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Rating: 
Summary: A Classic Adventure
Review: Not a single review? Not one? Hmm...I read this book on 10/27/02, while I was waiting for the great San Diego fire to subside. It certainly served its purpose: Keeping my mind off of the events not so far away. Written in 1866, this book is notable for its proto-science fiction vision as well as the character of "Captain Nemo". Since there are no other reviews, I will summarize the plot: Professor Aronmax is a french scientist doing unspecified research in the American Mid West, when he is called to particpate on a hunting expedition. The target of the hunt: What is believed to be a giant narwhal that is damaging ships in the Atlantic. Aronmax, joined by his trusty man servant, joins the USS Lincoln in the hunt. Upon doing battle with the "Narwhal", the Lincoln is damaged. Aronmax, his man servant and Ned Land, a Canadian harpooner, are captured by Captain Nemo. Captain Nemo captains a submarine called the "Nautilus". As Verne tells you time and time again, Nemo is a man who has turned his back on society. Nemo is a kind of early comic book super hero, although Verne seems to be poking fun at the idea of a "Super Man"(in the Nietzchian sense) since Nemo's name means "No Man"(i.e. the Super Man doesn't exist). Anyways, Nemo holds the group in a lose sort of captivity as he travels the globe. They have several adventures: Encounters with "cannibals" on New Guinea, a trip to the South Pole which almost ends with them encased in ice, an intervention in a fight between Sperm Whales and Black Whales and the legendary fight between the crew of the Nautulius and no less then ten giant squid. In between the more exciting bits, Verne subjects the reader to endless bouts of animal classification and a sub-plot involving the desire of Ned Land to escape the Nautilus and return to civilisation. Although unarguably, the book is only borderline interesting to a modern reader looking for diversion. As a reader of graphic novels, I found this book to be a precursor to comic book fiction. It is also interesting as an early, well executed example of the adventure story. Now I'm going to rent the movie, maybe.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic Adventure
Review: Not a single review? Not one? Hmm... I read this book on 10/27/02, while I was waiting for the great San Diego fire to subside. It certainly served its purpose: Keeping my mind off of the events not so far away. Written in 1866, this book is notable for its proto-science fiction vision as well as the character of "Captain Nemo". Since there are no other reviews, I will summarize the plot: Professor Aronmax is a french scientist doing unspecified research in the American Mid West, when he is called to particpate on a hunting expedition. The target of the hunt: What is believed to be a giant narwhal that is damaging ships in the Atlantic. Aronmax, joined by his trusty man servant, joins the USS Lincoln in the hunt. Upon doing battle with the "Narwhal", the Lincoln is damaged. Aronmax, his man servant and Ned Land, a Canadian harpooner, are captured by Captain Nemo. Captain Nemo captains a submarine called the "Nautilus". As Verne tells you time and time again, Nemo is a man who has turned his back on society. Nemo is a kind of early comic book super hero, although Verne seems to be poking fun at the idea of a "Super Man"(in the Nietzchian sense) since Nemo's name means "No Man"(i.e. the Super Man doesn't exist). Anyways, Nemo holds the group in a lose sort of captivity as he travels the globe. They have several adventures: Encounters with "cannibals" on New Guinea, a trip to the South Pole which almost ends with them encased in ice, an intervention in a fight between Sperm Whales and Black Whales and the legendary fight between the crew of the Nautulius and no less then ten giant squid. In between the more exciting bits, Verne subjects the reader to endless bouts of animal classification and a sub-plot involving the desire of Ned Land to escape the Nautilus and return to civilisation. Although unarguably, the book is only borderline interesting to a modern reader looking for diversion. As a reader of graphic novels, I found this book to be a precursor to comic book fiction. It is also interesting as an early, well executed example of the adventure story. Now I'm going to rent the movie, maybe.
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