A JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH

I grew up on the James Mason movie, "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1959), so it was quite a shocker to read the book. You can imagine to my dismay the absence of quite a few characters and the center of the story is Germany, not Scotland. Now for avid readers, you could care less about old movies, I can truthfully say that this is one of Jules Verne's best stories and is well told. What you will find more interesting and fun about this tale are the characters and their interaction. One of my favorite parts is when Harry who did not want to go to the center of the earth with his uncle, Professor Hardwigg; turned to his affianced, Gretchen, and was planning on her to stop him. Her answer is shockingly disappointing to him. "While there is life there is hope. I beg to assert, Henry, that as long as man's heartbeats, as long as man's flesh quivers, I do not allow that being gifted with thought and will allow himself to despair" Be prepared as the bulk of the book is a geological journey back through time and forward again painfully spelled out by Harry who is the first-person narrator. You may also want to consider more than one copy of the story as there are different translators, introductions, illustrations, and annotations.

Love this adventure story. It just needed to be a little longer maybe with a couple more characters but otherwise perfect.

I grew up watching classic movies and this was one of our faves. I finally gave in and read this book, since it had been sitting on my shelf for years. Glad I did. Good story, Fun, and an easy read.

Believe it or not at 65 I never read this book or saw the movie. It kept me rivited to the chair. I'd read until I couldn't keep my eyes open, then get back to it ASAP. The characters came to life for me. I'd recommend it to adults and kids. It was a Kindle FREEBIE...Imagine that?!

This is a great classic novel. It is a fun read and much better than the movies based on it. Give yourself a treat and read this book regardless of what you might have thought of the Hollywood versions.

This book proves Verne's greatness as a writer of fiction. The science in this science fiction flies largely in the face of modern science, yet the read is no less gripping today than it was in its infancy. The story is pretty simple. Professor Lidenbrock, a neurotically impatient scientist, discovers a cryptic manuscript written by a long-dead explorer; with the help of his nephew, he decodes the cryptogram to read an account of a journey to the center of the earth begun beneath a dormant volcano in Iceland. The nephew, Axel, a talented geologist and mineralogist himself, refuses to believe that the core of the earth is not exceedingly hot; additionally, he cares more about Grauben, the eccentric professor's ward, than risking his life on a scientific adventure. He proves unable to dissuade his uncle and thus joins with him on a journey to Iceland. There, they hire a stoic Icelander to lead them down into the earth. Most of the action takes place underground, with the adventurers suffering several trials, daring risks, and finally discovering a whole new world hidden miles below the earth's crust. The ultimate trial and danger they face consists of returning to the surface.Axel narrates the story, and the strength of the novel lies in his character. The professor and the Icelandic guide are unusual personalities, but Axel is very real and easy to relate to. He really does not want to go in the first place, and he is most liable to greet dangers and risks by bemoaning his fate and declaring his party done for in their foolish efforts. It is he who suffers the most privation when the men's water runs out, and it is he who finds himself lost in the utter blackness of the caverns for three days. When things are going well, though, Axel becomes wildly excited about the mission and temporarily forgets about his fears. This all goes to make him a very sympathetic character. Without him, the story would be a rather dispassionate account of an impossible journey by bland, unbelievable characters. You do have to shift your mind into low gear a few times when the characters begin speaking about the different types of minerals and rocks they are encountering, but overall the plot is rather thrilling, and you cannot help but begin early on trying to ascertain a way in which the intrepid explorers can return to share their discoveries with a skeptical scientific community. Verne knows how to tell a story, and you don't have to know a single thing about science to enjoy this novel immensely.

Un Clásico de Julio Vernes. Una novela que se tiene que leer