Bantam Classics, $5.99, ISBN 978-0-553-21252-5
Sci-fi, 1985 (Reissue)
Jules Verne was either a time traveler with a penchant for engineering or just really good at guessing the future with dramatic flair. His works often straddle the line between riveting adventure and a textbook your college professor would gleefully wield to lull you into a mid-lecture nap. 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas is no exception—part marine odyssey, part TED Talk from a man who thinks you’ll never notice he’s making half of it up. Spoiler: we noticed, but we don’t care.
The story begins with tantalizing mystery—something large and angry is smashing ships at sea. Is it a kraken? Godzilla on holiday? Nope, it’s Captain Nemo and his Nautilus, the underwater Airbnb nobody asked for but can’t stop talking about. Enter our trio of adventurers: Professor Pierre Aronnax, a scientist so devoted to his field he practically lectures the fish; Conseil, his loyal manservant who, despite being the smartest guy in the room, spends most of his time fetching things; and Ned Land, a Canadian whaler with all the diplomacy of a wrecking ball.
Once aboard the Nautilus, the plot turns into an underwater road trip, complete with scenic stops like Atlantis (yes, THAT Atlantis) and more sea creatures than a nature documentary binge. Mr Verne spares no detail—seriously, none—turning every page into a pop quiz on marine biology. If you’ve ever wanted to know the exact measurements of a squid’s tentacles or how to classify plankton, Jules Verne’s got you covered. For everyone else, it’s like sitting through a lecture when you just showed up for the free pizza.
Then there’s Captain Nemo, the original brooding antihero. He’s mysterious, tortured, and determined to stick it to the imperialist powers that ruined his life. Think Batman, but with a submarine and fewer capes. Aronnax is clearly enamored, as there’s no other explanation for the way he describes Nemo’s every move like a diary entry from a high school crush. And who can blame him? Nemo is charismatic, angsty, and wildly unpredictable. He’s like the bad boy that every romance novel promises but rarely delivers.
However, the story starts to drift about halfway through. With the monster mystery solved early, the narrative loses direction, becoming more of a “greatest hits of the ocean” tour. By the time we reach the end, Jules Verne pulls the literary equivalent of a French exit—Nemo sulks, the crew mopes, and Aronnax conveniently blacks out so we don’t have to deal with messy escape logistics. It’s like Mr Verne ran out of plot, or maybe his editor just said, “You’ve made enough money; wrap it up.”
Despite its flaws, 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas remains iconic. Nemo’s allure is timeless, the undersea escapades are dazzling, and Mr Verne’s vision was so ahead of its time you half expect him to start an underwater TikTok channel. Sure, it drags in places, and yes, it’s stuffed with enough exposition to sink the Nautilus, but it’s also the kind of story that sparks curiosity about science, exploration, and the unknown.
Verdict? Dive in if you’re a nerd at heart, an adventure lover, or just want to meet the moody sea captain who set the bar for antiheroes everywhere. But fair warning: you might surface wondering why your own life is just so… normal.
