Review: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (novel)

A hallmark of Jules Verne's novels is the frequent lectures on chemistry, geography, technology, and other subjects. Half of this novel is a science fiction story. The other half is a sometimes out-of-date marine biology textbook.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (a more accurate translation is Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas) is an 1871 novel by Jules Verne. It's one of his best-known works and has been adapted frequently; the most famous adaptation is of course the 1954 Disney film. It was followed by a sequel, The Mysterious Island, which I haven't read yet. Technically it's the second in a trilogy, preceded by In Search of the Castaways AKA The Children of Captain Grant, but it has no connection with the first book.

I watched the film before I read the book. So I expected the book would be like the film. Turns out, it isn't. What's even more surprising is that I actually like the film better.

Almost everyone knows the plot. Professor Arronax and his servant Conseil join the hunt for a sea monster. The sea monster turns out to be a submarine: the Nautilus, owned by the mysterious Captain Nemo. Arronax, Conseil, and their friend Ned Land become Nemo's prisoners, and travel all over the world before they finally escape.

The book is quite short. Unfortunately almost half of it is taken up with lists of the fish Arronax sees, technical details about how the Nautilus works, and other decidedly boring statistics. When I read a science fiction novel I expect it to be actually fiction. If I want a science lesson I'll just find a textbook.

Unlike the film the book doesn't end with Nemo's death. Our heroes sneak off the Nautilus (how they manage it is never explained), and Nemo's fate is left uncertain. Apparently The Mysterious Island explains it. But without reading that book, this one's ending is very unsatisfactory.

Is it available online?: Yes, on Gutenberg. (This is one of the best translations.)

Rating: 6/10.