didi0014's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
My main hang up with the book was the scientific inaccuracies. I understand that I should reserve my scientific judgment for a science fiction novel such as this, but despite my best efforts, the author continually requests the reader to use those scientific reasoning faculties in making sense of what’s going on. As far as the characters, I found Axel’s sense of humor to be very relatable, even for a novel that was written 150 years ago. But aside from that, he lacks a backbone completely to stand up to his uncle. I found his uncle to be nauseating and in his miss use of the scientific method to support any ideas that furthered his own objectives. Someone with such a lack of self preservation as professor Lidenbrock would never actually survive the real world.
callumfairweather's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
katmindae's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Wish the first half were more like the second half! Took so long to get started for me that I almost gave it up.
amina2116's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
cailinaconver's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
njdewitt's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
bookswithlauren's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
bookishwendy's review against another edition
3.0
I have very fond memories of reading this book as a kid. When I was 11 or 12 it was my favorite of Verne's books, but I remembered very little about WHY I loved it. I came across this lovely audio recording read by the inimitable Tim Curry, whose vocal talent truly made my latest listening experience enjoyable, because I must admit that Journey (tragically) did not hold up so well for me over the years.
The biggest annoyance was Achsel, the young-ish narrator and nephew of the preeminent Hamburgian geologist who of course gets dragged along into the bowels of the Earth for the sake of SCIENCE(!). I recall identifying with Achsel when I was a kid, probably because he IS so darn childish--a whiney, cowardly pain-in-the-a$$ in the view of my adult self. Mr. Curry himself seems to revel in pumping Achsel's voice so full of navel-gazing angst you can just tell he's making fun of the poor guy. Heh heh.
I laughed out loud when Achsel's fiancee tells him flat out to stuff a sock in it, and that if he does NOT leave her and go spelunking with his uncle, he'll never become a man in her eyes. Seriously, the professor should have taken her along instead--she would have actually contributed value to the expedition.
I also remember being rather fond of Hans the duck-hunting Icelandic guide and servant, who is basically the Sam Gamgee of this expedition, carrying the supplies and solving all the problems while being mostly ignored by the Prof and his nephew. This time around I found myself craving more dramatic human interactions between the characters, particularly a cathartic fist-fight between Hans and Achsel...but sadly no. The characters are shunted aside for Verne's pseudo-science which I remember being so wild and interesting as a kid--especially the Plesiosaur/Ichthyosaur battle--but which this time I found so dull and which got in the way of my matured frontal cortex. Sigh. Why did have to grow up?
The biggest annoyance was Achsel, the young-ish narrator and nephew of the preeminent Hamburgian geologist who of course gets dragged along into the bowels of the Earth for the sake of SCIENCE(!). I recall identifying with Achsel when I was a kid, probably because he IS so darn childish--a whiney, cowardly pain-in-the-a$$ in the view of my adult self. Mr. Curry himself seems to revel in pumping Achsel's voice so full of navel-gazing angst you can just tell he's making fun of the poor guy. Heh heh.
I laughed out loud when Achsel's fiancee tells him flat out to stuff a sock in it, and that if he does NOT leave her and go spelunking with his uncle, he'll never become a man in her eyes. Seriously, the professor should have taken her along instead--she would have actually contributed value to the expedition.
I also remember being rather fond of Hans the duck-hunting Icelandic guide and servant, who is basically the Sam Gamgee of this expedition, carrying the supplies and solving all the problems while being mostly ignored by the Prof and his nephew. This time around I found myself craving more dramatic human interactions between the characters, particularly a cathartic fist-fight between Hans and Achsel...but sadly no. The characters are shunted aside for Verne's pseudo-science which I remember being so wild and interesting as a kid--especially the Plesiosaur/Ichthyosaur battle--but which this time I found so dull and which got in the way of my matured frontal cortex. Sigh. Why did have to grow up?
coraldraes's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
lunacueva's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0