscando ingenieros para construir una maldita máquina del tiempo y traer de regreso a Julio Verne. Es en serio, no te rías. Carajo, que buen libro. ¿Quieres ingeniería del más alto nivel? PUM, TOMA UN POCO. ¿Qué tal pelear con un hacha versus ocho malditos krakens? CLARO,POR QUE NO. Uhm ¿Y dilemas existencialistas?¿personajes bien construídos?¿recetas de platillos exóticos? PÍDELO Y SE TE DARÁ.
  
  Solo de saber que nunca conoceré la historia detrás del enigmático Capitán Nemo o cual fue el destino del Nautilus me parte el corazón. Fue demasiado para mi pobre espíritu, este libro me va a perseguir por muchos años.
  Dios, necesito un whisky.
• 
  Deanna

  I believe I may have found a new favorite author from the 19th century! Scooch over Melville and make a spot for our friend, Jules Verne. 20,000 Leagues ticked so many boxes for what it takes to draw a SFF reader in and keep them engaged for 8+hours of reading:
  
  -A mystery
  -Adventure
  -Distinct and fun characters
  -A world of wonder and awesome discoveries
  -Jam-packed plot progression and spot-on pacing
  
  Verne has such a distinct way of writing that brings this 19th century story to the 21st century while remaining just as digestible as it would have been when it was first published. There is some science spread through out, but not so much as to lose the reader in technicalities. I would recommend 20,000 leagues to anyone who enjoys a good adventure.
• 
  Shiwam Birajdar

  I love Jules Verne. Definitely outstanding for its time but it wasn't as gripping as the others, kinda slow and draggy. But you'll love it you really like classic science fiction.
• 
  Bo Xin Zhao

  Published in 1870 by French author Jules Verne, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea starts out with a hooking tale about a mysterious "sea monster" roaming throughout the seas and crashing into ships. As the story unfolds three men are confined into a submarine with apparently no other option of escape. Here, character arcs are massively developed due to the minimal amount of characters. There is a connection I can infer from this book to one of the other classics I am reading: "To Kill A Mockingbird." Jules Verne is unlike Harper Lee in the way of her writing style. Jules only introduces few characters and makes them the main drivers of the story. Her style helps her change her unique perspectives and focus on them. Yet as To Kill A Mockingbird unravels, Harper quickly introduces well over 5 characters in the first chapter. It was slightly overwhelming, but I found that I was massively absorbed in the book due to the heaps of information. These writing styles can be both effective, and they are the heart of the book.
  
  To be perfectly honest, I did not enjoy Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea as much as I originally predicted I would. This is because of the length of the book. Hundreds and hundreds of pages are written, yet many parts are quite redundant and useless. There are small pieces of the journey such as jargon about marine life and etc that would be, in my opinion, much better off deleted. But it is there to prove the point that they indeed have travelled twenty thousand leagues. Heaps of research must have gone been done in order for the author to have so much knowledge. From the disappearance from the Abraham Lincoln, all the way to the horrible sinking of the other vessel, it has truly been a journey. But truly, after all this, what else is there to discover? "That which is far off and exceeding deep, who can find it out?" - Ecclesiastes.
• 
  Autumn Beck

  I loved this as a family read-aloud!
• 
  Simon

  To me, Jules Verne's is one of the godfathers of science fiction and fantasy. Oddly though, I'd never read 20,000 Leagues. Having watched the Disney movie over Christmas, I thought I should move it to the top of my reading list. The detail and thought that went into the book is amazing. My only complaint is with the plot. It kind of doesn't have one. It's more like journal of a scientific expedition. Much like Ned Land's harpoon, it needed a sharpened point to give it a narrative edge.
• 
  Barb Middleton

  I was so ready to be done with this book I didn’t mind the abrupt ending. It’s an interesting reflection on the mid 1800s when Europe was at the height of colonization and Imperialism. Captain Nemo is the most interesting character for while he’s misguided he’s more empathetic toward the oppressed. The main character describes the indigenous people as savages and other derogatory descriptions. The book is about a man and his two companions that end up on a submarine exploring the world against their will. The descriptions of the submarine can be mind-numbing in details but my grandson would love it so it depends on the reader. Captain Nemo at one point gives a pearl diver a bag of pearls making him never having to work again because he was diving in the area where the people in power killed Nemo’s family. Later he kills in revenge many more people that had nothing to do with his family’s death. Nemo is a man of contradictions and mysterious to the end.
• 
  Andrew

  20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and other Classic Novels BOOK REVIEW.
  
