Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Author: Jules Verne
Published: 1870
On Goodreads
My Rating: 
Their ship sunk, Professor Aronnax, his servant Conseil, and Canadian harpooner Ned Land are captured by the terrifying yet enigmatic Captain Nemo and held captive on his submarine, the Nautilus. During the harrowing journey across seas and oceans, the professor witnesses and partakes in many dangerous missions. Large creatures never before seen. Shipwrecks with stranded people. Gold littering the sandy shores. Lost cities. Cold icebergs that threaten to crush them. The struggle for survival.
The group must play along with Captain Nemo if they have any hope of getting free of this prison.
First things first, I didn’t realize that this story was more scary than it was adventure. This was nothing like Journey to the Center of the Earth. The tone is so much graver in this book, since the character are a part of this journey against their will. Each new adventure that the Nautilus happened upon had a great build-up! Really got that feeling of uneasiness, like the music from JAWS right before the big ass shark bites the ass of a boat. I loved that feeling. It was eye-widening and sometimes
Following from Aronnax’s POV, each character was very well distinguished. The characters were all cramped together, but had their own independence from each other. Ned Land was going crazy in this submarine and wanted to escape even though that seemed like that opposite of what you think he’d want. Conseil’s greatest pleasure was helping his master, but he had his own opinions and thoughts along with doing his service to Aronnax. Aronnax is utterly mystified and swept up in all of this. He never expected that the creature taking down ships was this submarine.
The antagonist, Captain Nemo, was nothing like I originally thought. He was so intelligent and persuasive. So much so that sometimes I forgot that he was holding this group hostage, though he made them feel like they were a part of his crew. His lack of concern for the dangers
The scenery was amazeballs. So vivid and beautiful. The imagery is so powerful and moving. Verne has a way with words! It’s menacing, yet not. The ocean is a vast space filled with all kinds of wonders, but Verne doesn’t leave out there are a lot of dangers there as well. The balance is incredible.
This book was great. The was so much depth, both dark and bright with life and heavy feelings in regard to this journey. It worked my nerves a little here and there. I’m not going to say it’s my ultimate favorite though. It felt dragged out in some spots. And speaking of spots, if they would’ve gotten stuck in the Bermuda Triangle for a spell that would’ve been interesting, too. Do I recommend giving this a read? YES! Though, if you have a fear of the ocean then this may make a great horror story. LOL.
Read on precious bookworms!
Quotables:
“It is the end of the end!” (Ned Land, p. 59)
“A coral tomb makes a quiet grave; and I trust that I and my comrades will find no other.” (Captain Nemo, 85)
“We may brave human laws, but we cannot resist natural ones.” (Captain Nemo, p. 200)
more to come soon…
-K.
P.S. Song today? Long Way Down by The Goo Goo Dolls.
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The Scarlet Reader 
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