Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea By Jules Verne 7-30-04 to 8-7-04
When I left CA I figured I would need something to read along the drive home (though I actually did very very little reading) and so I searched around in Boarders and found a leather bound gilded copy of "The Works of Jules Verne" for only $20.00. Well while classics are not my favorite books to read, I still enjoy reading them to see what made them so special. So I thought it was a good price for books that I was certain to at least mildly enjoy.
So I have started the first book in the compilation Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. I must say that the writing style is very different than that of any books I have ever read thus far. There is such attention to 'science' and scientific names. I think many readers would get bogged down reading an entier paragraph decribing the wonderful echinoderms the character currently sees.
Verne makes a great effort to name every fish and ever line of latitude and longitude, anything that can be scientifically explained is. I thought as a biologist that I would enjoy reading all of this wealth of information but I find even myself getting bogged down now and again. I find the things I want described lagging and the things that I would like glossed over described in great detail.
Other than that thus far the book is not to bad. The plot progresses a tad slowly but mostly I think this is due to the heavy science descriptions. I keep waiting with baited breath for the appearance of the giant squid though. It seems that is the only things I can remember about the plot, a submarine and a giant squid.
Well I have finished the book and find myself left wanting. There are about 20 climactic pages in the 210 page book. There is no giant squid, its giant octopi and its only about two pages in length. The book wa smostly filler and I find that unfortunate.
Over all I find the book filled with classifications and pages of nothing, scattered about with a few well written page turners scattered here and there. Would I recomend this book for some one to read, no. Do I think the book had a wonderful concept, yes, the book just lacks any sort of real meat, its all potatos and with no gravey.
When I left CA I figured I would need something to read along the drive home (though I actually did very very little reading) and so I searched around in Boarders and found a leather bound gilded copy of "The Works of Jules Verne" for only $20.00. Well while classics are not my favorite books to read, I still enjoy reading them to see what made them so special. So I thought it was a good price for books that I was certain to at least mildly enjoy.
So I have started the first book in the compilation Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. I must say that the writing style is very different than that of any books I have ever read thus far. There is such attention to 'science' and scientific names. I think many readers would get bogged down reading an entier paragraph decribing the wonderful echinoderms the character currently sees.
Verne makes a great effort to name every fish and ever line of latitude and longitude, anything that can be scientifically explained is. I thought as a biologist that I would enjoy reading all of this wealth of information but I find even myself getting bogged down now and again. I find the things I want described lagging and the things that I would like glossed over described in great detail.
Other than that thus far the book is not to bad. The plot progresses a tad slowly but mostly I think this is due to the heavy science descriptions. I keep waiting with baited breath for the appearance of the giant squid though. It seems that is the only things I can remember about the plot, a submarine and a giant squid.
Well I have finished the book and find myself left wanting. There are about 20 climactic pages in the 210 page book. There is no giant squid, its giant octopi and its only about two pages in length. The book wa smostly filler and I find that unfortunate.
Over all I find the book filled with classifications and pages of nothing, scattered about with a few well written page turners scattered here and there. Would I recomend this book for some one to read, no. Do I think the book had a wonderful concept, yes, the book just lacks any sort of real meat, its all potatos and with no gravey.