  I have to admit that I thought this book was a non-fiction book, but when I searched it up on Wikipedia, I found out that it was a science fiction book written in 1870. I initially thought it would be those "classic" books that are boring, but it turned out to be pretty good. I thought it was non-fiction because they kept on listing facts and information and because the storyline seems believable and realistic.
  
  I like how the author developed each character because I could distinctly identify character traits and characteristics from these characters, and I could understand their thinking and actions because of the characteristics. I could tell that Ned Land was hot-tempered and he had a fond taste of hunting down marine animals. I could tell that Professor Aronnax was a very eager and smart learner who has very sensible and wanted to learn as much as possible onboard the Nautilus. I inferred that Conseil, Aronnax's manservant, was loyal and logical and has a good memory. I could tell that Captain Nemo was calm and collected when needed most and was mysterious in his ways. He also had some sort of hatred towards the land and he was very caring, especially towards his men who worked for him.
  
  I didn't like how unpredictable and off-topic the ending was, and I think it added a bit too much fiction compared to the rest of the book. I guessed that the captain would say that they could leave, and both sides would be a little sad because of the departure, but the ending just added too many new elements in a matter of a few pages. I found it very confusing to read along. I think the author could have used more detail or explained in more detail what was happening, to help readers figure out what is going on. It also completely changed Captain Nemo's character trait, and he turned into a person who has no control and is violent, something we rarely saw throughout the book.
  
  I also didn't like how the author added random strings of facts. I would be reading about something and then the author would list a page or a paragraph of facts about the different types of fish or something else, while still maintaining the fiction part of the book. That is another factor for why I thought it was a non-fiction book and a factor for why I thought that some parts of the story were boring.
  
  I did like the plot and the storyline and how the book unfolded (except for the ending). The author wrote this book so articulately that it made me feel like I was there, experiencing it all. If I look back and reflect, I realized a major chunk of the book was describing different oceans, seas, fish, maneuvers of the Nautilus, and I realized how the author made things interesting so people would enjoy reading on.
  
  20,000 Leagues Under The Sea embarks on a journey of the life you don't want to miss out on. I would recommend it to people who like non-fiction or people who enjoy an adventurous story.
• 
  Jacob Floyd

  A masterpiece of early science fiction, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is not just a deep exploration of oceans and seas, but also of the hearts and minds of man. This is one of the few books that I was engrossed in so much that I did not look forward to the end. Now that I am done, I feel like I have lost some friends or have left behind a great adventure.
  
  I enjoyed the entire ride: the tracking of the Nautilus, believed to be a narwhal, to the underwater explorations of ocean forests, graveyards of wrecked ships, the coral cemetery and even Atlantis; from the underwater volcano, the deep sea passage, the war with the whales, the journey under the Great Ice Barrier, the claiming of the South Pole, the entrapment inside the fallen glacier, the wreckage of the Revenge, the battle with the giant squids, the fight with the unnamed ship and the escape into the Maelstrom. The indestructible Nautilus never ceased to amaze, at every turn it overcame all odds stacked against it.
  
  Captain Nemo is among my all-time favorite literary characters, alongside Gandalf, Odysseus (which Nemo's name was derived from a part in the Odyssey), Roland, Valdez and Vito Corleone. His mysterious background and unapologetic, unwavering determination to escape the world of man and live within his beloved sea touched me deeply. Through this tale, I felt his undying love for the ocean and through Monsieur Aronnax, the same admiration for the brave and brilliant captain manifested inside me, as well. Throughout the book, he is the champion of the castaways; and, his final appearance was subtly moving and unforgettable. It was as if he had fulfilled his vow to himself and became a mere man once more and all the pain that drove him to bottom of the world fell upon him like the tides.
  
  Not only is this novel a captivating adventure, but it is also a touching story of humanity and a fascinating study of marine biology. This book is complete and epic, and one of my top favorite tales.
  
