Illustrated Classics - Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea: Abridged Novels With Review Questions Hardcover – July 25, 2020

I was immediately gripped by this well illustrated tale. As I have gotten older it has been increasingly difficult to find engaging comic book art and stories. This is one of the best I have read recently. The art work is reminiscent of Franklin Booth. I suspect it is pen and ink on scratchboard and the artist has gone in afterward and scratched out some of the line work which gives the work a moody, old-world feel. There are several full page illustrations and they are beautifully rendered. Overall the book has a nice steam punk vibe, befitting since Jules Verne was practically the inventor of the genre (although I have heard that this author is the actual source: Frank Reade: Adventures in the Age of Invention). One favorite panel about 1/4 of the way into the book is of the Nautilus with several cross sections. The pacing of the panels is nice, retaining a traditional feel, but with a lot more diversity than the classic six panels per page. Gianni has done an excellent job staging and pacing the action.My only criticism is that the story ends rather abruptly, but that is the mostly the fault of Verne. But it did occur to me that maybe the action could have been stretched a bit. The color is adequate. I might have preferred to have seen more warm and cool color contrasts, which could have been included and still preserved the vintage look. But the color certainly doesn't detract from the story.In addition to the main story there is a four page introduction by Ray Bradbury that is obviously recycled from another edition. I would have preferred an intro by the artist or even the colorists as Bradbury's writing doesn't add much to this edition. At the end of the book is an eight page story by H. G. Wells that is illustrated in chapter book format. The nine illustrations are well done but I haven't read the text as yet (the design reminds me of the illustrated version of Sherlock Holmes).In short this volume is a great entertainment value that I highly recommend.

KindleUnlimited. If you have only watched the Disney movie from 1954, the Jules Verne classic is a must read. There are many more adventures not depicted in the movie. Written in the style of a 19th century travelogue, this fictional tale seems factual. The mysterious Captain Nemo and devoted crew travers the world’s oceans in his fantastic submarine, the Nautilus, Don’t expect any revelations about Captain Nemo’s identity; read Verne’s Mysterious Island for that.

I can still remember reading 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA for the first time as a kid. I was fascinated by submarines and captivated by the story of this wonderful ship, capable of making all my dreams come true. I wanted to dive beneath the waves and accompany Professor Aronnax on his incredible journey. Reading it again after many years, I find that I am still impressed by the story. Not only is it quite prophetic for its day & age, the fact that the story is STILL captivating after all these years just goes to show that great literature is timeless. In what follows, my comments shall refer to the Bantam version of the novel, translated by Anthony Bonner. This translation (or another suitably modern translation) is critical to getting the most out of this novel, as I will touch upon later.There is something for everyone in this book. On the one hand, the reader is treated to a very scientific (at times, "too" scientific for many readers) tale of undersea exploration, mixed with a tale of adventure and intrigue. The Nautilus carries us to every ocean of the world, exploring the South Pole, the lost city of Atlantis, shipwrecks, a mysterious tunnel between the Arabian and Mediterranean seas, and so much more. On the other hand, Jules Verne has also managed to flesh out a human story, one focused on Captain Nemo and his mysterious past and hatred for Western civilization. While the "kid" in you will have your eyes fixed on the Nautilus's glass portal that reveals the wonders of the deep, the "adult" in you will be rapidly trying to figure out exactly "who" this captain is and why he has built this ship, capable of removing him permanently from society.Many have complained about Verne's tendency to lose the story for endless lists of scientific classification. It is not hard to see their point. Verne does go on and on about species of fish in a manner that loses the reader's interest after a short while. But there is nothing to prevent you from skimming over these passages and moving onto the story. That's what I do and I don't think I've sacrificed a thing in doing so. Moreover, I would recommend that you keep an atlas or wold map handy when you are reading. It is much more fun to read this novel if you can actually track where they are at each point in the novel.Those coming to this novel from the movies will either be happily impressed or disappointed. While the films borrow heavily from the novel, they tend to focus on certain elements of the story (enhancing the action) while forgetting about others. This is not the tale of a madman, destined to hunt and destroy ever ocean-going vessel he comes across. It is so much more than that. In fact, my only complaint (and I have similar complaints for many authors) is that Verne seems to have been at a loss for how to end the novel. Therefore, he hands us a "deus ex machine" ending, of gigantic proportions. However, despite this minor flaw, the novel still holds up to modern scrutiny and remains enjoyable throughout.While this translation is much, much better than the cheap translations you find from the "bargain" publishing houses, I have heard that the recent, fully-annotated version is even better. Make sure that, when searching for a copy, that you get one of the modern translations (like the Bonner) and stay away from "quick & dirty" versions that you can find for a couple of dollars. Many of these cheap translations omit a full quarter of the novel and contain numerous errors. Additionally, they render the French into archaic English, ensuring that you will not enjoy the novel as much as you could. So, my advice is to stay away from the "bargain" versions-they aren't a bargain at all. But do read 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA. You'll be happy you did.

One of the greatest books and stories ever written. The more you read the more you are inside the shoes of the main character.