Rating: 
Summary: the Mysterious Island
Review: "The Mysterious Island" is Verne's wildest tale, but by no means fanciful. He mathematically pursues his extreme care to detail in all the sciences and weaving in accurate details from history; while employing his capacity to create fantastic fiction with an eerie air of mystery birthed in his vivid imagination. In this book, Verne explores the human mind,its inventiveness and hardiness ,how he reacts when thrown into uncontrollable circumstances,far from their homeland, family and friends, and how the human spirit pushes on and triumphs against all odds.
Rating:
Summary: Probably my favorite book...
Review: I bet nobody would care about whatever I have to say about this book, but I just had to share my opinion. Around the age of 10 I started reading a lot - mostly adventure books. My grandparents had a huge library and I just loved digging in there and reading whatever looked interesting to me at the time. One day my grandfather came up to me with a smile, his hands behind his back, and just stood there, looking expectantly at me. So I asked "What?" He said, "Guess what I found?" Of course, I had no clue. "That Jules Verne book I was telling you about." And he pulled out a rather beat up copy of "The Mysterious Island" that he had thought long lost. I dumped whatever I was reading at the time and dove right into it. I believe I finished it in two or three days... It is definitely one of the most interesting books ever written. I reread it a couple of times since then and every time it was as interesting. Well, almost... It is just one of those books that hit you on the head like a ton of bricks the first time you read them. You want to get to the next page as fast as possible, eager to reach the end and see what happens to the characters and at the same time afraid that the book might, to your greatest distress, end. All in all, this is one of my favorite books of all time. It belongs to that category of adventure (I'm using the term somewhat loosely here) books that should be read by every teenager and all those adults who didn't read them as teenagers - Alexandre Dumas' "The Three Musketeers", Karl May's "Winnetou", Capt. Mayne Reid's "The Headless Horseman", Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe", Rafael Sabatini's "The Sea Hawk", Henryk Sienkiewicz's "In Desert & Wilderness", Rafaelo Giovagnoli's "Spartacus", Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Tarzan of the Apes", James Fenimore Cooper's "The Last Of The Mohicans", Liselotte Wellskopf-Henrich's "The Sons Of The Great Bear" (never seen this one in English and I'm not sure about the spelling of the author's name or the translation in English that the book would get...) - all of the above books that I have felt compelled to read between 3 and 15 (yep, count me crazy) times.So, I have read about 10-15 Jules Verne books and this one is by far the best. By the way, those who haven't yet should check out "Captain Grant's Children" - one of the sort-of prequels to this book. I never see it mentioned among his works, but it is another gripping adventure. I have only seen a Russian edition of this book, though. Might not have been translated in English... Anyway, I think I should read "The Mysterious Island" again these days...
Rating:
Summary: One of the best survival books!
Review: In one word, this book is "brilliant." I have recently read this novel and is quite the most enthralling book I have read. I am a huge fan of Jules Verne. The way in which Verne combines history, science, and fiction is breath-taking. This is a must-read for "Robinsonads".
Rating:
Summary: A Textbook on How to Start A Civilization from Scratch!
Review: A very difficult yet satisfying book to read, this build slowly from utter bleakness to an enthralling sense of wonder. Having seen the 1961 movie, I was astonished at how LITTLE of the book actually made it to the screen-- and there were NO monsters here! Ironically, the trained orangutan-butler that would have been at home in a Disney film was one of the things left out of the film version. Having been surprised that the book 20,000 LEAGUES actually left Captain Nemo's background a total mystery right to the end, Verne finally reveals his true identity here-- and one can tell nobody in Hollywood's been reading this book. While it basically stands on its own, Verne's MYSTERIOUS ISLAND is actually a sequel to 2 previous books: 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, and the more obscure CAPTAIN GRANT'S CHILDREN, the latter of which I believe served as the inspiration for the Disney film IN SEARCH OF THE CASTAWAYS! With Verne's interest in minute detail, I came away feeling this book could serve as not only a rousing adventure story, but as a wonderful manual for anyone wanting to start a new civilization completely from scratch.
Rating: 
Summary: Civilization recreated
Review: In the tradition of Robinson Crusoe but unmistakenly Jules Verne, Mysterious Island depicts human ingenuity, resilience and nature. Harding, with his crew, step by step recreates civilization in its purest form. That includes the element of human organization in its simplest and most effective form. The society is made up of members who are earnest, friendly and selfless and a leader who is trustworty, compassionate and unassuming. Jules Verne, throughout his books, portrayed his main characters as decent and noble. His personal view may be that all humans are decent underneath. Only when subjected to ills of over-civilization, they become destructive. Mysterious Island is not only enjoyable with interesting plot with scientific support, but it is also uplifting in human spirit. I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages.
Rating:
Summary: Great work from Verne!
Review: Technically, MYSTERIOUS ISLAND is Jules Verne's sequel to his brilliant 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA. In reality, the only part of MYSTERIOUS ISLAND that really makes it a seqeul is the fact that a few pages are used to reveal the secrets of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA. Except for those few pages, MYSTERIOUS ISLAND stands on its own. You can read and understand MYSTERIOUS ISLAND even if you have not read 20,000 THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA. However, since both of the books are so good, I recommend reading both of them anyway. MYSTERIOUS ISLAND is about several people who are stranded on a deserted island. Throughout the course of the book, these people use their minds to develop technology to keep themselves alive and to make their lives better. This book is very rich and imaginative with many ideas. Also a lot of the story concerns the people finding different animals on the island. Basically, whenever a new kind of animal was discovered, the primary concern was how to capture it and kill it and eat it. I myself am a vegetarian, but I still was able to relate to and appreciate the joy and happiness that the people had anytime they found a new kind of animal. Anyway, this book is a lot of fun and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A WONDERFUL MYSTERY
Review: THIS IS ONE OF THE VERY BEST MYSTERIES I HAVE EVER READ. IT IS HARD TO PUT DOWN. I STARTED READING AND DID NOT STOP UNTIL I HAD FINISHED IT. I LIKE TO READ IT AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR. I PLACE IT UP WITH THE HOBBIT AND THE LORD OF THE RINGS AS GEART READING.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly engrossing
Review: This book was kind of boring in the begining, if i had to rate the first half, it would have been pretty low, I would have rated the second half about a 7. then I began to appretiate how thorough the book was. It made you want to read the next page, chapter, section, just to find out what would happen to the people, and a little bit about how they would do it. In conclusion, An Excelent book, worthy of multiple readings.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: Bravo Verne, youve done it again! A suprize ending, a mysterious island, and comedy are all tied into one. Before you read this though, read 20,000 leagues under the sea, another formidable novel by Verne. Wonderful! Stupendious!
Rating:
Summary: You need the unabridged translation
Review: I read the book 20 years ago. I still read it. If at all possible, find a copy illustrated by Férat. His drawings are the original ones, and by far the best.
|