  I did not want this book to end, and when it did, I momentarily felt an emptiness that I would have to move on to something new, and leave the vast ocean of everything that made 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea a great book.
• 
  Andres

  Jules Verne es un rock star, una leyenda, es la primera vez que leo a este magnífico escritor, quede rendido ante la pluma de Jules, el libro es increíble, nuestro personaje principal es el grandioso Nautilus que está cien años antes de su tiempo por su tecnología, El Capitan nemo a quien uno ama y odia al mismo tiempo y nuestro adorado profesor Aronnax quien es el responsable de contarnos su maravilloso viaje
• 
  Rachel

  Wow! This is a very interesting book. Inside, a professor, his servant, and a cool Canadian dude gets trapped in a 'narwhal' and finds out that this is actually an extraordinary ship called the Nautilius. The captain of the ship is called Captain Nemo. Together, they discover the marvels of the seas and the works of the ship. They travel to islands and bring treasures. However, they want to escape back onto land –– with the treasures...... and they have to find a way.
  This book used amazing vocabulary to describe the wonders of the ocean, and creative imagery to let the readers be fully involved in the story.
• 
  Stephanie

  Read to kids, who liked the book a lot. From a homeschool mom perspective, I loved all the vocabulary, science, geography, and the examples of striving to get along and be kind to people even when you don’t agree with them. Definitely not “twaddle.” There were some slow parts to the book, hence the four stars.
• 
  Joshua Cronin

  Very interesting adventure book, although there is an infinite catalog of sea creatures which becomes a chore to read through.
• 
  Buch_versessen

  Eine wunderschöne Geschichte die einen die Tiefen des Meeres erleben lässt und die viele Abenteuer bereithält
• 
  Prabhat sharma

  Jules Verne’s Books – Chapters of the author’s books are part to English sujbect School syllabus/ curriculum in Indian schools. Thus, as children we are charmed by the details of adventures of Jules Vern’s characters. For this reason, I have read all 5 of his popular books whose details are enumerated below. (4) Twenty thousand leagues under the sea- by Jules Verne- (1) Five weeks in a balloon (2) Journey to the center of the earth -(3) From the earth to the moon --
  Round the moon -- (4) Twenty thousand leagues under the sea -(5) Around the world in eighty days. I have read book 4 and 5 first, then the rest. Therefore, I am writing about the book 4 and 5 first, then the rest of books. (4) In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Genre Science fiction- Verne created a character, Captain Nemo, who would continue to haunt the imagination of generations to come in the manner of Homer’s hero, from whom Nemo took his name. In the Odyssey (c. 725 B.C.E.; English translation, 1614), Ulysses calls himself Nemo, or "No one,” in order to hide his identity from the Cyclops. Verne’s unknown renegade, making war on injustice, has likewise become a myth. The best known of Verne’s works was also the one that took the longest to find its way into print. It is certain that the author was working on a story tentatively titled “Voyage Under the Waters” in 1865. After his exploration of the air in Five Weeks in a Balloon and his A Journey to the Centre of the Earth, it was logical that Verne would pursue his pedagogical mission by exploring the bottom of the sea. This novel, though, was to be different from the others. Verne was very excited about the creation of a hero entirely cut off from the earth and humanity. His publisher, Hetzel, on the other hand, was very uneasy about Nemo. Verne refused to explain who his captain was and what his past had been. Letters show that the author would have liked to have made Nemo a Pole, oppressed by Russia. For commercial reasons, this was impossible, as Verne’s books were translated into Russian. The violence of Nemo’s hatred of his enemies, and his cruel sinking of ships, given with many hair-raising details, worried Hetzel, but Verne was adamant in preserving the hero driven by hatred. As is usual with Verne, the motivation in the novel is a double one: scientific, with the description of the submarine vessel and the underwater world that the submarine allows the heroes to explore, and entertaining, with an unprecedented series of adventures to be encountered. Professor Aronnax is fascinated by the marvels of submarine geology and biology, which he can study in his fantastic underwater laboratory, the Nautilus. Ned Land, on the other hand, is a simple sailor, a natural man; his name, Land, makes him incapable of remaining at sea. He remains indifferent to everything except the loss of liberty that Nemo has inflicted upon his “guests.” The story is told by Aronnax, who is capable of understanding both points of view. He comes to admire and pity the genius Captain Nemo, while agreeing with Land that it is impossible to remain with him for the rest of his natural life. The narrator, Aronnax, is often conscious that his story is an incredible one. In the space of ten months aboard the submarine, he travels twenty thousand leagues—that is, a trip around the world, under the seas. The journal form, which allows the tale to be told in the present tense and makes for considerable suspense as well as an illusion of reality, is used throughout. Many details contribute to the realism of the story: dates, the names of ships encountered, and maps on which the itinerary of the Nautilus is traced. Historical references to the American Civil War and the revolt of Crete add to the impression of reality. Probably the most impressive aspect of the narration is the quantity of scientific data given. Interminable lists of submarine plants, shells, and animals serve to present a scientific alibi for the adventure story. When the story opens, the Nautilus has seldom been sighted but has given rise to a legend that there is a new sort of sea monster in the oceans. When Professor Aronnax agrees to leave his museum and set sail, it is to hunt the monster. Verne has thus given his novel the appearance of an epic adventure. When the narrator discovers the mechanical nature of the submarine, the mythic side of the story does not come to an end. The Nautilus is powered by electricity, a phenomenon that remained mysterious enough at the time to allow Verne to play on the fantastic possibilities that it might offer. Nemo’s courage, his intelligence, and his determination excite the admiration of the narrator. Yet when Nemo dreams while improvising his journey when the submarine fights its way back from near the Lofoten Islands torrents. The three captives move to the boat and are thrown in the sea. Fishermen save them and bring to shore.
  
