Rating: 
Summary: Adventure Unlimited
Review: Mention Jules Verne, and books that spring to mind are 20,000 Leagues, Around the World in 80 days, and Journey to the Center of the Earth. The Mysterious Island is one of his lesser known works, which is something of a mystery itself. The book surpasses one's imagination and never fails to surprise. From the initial pages when Capt. Cyrus Harding and his friends decide to escape from a prison camp, the story seizes the complete attention of the reader, and unfolds at a pace and in a direction excelling Jules Verne's characteristic stories. The spirit and ingenuity of man is demonstrated in almost every page, as Cyrus and Co. find themselves marooned on a deserted island, and armed with only their wits, transform their desperate situation into a wonder world of science and technology. The reader is drawn into the adventure and finds himself trying to find solutions to the problems and obstacles that lie in plenty for the castaways, as Cyrus and his indomitable friends surmount myriad problems in their fight for survival. They are aided in their ventures by an uncanny and eerie source that remains a mystery until the very end. This book cannot fail to fascinate and inspire awe in the mind of any reader. One begins to grasp the marvels and inventive genius behind the simple daily conveniences and devices that are normally taken for granted. The line between reality and fantasy is incredibly thin, and for sheer reading pleasure and boundless adventure, this book will never cease to please. PS: The book has been adapted into a movie, which is one of the worst adaptations of any novel that I have ever had the misfortune of viewing. It is criminal to even mention the movie and the original work in the same breath.
Rating:
Summary: Remember MacGyver?
Review: How he used to make an engine run with duct tape and a shoe string, or make a bomb from bleach and a rusty nail? He kept coming to mind as I was reading this incredible book, as the characters, stranded on an island with absolutely nothing, accomplished such amazing feats as draining a lake, making a home, building a ship, making an elevator, and a great many other things. There is excitement, suspense (what IS going on on this mysterious island??), and wonderful, likeable characters. Not a real well-known Verne book, but fortunately still in print, and one of his best and most entertaining. (Incidentally, if you want a children's version of the same story, try to find "A Long Vacation" by Jules Verne, which is extremely similar in plot, but with younger characters and for a younger audience - very charming!) By the way, please do read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea first, if you have not already done so. Evidently, Verne assumed that everyone had when he wrote this novel. Great reading!
Rating:
Summary: Great Classic Adventure Book!
Review: I found this book so enthralling that every time I read it I have to read it in one sitting. A couple of reviews below some idot gave this great book a bad review because he thought it copied from a silly 60's movie of the same title and premise. Newsflash: this book was written in 1886, more or less when the story takes place; and, in actuality, that 1961 film was based on his book. This gordon carachter seems to be under the impression that Jules Verne is a contemporary author. I can assure him that Jules Verne died long before that movie was even made.
Rating:
Summary: Mysteriously Readable
Review: I'm at a loss to explain why I found this book so compelling. At 700-odd pages with flat characters, no dramatic conflict to speak of, no giant crabs or chickens (if you remember the movie), little action until the end, no humor, no sex, not even any mystery--since it's almost impossible to avoid spoilers--but plenty of tedious description, stiff dialogue and quaintly oversimplified scientific exposition, you'd think it'd be impossible to get through. Yet I stopped everything I was doing and breezed through it in only a few days. I guess it's a testimony to the power of a well-wrought adventure story, and this is one of the best of its kind. For some reason I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: A classic adventure tale
Review: In this Classic Adventure tale written in 1870, Verne tells the story of some castaways who are stranded on a deserted island after escaping from a town under seige in the Civil War. Now, reading this book well over a century after it was written, many would have cause to scorn the book because of the simplistic science presented, along with all the mistakes and misconceptions of it's time. Let us not take for granted that now basic knowledge of geology, botony, and biology are common knowledge, not requiring a scientist or professor to understand. Much of the book is the story of the castaways turned colinists who build a home, manufacture explosives, keep animals, and suffer through hardships. Throughout thier stay on the Island, they come across mysteries they cannot explain, being saved in the nick of time, and at the end, they finally discover the identy of that one who has watched over them and provided help in cognito. Certainly a classic adventure tale, that, while not up to modern standards of science and suspence, is an excellent way to get aquainted with times past.
Rating:
Summary: A genuine page-turner!
Review: Jules Verne was the master of early Science Fiction. Besides 'Mysterious Island' he also wrote '20,000 Leagues Under The Sea' and 'Around The World in Eighty Days', among others. Here in 'Mysterious Island' he writes a tale of castaways on a Pacific island. I don't know anything about the person he was, but who knows where he got such imagination! It was all so fantastic at the time of his writing and is still fascinating today. 'Mysterious Island' is a great castaway story. My copy of this book was printed in 1962 (before barcodes!). There is no introduction and no pictures to give things away. In this book there are three parts: 'Dropped From The Clouds', 'The Abandoned', and 'The Secret of the Island'. The first part tells of how five prisoners of war, Captain Cyrus Harding, Gideon Spilett, Neb, Pencroft, and Herbert, use a balloon to escape from Richmond, Virgina, during the Civil War. They end up crashing onto an island in the Pacific and proceed to explore it. Strange coincidences start to happen. In the second part they continue to make a home for themselves on the island, and also venture out to another island, where they find a sixth man, Ayrton, whom they bring back to the now-called 'Lincoln Island'. Finally in the third part, there are battles with pirates, and eventually the mystery is solved about the coincidences which have saved them time and time again. Verne's writing not only includes a story, it is full of hard science and facts about nature and animals. The instances where chemical interactions are explained were fascinating. Each of the characters has their own unique approach and offers their specific knowledge: Cyrus is an engineer, Gideon is a reporter, Neb is a servant, Pencroft is a sailor, and Herbert is a budding biologist. This story touches on the fact that man cannot conquer nature. The men transform the island into a paradise for humans, but they do not get to keep it no matter what inventions they come up with. They build corrals and storage areas, but storms disintegrate them. You'll have to read the book yourself to find out the final ravage of nature! It might be hard to accept for some people, but nature really does eventually reclaim everything. Nothing is permanent! I was expecting some kind of giant monsters in 'Mysterious Island'. None of that occurred. The way that the mystery was explained was a bit out of left field, and I felt the story dwelled too much on it. Science fiction fans should appreciate this early classic, as I do. The story captivated me, and the hard science was interesting.
