Jules Verne Books

Most science fiction fans think of Jules Verne as the "father" of the genre, but with a rather remote paternity, the genre's modern directions owing more to H.G. Wells. Verne would hardly be suspected of telling a story of cosmic travel to another planet in a distant galaxy. And yet that is among the destinations in this incredible play, staged to acclaim in France in 1882, then lost for over a century until the manuscript's rediscovery in a French archive. This is not only the first English translation, it is also the only version in any language that offers the complete text of the play. With it, and other recent Verne books discovered or translated for the first time, readers of today can gauge Verne's imagination far more accurately than those of the 19th or 20th century.
Verne's editor constantly rejected or toned down his true science fiction, compelling his most inventive author to remain largely earthbound. For instance, 1994 saw the first appearance of Paris in the 20th Century, a book rejected outright by Verne's publisher, who refused to sanction a dystopia set a century in the future. Similarly, Verne's publisher compelled his author to transform his voyage around the solar system on a comet in Hector Servadac into simply a "dream." Journey Through the Impossible goes even further, because Verne found an escape from his publisher's censorship by turning to the theater.
In Journey Through the Impossible Verne takes us to the center of the earth and under the sea, destinations from some of his most popular novels. In the underground realms dwell Troglodytes anticipating the Morlocks of Wells's The Time Machine. On board the submarine Nautilus, a visit is made to the city of Atlantis. The play includes appearances by many of the most famous characters from Verne's novels, including the diabolical scientist Doctor Ox and the Baltimore Gun Club that launched the first projectile to the moon. This time the Gun Club's giant cannon sends a capsule full of explorers to Altor, a newly-discovered distant planet with two sons.
Journey Through the Impossible is published in association with the North American Jules Verne Society, and includes a preface and footnotes by its president, Jean-Michel Margot, one of the leading authorities on Verne today. The background explains the play's many allusions and allows the reader to readily imagine how its presentation might have appeared. Further visual embellishment is provided by lavish illustrations, including several originals by Roger Leyonmark that evoke the style of the engravings that were a trademark of the early French editions of Verne's books. Edward Baxter, translator of the play, has already earned approbation for his previous translations of Verne into English, including several novels.
This is an incredible book, one that is full of both Verne's imagination and Vernian scholarship. It will forever change the way readers think of Verne, and will re-establish his foundation as the originator of modern science fiction.

Jules Verne must have done some thing right when he wrote this book. Action, Adventure, Sci-fiey goodness, it has a good plot followable text (for my lexile level that is). I've always been a fan of sci-fi so if your like me dont miss out on this book by Jules Verne.

This story is a classic, so I won't delve deeply into it (pun intended). What I liked about this version of the tale was the exquisite translation of Verne's text and the translator's commentary. Writing in Verne's day - the good stuff, that is - was so much richer than the diluted, profanity-filled fluff we see too often in modern fiction. How far we've descended (yes, that was intended too)!

This light biography provides an introduction to the life and career of France's most famous 19th century novelist (judging by international acclaim), while seeking to demonstrate that Verne truly invented the future--a modest goal! Fans of H.G. Wells will argue the point about who created the genre of true science fiction, but Verne coined the term "Imaginary voyages" and conceived a new kind of hero: the scientist or the adventurer who used scientific information and devices to explore: the earth, below the earth, the seas, the air, the moon! He even
created a futuristic utopia, though by the end of his career his novels reflected a darker side, as he cautioned against the dangers of unbridled mechanization and amoral progress. It grieved him that Man should prove Man's own worst enemy.

This book reads quickly, giving plot details about Verne's major works and unmistakaable influence upon the imagination and goals of adventurous youth the world over: France, England, America, Germany, Switzerland, and Scandinavia. A century ahead of his time, Verne combined literary talent with real scientific knowldege of his day, drawing upon the exhaustive facts and diagrams from his many notebooks compiled over the years. This short biogrpahy is an excellent springboard for comparative literature in the Sci Fi realm or as true inspiration for inventions, discoveries and expeditions to study the earth.
Although written by a German (with vague ideas of American geography), this short book lists the accomplishments of the men who followed Verne's literary legacy by exploring the planet in life. A delightful taste of the genius who inspired generations to dare more, to plan rationally and to dream of glory!

A good yarn by the master of yarns, and it is good to see it in print again, as it hardly ever is, in English anyway. I give it four stars for content and pedigree, but drop one since this volume only contains the second half of the work, otherwise known as "Scarpante the Spy," and although illustrated, the woodcuts have been reproduced rather blurry. The first half of this work, as far as I know, remains sadly out of print.

Typical old Jules,- good story, emminently well written, but one can feel
that this one was one of his later works. Still, very good, if you like that sort of things, which I do very much.The only disappointment were the badly copied, not too numerous, eight as compared to the original twenty-nine, illustrations.And, by the way, this title is not available new anywhere else in the world, with the exception of Amazon USA, not even in France.

I read this book as a child, and loved it. It is a wonderful adventure along the lines of "The Count of Monte Christo".

About the title - A "verst" is a unit of measure. If you read Michael Strogoff you will quickly become well versed in "versts" since Jules Verne uses the word on nearly every page of the novel!

Besides the minor annoyance with the use of the word "Verst", Michael Strogoff is a fine adventure novel/epic. While it should not be confused with Verne's typical works of science fiction it is an adventure epic.

Other reviewers have complained about Verne's character development, but Verne acknowledged throughout his career that he purposely skimped on character detail. If you want detailed characters read Henry James... the styles of the authors could not be any more different!

The writing style is a little sloppier than typical Verne (it appears to have been rushed and poorly edited) but it is passabe. However, Verne is rarely read for the simple appreciation of his wordmanship... and he will never be compared to his friend, Alexander Dumas.

Michael Strogoff is one Verne's better plots, while it is not the page turner of a "Mysterious Island" it is much better than some of his other lesser known works (Measuring the Meridian and "800 Leagues down the Amazon" come to mind).

Final verdict - it may take a little patience to get into "Michael Strogoff" but I have no hestitation in giving it a hearty recommendation.

Overall, this book was a great thriller and page-turner. While reading, many instances, for example the series of events that occurred when Cyrus Harding,the main leader of the six men who escaped the prison, had been found, was very interesting. I did not want to stop until I finished that section because of its unusual mystery. Although this story is fiction, it also was educational at the same time. The men used many survival skills in order to maintain their lives and mental state, which helped me learn some techniques of starting a fire and finding food. They captured animals with traps, and also made a burning glass. The story could possibly have been realistic because of all the details in the story. If there really was an uncharted island like the island in the book, which the men named Lincoln Island, then this story could really have happened. I highly recommend this book to young adults.Its difficulty of understanding and length make it perfect for those who enjoy reading or want to become better readers.

The Mysterious Island is one of my favourite books from Verne.

It is strange that a book with no female characters is able to hold my interest; usually I like the book as much as I like the heroine. But presense of a female might have destroyed the spirit of the book.

The Mysterious Island is a perfect conclusion for two other stories; the stories of Captain Nemo and Captain Grant. In a natural way it brings together new characters and those from the other two stories. The way Nemo and Ayrton make up the mistakes of their past is simply beautiful.

The story of Lincoln Island and its inhabitants makes you to believe in miracles. And the greatest miracle is friendship.