  (5) Around the world in 80 days- Around the World in Eighty Days, French Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours, travel adventure novel by French author Jules Verne, published serially in 1872 in Le Temps and in book form in 1873. The work tells the story of the unflappable Phileas Fogg’s trip around the world, accompanied by his emotional valet, Passepartout, to win a bet. It was the most popular of Verne’s Voyages extraordinaires series of novels. Phileas Fogg, a London gentleman of meticulous and unchanging habits, hires as his valet Jean Passepartout, a Frenchman who has had a variety of jobs, including circus performer, but now seeks a tranquil life. After reading in The Daily Telegraph that a new railroad in India has made it theoretically possible to travel around the world in 80 days, Fogg bets his fellow members at the Reform Club that he will make that journey in 80 days or less; the wager is for the princely sum of £20,000 (half his fortune). Leaving that night, Fogg and a nonplussed Passepartout board a train bound for Dover and Calais to begin their journey. Shortly before Fogg’s departure, someone resembling him had robbed a bank, and Fogg’s sudden exit leads Scotland Yard to believe that he was the bank robber. Accordingly, a detective, Mr. Fix, is sent to Suez, in British-ruled Egypt, to await the steamer Mongolia, on which Fogg and Passepartout are traveling. Fix befriends Passpartout, and, after learning that they will take the steamer to Bombay, he buys a ticket and joins them. The Mongolia reaches Bombay before the arrival of an arrest warrant, however. During the few hours before their planned departure for Calcutta on the Great India Peninsula Railway, Passepartout visits a Hindu temple on Malabar Hill, unaware that Christians are forbidden to enter and that shoes are not to be worn inside. He is beaten by enraged priests and barely makes it to the train station on time. The train travels through India until stopping at the village of Kholby, where Fogg learns that, contrary to what was reported in the British press, the railroad is 50 miles (81 km) short of completion, and passengers are required to find their own way to Allahabad to resume the train trip. Fogg purchases an elephant and hires a Parsi man, as elephant driver and guide. The elephant-borne party later encounters a group of people preparing for an act of suttee—the immolation of a widow on her husband’s funeral pyre. Fogg decides that they must rescue the young widow. Passepartout disguises himself as the body of the late rajah, and, as soon as the pyre is lit, he springs up and seizes the widow. The party then flees before the ruse is discovered. They reach the railroad station in Allahabad and continue on their journey. In Calcutta, however, Fogg and Passepartout are arrested and sentenced to prison because of Passepartout’s incursion into the Malabar Hill temple in Bombay. An unperturbed Fogg pays bail for them, and, accompanied by the widow, Aouda, they board a steamer bound for Hong Kong. Fix, who had hoped the sentences would end. In Hong Kong Passepartout attempts to secure cabins on a boat to Yokohama and learns that its departure has been rescheduled for that evening. Desperate to keep Fogg in Hong Kong until the warrant arrives, Fix tells Passepartout why he is following Fogg and offers to pay him to help delay Fogg’s departure. When Passepartout refuses, Fix drugs him with opium, preventing him from returning to Fogg. As a result, Fogg misses the steamer. However, he finds another ship that will take them to Shanghai, and he, Aouda, and Fix set sail. In the meantime, Passepartout manages to stagger onto the ship for Yokohama. Passepartout arrives in Yokohama with no money and no idea where Fogg is. He joins a traveling circus, where Fogg, having caught a Yokohama-bound steamer from Shanghai, encounters him just in time for them all (including Fix) to board the steamer that will take them to San