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Summary: Is Mysterious Island Verne's best novel?
Review: Many of Verne's novels have become cultural icons for Americans though Verne was French and we read him in translation. Nevertheless, his philosophy that enlightened good will and scientific advancement would save society is so close to American idealism, he seems much more American than almost any of his contemporaries. Everyone is familiar with Around the World in 80 Days and 20,000 Leagues. For some reason, The Mysterious Island is not read as widely. Yet, in my opinion, it is Verne's best and most rewarding novel. The opening of Myserious Island reads a bit like a serious version of "Wizard of Oz." Cyrus, Pencroft, Herbert, and Gideon, and a dog named Neb make a daring escape from a Civil War prison in a balloon, but the balloon is blown way off course to an uncharted volcanic island. These men are worthy souls; Captain Cyrus is an inspiring leader, Pencroft, an earthy but hardworking sailor. Gideon is kind of a "everyman" -- observant, strong and resourceful and loving, and Herbert a young, knowlegeable naturalist. These men and their dog Neb conquer the island's challenges and make the very best out of their isolation on the small island. But are they prepared for the surprises the island has for them--and the ultimate surprise in the second half of the book. The suspense keeps the reader turning the pages through a great deal of descriptive information about nature, chemistry, physics and engineering. This is classic Verne and what really put the Science in Science Fiction. One reason Mysterious Island may not have developed the strong audience of the other Verne novels is that there is so much detail and scientific discussion. That is rough going if you have little interest in such subjects. There are abridged versions that cut a lot of the description, but frankly, the science is what I love best about the book. How Cyrus and company make nitroglycerin and use it to reshape their island home is one of my favorite chapters in sci-fi literature. If you liked Swiss Family Robinson as a child, you would surely enjoy Mysterious Island. It's one of Verne's best works and deserves to be read.
Rating: 
Summary: The movie was better
Review: the 1961 movie that was made on this book only took the idea of five men starndad on an island and they are aided by Captain Nemo later in the movie but that's it. In the book, Nemo's apperance is near the end and it;s a small part. It only serves as a sequal of a small sorts to 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. The rest of the book is full of somewhat boring charecters who spend the whole story trying to survive on an island. It's somewhat tedious and you never quite get excited by the lack of any real adventure.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Solid Adventure
Review: The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne is a story of the escape of five prisoners in a hot air balloon. The prisoners are all Union men being held by the Confederacy in Richmond. After they escape in the balloon, they get caught in a great storm and are wrecked on an unknown island in the Pacific Ocean. They start with absolutely nothing, but they manage to build a comfortable life with their knowledge. The members include an engineer, his servant, a journalist, a sailor, and a boy. The engineer is the main hero. It is his knowledge which helps the party to build their perfect little world. Without him, the party would probably perish. The sailor serves as comic relief. He is always making funny remarks. Basically they enjoy their life on the island, but they face some crises, and receive help from a mysterious source. As the book progresses, the mysterious coincidences build up. This is a good book for survival fans. It's interesting to see how they are able to build their mini civilization from nothing. If you're not interested in island survival though, you may get bored with the details on how to make a pottery kiln, or building a blacksmith's forge, or the search for edible plants. One point I didn't like very much was the character of the servant. As an African-american, he's a little too subservient--a kind of Uncle Tom type who lives to serve his master. That's really out-of-date now, which is why this is not one of Vernes better works. If you haven't read any of Verne's works, I recommend 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Journey to the Moon instead. If you've read a lot of Verne, this is a solid book, but not his best.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Solid Adventure
Review: The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne is a story of the escape of five prisoners in a hot air balloon. The prisoners are all Union men being held by the Confederacy in Richmond. After they escape in the balloon, they get caught in a great storm and are wrecked on an unknown island in the Pacific Ocean. They start with absolutely nothing, but they manage to build a comfortable life with their knowledge. The members include an engineer, his servant, a journalist, a sailor, and a boy. The engineer is the main hero. It is his knowledge which helps the party to build their perfect little world. Without him, the party would probably perish. The sailor serves as comic relief. He is always making funny remarks. Basically they enjoy their life on the island, but they face some crises, and receive help from a mysterious source. As the book progresses, the mysterious coincidences build up. This is a good book for survival fans. It's interesting to see how they are able to build their mini civilization from nothing. If you're not interested in island survival though, you may get bored with the details on how to make a pottery kiln, or building a blacksmith's forge, or the search for edible plants. One point I didn't like very much was the character of the servant. As an African-american, he's a little too subservient--a kind of Uncle Tom type who lives to serve his master. That's really out-of-date now, which is why this is not one of Vernes better works. If you haven't read any of Verne's works, I recommend 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Journey to the Moon instead. If you've read a lot of Verne, this is a solid book, but not his best.
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