Journey To The Centre Of The Earth by Jules Verne

"Though pretty much impossible, Verne still makes it fun to travel with Henry, Professor Hardwigg and the unflappable Hans to the center of the Earth. It's a fun read but can at times be bogged down with geological jargon. I'm glad I read it but I'm also glad to be done."

3 Stars

Pros: Definitely an interesting idea and one that Verne made pretty believable/The implacable character of Hans was a quiet and reassuring presence through all the insanity.

Cons: The countless references to strata, minerals, other types of geological and scientific facts were rather tiresome/I thought it went on for longer than it had to.

Full Review:

Henry is living and studying under his Uncle, the Professor Hardwigg. His uncle makes a discovery, Nordic runes written by A. Saknussemm that when translated, tell of a road that leads to the center of the Earth. There is a dormant volcano in Iceland, Mount Sneffels that if they descend into the crater, they'll be on the same route as Saknussemm. Henry and his Uncle depart for Iceland at once. to scale Sneffels and see if Saknussemm's words are true.

Henry is an emotional, passionate, anxious contrast to his Uncle's unflappable confidence that all will be well. The professor doesn't seem to be in the least bit concerned about rations, equipment, all he wants to do is see what Saknussemm saw. And they do see some incredible things. Things that make no sense scientifically but that's alright, it doesn't have to. Verne is great at drawing the reader in and letting them see the world around them through Henry's eyes.

Since this is a classic of Science Fiction, I've always meant to read it and I'm glad I did. Though it wasn't the most amazingly inspiring thing I've ever read, it did have its fun parts and it definitely makes you wonder. What would it be like if Saknussemm was right? What if there was a way to journey to the center of the earth and what would we find there?

A good read but at the end of it all, I'm glad to be finished.

Comments

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