Francisco. As Britain has no jurisdiction in United States of America A Fix is now as eager as the rest of them to get Fogg back to England quickly. The group boards a train bound for New York City. The train trip continues more or less uneventfully until it reaches Medicine Bow, Wyoming Territory, where a signalman tells them that the suspension bridge is too dilapidated to bear the weight of a train. However, the engineer believes that it might be possible to safely cross the bridge by going at top speed, and the plan works, with the bridge collapsing as soon as the train reaches the other side. In Nebraska the train is attacked by a band of Sioux, who are on the point of winning the battle when Passepartout succeeds in uncoupling the train from its engine outside Fort Kearny, and the soldiers garrisoned there frighten the Sioux into leaving. However, the Sioux capture Passepartout and two other passengers. Fogg rides to their rescue with a group of soldiers, but the recoupled train departs without them. Using a sail-powered sledge, Fogg and the others travel over snow to Omaha, Nebraska, arriving just in time to board a train to Chicago. From there they catch a train to New York City, where they arrive 45 minutes after departure of the ship to England. Fogg finds an empty trading ship whose captain is willing to carry the group of four to Bordeaux, France. After bribing the crew and imprisoning the captain, Fogg assumes control and sets course for Liverpool, England. When a storm prevents the use of sails, the coal supply runs low. Fogg buys the ship from the captain and begins burning its wooden parts. As soon as they arrive in Liverpool, Fix arrests Fogg. Several hours later, though, Fix learns that another man was responsible for the bank robbery, and he releases Fogg, who orders a special train. However, he arrives in London five minutes too late to win his wager. The following evening Fogg apologizes to Aouda for being unable to provide for her comfort as a result of losing the bet. She in turn proposes marriage to him, and he joyfully agrees. Passepartout is sent to engage a clergyman, and he learns that their journey through the time zones had gained them a day and that they are not too late after all. He rushes back to notify Fogg, who arrives at the Reform Club with only moments to spare.
• 
  Jonathan

  There's a reason Jules Verne is considered one of the greats. This collection of his stories proves why. I originally purchased this so I could re-read 20,000 leagues under the sea, which I had not read since I was a child and quite frankly I think I remember finding it really boring when I was a kid.
  
  However, being able to read it now, knowing what I know I found it incredibly captivating, especially when I put it into the context of it's time. I believe, originally that the novel came out in a series of blocks in magazines. The detail Verne put into his story must have absolutely blown the minds of his readers at the time and I can certainly see why. For many people this would be like having a full blown science fair come to their home monthly, giving them information and an education they would probably not have access to otherwise, and of course all wrapped up in an amazing story.
  
  The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five, was actually for the same reason I think it's so great. While putting it in it's context, there is something to be said for writing styles that do not translate perfectly to modern times.
  
  Of course this is simply my opinion. If you are going through a "I should probably read the classics" phase like I am, this has to be on your list.
• 
  Kirk

  "Scientific" descriptions of Victorian effluence abound, exciting, yet noticeably absent of any females. A man-servant will suffice here.
• 
  William Graham

  Three Stockholm-Syndrome-afflicted kidnapping victims come to their senses and plot to escape the clutches of a murderous underwater terrorist.