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creolelitbelle's review against another edition
I've read the first novel in this collection, Five Weeks in a Balloon, and thought it was a very fun, adventurous read. In 3 years I haven't returned to the collection, but when I feel ready, I definitely will. Jules Verne is classic adventure sci-fi who came up with some really bizarre but interesting tales.
rosekk's review against another edition
3.0
I really like some of these stories, and others I found quite dull. Verne's writing has some glaring flaws, and some of the stories manage to keep these to a minimum, or make up for them with other strengths, but some don't.
Verne's at his strongest when focusing on travel and transport, the possibilities of new technologies, and he manages to come up with a character of two who feels individual and likeable. Sadly, not all of his characters are so well-developed, and that becomes especially problematic when he dares to strand them in the wilderness, leaving the reader alone with hollow protagonists displaying their survival skills, while the weather does it's best to ramp up the excitement.
Around the World in 80 Days, A Journey to the Centre of the Earth and From the Earth to the Moon were my favourites.
Verne's at his strongest when focusing on travel and transport, the possibilities of new technologies, and he manages to come up with a character of two who feels individual and likeable. Sadly, not all of his characters are so well-developed, and that becomes especially problematic when he dares to strand them in the wilderness, leaving the reader alone with hollow protagonists displaying their survival skills, while the weather does it's best to ramp up the excitement.
Around the World in 80 Days, A Journey to the Centre of the Earth and From the Earth to the Moon were my favourites.
danielle1991's review against another edition
4.0
My rating differs per store, but overall I really enjoyed it after getting used to the writingstyle.
lynn_k's review against another edition
4.0
This compilation contains 7 novels. Overall, I enjoyed reading this. There was only one book that I gave less than 3 stars to, and it wasn't because it was bad, it was just oh so boring. The other six novels ranged from interesting to exciting. The physical book itself is beautiful and it was fun to look at the illustration on the cover and figure out which of the seven novels the pictures represented.
markyon's review
4.0
A lovely Barnes and Noble edition.
The Seven Novels are:
Five Weeks in a Balloon,
Around the World in Eighty Days,
A Journey to the Center of the Earth,
From the Earth to the Moon,
Round the Moon,
Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and
The Mysterious Island.
Gilt edged, leather hardback. A keeper. Great tales too!
The Seven Novels are:
Five Weeks in a Balloon,
Around the World in Eighty Days,
A Journey to the Center of the Earth,
From the Earth to the Moon,
Round the Moon,
Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and
The Mysterious Island.
Gilt edged, leather hardback. A keeper. Great tales too!
penguininabluebox's review against another edition
4.0
Five Weeks In A Balloon: 3.5*
A Journey to the Center of the Earth: 4*
From the Earth to the Moon: 3.5*
Round the Moon: 4*
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea: 4*
Around the World in 80 Days: 4.5*
The Mysterious Island: 4*
A Journey to the Center of the Earth: 4*
From the Earth to the Moon: 3.5*
Round the Moon: 4*
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea: 4*
Around the World in 80 Days: 4.5*
The Mysterious Island: 4*
cathreohorn's review against another edition
3.0
This review of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was part of the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge on reddit. Considering this book is almost 150 years old, I was surprised how little I knew about the plot of the story. Although I had this story in a lovely edition of a Jules Verne compilation, I read this particular book as a Project Gutenberg e-book.
The story began in a weird way for me, in chapter 3:Aronnax says “I felt that my true vocation, the sole end of my life, was to chase this disturbing monster and purge it from the world.” Why would an academic feel this destructive desire? Surely, intrigue and curiosity to see the specimen would be far more likely…
I was quite surprised by the humour between the characters,
In the words of one redditor; "Conseil is my spirit animal" - he frequently made whatever scene he appeared in for me. I also loved how Professor Aronnax is crushing so hard on Captain Nemo. If this book had been written now, in modern times, there would be so much fanfic about these two.
The biggest disappointment for me was how all of the "events" in the novel were dispatched so quickly and without detail. In particular, when they discovered Atlantis and spent almost no time there. And yet, lat & long measurements and the readings of the instruments were discussed in detail at every opportunity.
The story began in a weird way for me, in chapter 3:
I was quite surprised by the humour between the characters,
...then there were a whole series of petrels, some whitish, with brown-bordered wings, others blue, peculiar to the Antarctic seas, and so oily, as I told Conseil, that the inhabitants of the Ferroe Islands had nothing to do before lighting them but to put a wick in.
"A little more," said Conseil, "and they would be perfect lamps! After that, we cannot expect Nature to have previously furnished them with wicks!"
In the words of one redditor; "Conseil is my spirit animal" - he frequently made whatever scene he appeared in for me. I also loved how Professor Aronnax is crushing so hard on Captain Nemo. If this book had been written now, in modern times, there would be so much fanfic about these two.
The biggest disappointment for me was how all of the "events" in the novel were dispatched so quickly and without detail. In particular, when they discovered Atlantis and spent almost no time there. And yet, lat & long measurements and the readings of the instruments were discussed in detail at every opportunity.
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