At least it was a damn sight better than "The Mysterious Island."

** spoiler alert ** A really good sea adventure book. It especially drew me in with the scuba diving parts, to which I can now happily relate! This particular version has a chronology of historical events, giving readers some context for the scientific/technological aspects of the book. For example, to us a fully electric submarine is a fact, but this was written twenty years before the first modern submarine - putting it firmly in the realm of fantasy for its time. What I didn't like about this book was the over-detailed descriptions of sea animals and plants. Whole pages were devoted to simply listing off the types of creatures seen by the narrator, and sometimes it was upwards of five pages before the writing returned to the plot. Another complaint is that the narrator conveniently lost consciousness during tricky plot twists, so that "unavoidable" disasters were actually avoided but with no description of exactly how. Verdict? Still a good read.

I read this aloud to my class this semester, and it absolutely is a timeless classic.

My very first book. It is a wholesome adventure around a very particular friendship with a fantastic mission. It's packed with wonders and references of the sea life. If you like science, adventures and friendship, this is a must for you.

To the person who recommended I read through Jules Verne's catalogue: Thank you! I owe you so much! You almost single-handedly caused the resurgence of my love of books. This was epic, and I loved it. I still love it. I think about it all the time. I know it's a more childish book, but it - along with Journey to the Centre of the Earth - have the prized position on my bookshelf. The world that Verne created in this book was incredible and it made me feel like I was right there in the story. That sensation is something that I have failed to feel as strongly since.

I quite like Captain Nemo and I wouldn’t be mad to live on the Nautilus. 👀

I wish I had read this when I was younger. It is a true adventure story, bolstered by the top imaginable technology of the turn of the century, with a deep a love of science and classification. The key mechanical and Victorian foundations to steampunk are here, as is a gripping psychological terror story of isolation — both physical and emotional — power, and achievement.

I enjoyed this book, but there were MANY parts that dragged on. At one point I just began skipping over all the massive lists of sea creatures and random stories that had nothing to do with the main plot. I loved all the adventures and big events, but a lot of the science and nautical terminology was beyond me. I think I’d like it if I re read it because I’d know which parts to skip over. I did like this very much, but it’s not a new favourite

RTC soon~~

I see where the author was coming from. I understand Jules Verne, it was an adventure book, it is what people had back then to fill their desire and lack of genres like sci-fi or fantasy. That's why I partially value this story. However, the neverending paragraphs describing altitude, fishes, places, and so on, are really not needed unless you're truly, really interested in marine biology.

Fabuleux, ce roman nous tient en haleine jusqu'à la dernière page. Empreint de mystérieux, de soif de découverte et d'aventures sans cesse renouvelées et si variées, Jules Verne dresse des personnages captivants dans un environnement naturel mais si inconnu, il s'amuse du lecteur en ne délivrant que trop peu d'information concernant l'équipage gardant un suspens quasi insoutenable, mais nous fait parcourir 20,000 lieues sous les mers à bord d'un sous marin sous le commandement du plus étrange et étonnant Capitaine. Je ne demande qu'à le relire, et à rejoindre à nouveau le Professeur Aronnax dans ses observations, Conseil dans ses ichtyologies et Ned Land avec ses bougonnements et excès de colère. Je rêvais de la bibliothèque dans La Belle et la Bête, maintenant je rêve du fumoir/bibliothèque du Capitaine Nemo avec les panneaux ouverts bien évidemment pour observer sans fin les fonds marins.

4.5/5 Note: My copy is a 1954 Collins Classics leather-bound edition and does not have an ISBN. A classic (or should I say "the" classic) steampunk adventure story, 20,000 Leagues has inspired countless other steampunk stories since it was first published in 1870. And for good reason — while the descriptions of impossible-yet-probable technology and marine sights compelling, it is the characters and their adventures that compel the reader to stay. 20,000 Leagues is an adventure story, which means that the journey of our narrator is more important than clashing with the antagonist of the story, our infamous Captain Nemo. These adventures range from simple fun (Ned Land's hunting trip around Malaysia) to heart-racing (the journey away from the South Pole), and because they hold center stage in the book, most of the character relationships and interplay comes down to a matter of subtext, which is extremely fun to read into. Between this subtext and the gentlemanly writing style, a reader might find a lot of homoerotic tension running through the story, if they were motivated to do so. On that note, I will say that the writing style might not be for everyone though I happened to enjoy it immensely. It is definitely indicative of the time period it was written in, and I could see some people being put off by the long descriptions or roundabout phrases. As for me, I found Verne's use of personification (especially with regard to the Nautilus itself), absolutely gorgeous, and his insight into his characters' brooding beautiful. Verne was a lover of science and the sea, and it shows in the long descriptions of various marine life and their classifications. I skimmed those sections. It didn't bother me or detract from my enjoyment to do so, and I highly recommend anyone without a vested interest in taxonomy to do the same. One last note. A lot of these older books don't age well because, well, they're racist. 20,000 Leagues skirts around the issue well enough because all of the characters are on a submarine that has sworn off contact with the rest of civilization. While there is some mention of indigenous people as "savages," Captain Nemo is quick to shut it down because he has "met with some [savages] everywhere." We love an equal opportunity misanthrope.

Ended a bit abruptly for me

I read this with my kids. It was ok for me, but they got bored about halfway through with a lot of the details, so we switched to an abridged kid version that they found much more palatable. My kids generally have a high tolerance for this sort of book. As far as I got through it, I felt mostly kind of meh about it.

Al principio me costó mucho aceptar el nivel de descripción y la cantidad de listados, pero luego le encontré todo el sentido de ser. Nuevamente feliz de haber decidido darme el tiempo para estos clásicos.

Just okay. Not enough of the adventure I hoped there would be, way too much of explicitly detailed descriptions of X sea animal on X date.

This was a fantastic read! It is true that it has, in my opinion, too much talk about different types of marine creatures and events - with date and all! - which by and by were a bit boring for me. It might be interesting for someone familiar with those things, but for me it was completely unnecessary. However, adventure is as constant! I really dreamt about being inside the Nautilus with Captain Nemo and professor Aronnax. Also, together with the danger of the adventure, there were several comments which made me laugh. All in all, I think this is a very good novel, one of those classics that is worth reading. To anyone who is reluctant I say: go for it!