A Journey To The Center Of The Earth (Troll Illustrated Classics) (1997) - Plot & Excerpts
Supposedly, Jules Verne is, in France, considered a “travel and adventure” writer, and is considered one of the great French authors, along with Zola, Hugo, and Dumas. Although I don’t consider him one of the greatest authors I’ve read, I have no doubt that Jules Verne is a great author, and well deserving of his “classic” status. The splendor of his writing may have been lost in translation.His novels are amazingly inventive creations, a mix of science and fantasy. I am not generally interested in science fiction, but Jules Verne I can read and enjoy. Many name him the father of science fiction, and I definitely can see him as an influence on later writers. In general, I really like Jules Verne’s books because they feel like classics “light.” The stories are simply fun, and the prose is not challenging to read for the most part (although some of his book gets science heavy in parts). As for the science fiction aspects of some of his novels, they truly do make for a fun adventure!A Journey to the Center of the Earth (originally published 1864 in French) was our book for this month’s book club, and I really enjoyed it, although I don't consider it a favorite classic or my favorite Verne novel (I've now read three).More thoughts on my blog
I can't say this book is one of my favorite stories or that I would even read it again, but it IS deserving of being a "classic."Something that I've noticed in all of Verne's novels, that continues in this one, is that I can't really connect with the characters. They're bland and forgettable, unless they're just outright annoying or unbelievable. That would be my only major complaint.To contrast that, I was fascinated by the creativity of Verne's descriptions of the journey beneath the earth and all the extradinary sights to be seen. Vivid, imaginative, and bizarre - decribing a journey you would want to take yourself is truely where this book shines. If the characters were not the most interesting, they were also merely incidental to the adventure being told. While many of the theories stated in the story have been disproven, it doesn't change the fact that this pushed the furthest boundaries of science and fiction for the time period.
What do You think about A Journey To The Center Of The Earth (Troll Illustrated Classics) (1997)?
The story is set in the 19th century. It simply begins with a German professor and his nephew introducing their life styles and characteristics. Soon after the professor is hooked to an old book coded with runic letters, and holding secrets that he is eager to find out. Soon, after days of intense investigation on decrypting the codes written, his nephew cracks it and it is written the details of where to go in order to get to the center of the earth. And so the professor's mind is set straight to embark for a incredulous adventure to the center of the earth.
—Clarkhou
It was kind of short, but rather good. I am just severely disappointed that they never actually made it to the center of the Earth. It's cool how they end up in Italy.
—Ruthie
