Customer Reviews

Captain Nemo: The Fantastic History of a Dark Genius

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Captain Nemo is a novel in the tradition of Farmer's The Other Log of Phileas Fogg and other tributes to science fiction pioneers. Andre Nemo is the son of a carpenter in the shipyards of Nantes. His friend Jules Verne is the son of a local lawyer. Together they dream of exploration and experiment with diving suits.

When Andre's father is killed in a ship fire, he becomes a cabin boy on the Coralie and sails on an exploratory mission. Jules tries to join Andre but is intercepted by his father and taken back to Nantes. After a long voyage, the Coralie is attacked by pirates and Andre is stranded on a mysterious island. He escapes underground, finds dinosaurs, and travels through the center of the earth. Later, he travels across Africa in a huge balloon and is involved in the building of a great undersea vessel by Robur, a Turkish general.

Meanwhile, Jules completes his training as a lawyer and dabbles in writing plays, with little success. As he receives news of Andre's exploits, Jules incorporates them into fictious adventures which become wildly successful. Eventually, Jules is reunited briefly with Andre aboard the Nautilus and gets an underwater tour.

Caroline Aronnax, the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is the friend and sweetheart of both boys, but is more attracted to Andre. After Andre goes to sea, Caroline is married to Captain Hatteras, who sails away to the Arctic Sea, never to return. In his absence, Caroline manages the Hatteras household and finances and, when her father dies, the family business as well. Although still loving Andre, she is determined to be true to her husband until he has been legally presumed dead. Andre can't stand the wait and goes off to the Crimean War.

Although bowing to the imagination of Jules Verne as an author, this novel suggests his many flaws and shortcomings as a man. Would Verne have written his great adventures if he had been more contented with his life? Maybe the greatest dreamers are never fully content.

Anderson has written a scientific romance of the old style, but with a thoroughly modern heroine. It is fun, but not the best that Anderson can produce.

Recommended to Anderson fans and anyone who enjoys a good retake of a classical SF story.

What a fun book! Enjoyed it thoroughly, and admire the author's meticulous research. His love for Verne and his characters is evident. Anderson pulls off perhaps the advenure novel of the year.

Whether you read the novels of Jules Verne or watched the spate of Jules Verne inspired movies of the 1950's and 1960's (as I did) while growing up -- CAPTAIN NEMO is a must read! In this book Kevin J. Anderson weaves an intricate tapestry intertwining the real life story of Jules Verne with a fictional tale in which Andre Nemo (of MYSTERIOUS ISLAND and 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA fame) stars in all the "Extraordinary Voyages" that Verne later turned to literary gold. If I had a complaint about the book, it would only be that sometimes Jules Verne comes across as a pretty dull fellow next to his friend Nemo! Still, it is wonderful to once again have a book take those of us who must stay home on an extraordinary voyage across an Earth still rich with adventure!
CAPTAIN NEMO is highly recommended by this reader.

I flew through this book. Being a fan of Jules Verne novels, this brought back the pulpy adventure feel. It presented an enjoyable, if fictional, perspective on the old novels. If you enjoy Kevin J Anderson's writing, I wouldn't compare this to his seven sun series. It is more one dimensional than the sagas he has previously created. So don't take the book too seriously and you may enjoy it.

In Captain Nemo, Kevin J. Anderson conveys a fictional biography of one of the founding fathers of science fiction. The story follows Jules Verne and his two friends Andre Nemo and Caroline Arronax. Jules and Andre both love adventure, but Jules would rather dream about far off places while Andre experiences them. As Jules pursues his love of writing, he chooses to write about his friend's numerous, adventurous exploits. And Nemo's hard life begins to change his heart, turning him into one of the most feared sea captains in the Atlantic.

Jules Verne has a heart for the arts, in spite of his father's pressures to follow him into law. While somewhat rebellious, he doesn't share the same courage that Andre does. Both young men love Caroline, causing an awkward love triangle - as Caroline only has feelings for Andre.

While Andre Nemo's adventures delve into the realms of fantasy and science fiction (at least for the time period), the emotional drama is realistic. Nemo's travels are of course the driving force of the story and the inspiration for Jules Verne - from a mysterious island with dinosaurs that takes him deep within the earth, to an amazing hot air balloon ride, and finally to the legendary Nautilus. Full of drama, adventure, war, and heartbreak - Captain Nemo is a satisfying read. Fans of classic science fiction will enjoy this homage to Jules Verne.

Okay- of all the books I have reviewed on Amazon this one seems to have generated one of the widest spectrum of reactions that I have seen yet. I believe the explanation for this really has to do with the readers expectations. If you read this book with the expectation of encountering a scientifically and historically accurate novel, then yes you would be likely to discount this as a piece of drivel. If, however, you were looking for a swashbuckling adventure story that captures the style and essence of Jules Verne than, like myself, you probably had a ball with this book.

Based upon the concept that Captain Nemo was a real person and the inspiration for many of Jules Verne's novels, this story is nothing more than a swashbuckling, rollicking adventure tale with a strong heroine included that is very reminiscent of the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs. The closest comparison I can think of for these novels is the Wold Newton Universe created by Philip Jose Farmer. Like those books this story incorporates as much as possible from the time period and world of Jules Verne. Elements of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Mysterious Island, From the Earth to the Moon, and Around the World in 80 Days (among others)are interwoven into the plot line of this book. By adding real-life characters such as Alexander Dumas and elements of the Crimean War Kevin Anderson gives this book a fine sense of the time period in which the novel takes place.

In conclusion if you are looking for an in-depth, scientifically accurate portrayal of Jules Verne or Captain Nemo than you probably should not read this book. If you are looking for a tremendous adventure story in the tradition of and featuring many of the scenarios portrayed in Jules Verne's novels than I think you will enjoy Nemo as much as I did.

Reading the novels makes me want to re-read the original Verne novels. Anderson does a masterful job of emulating the original in style and prose. My only issue is that Verne seems to be such a whining whimp, but then again, he needed to be for the story to work. A nice PG rated read suitable for younger readers as well as us "old fogeies". Recommended.

I liked this book a lot. It was a little slow moving in parts, but that was okay, because it made up for it with a lot of adventure. I defy anyone to find a book that packs more adventure into 350 pages.

I completely fell in love with this book! To learn more about the story itself you can read other reviews and descriptions... what I'm going to talk about here is what made me love "Captain Nemo."
Since I was never really exposed or encouraged to read Jules Verne so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was this multi-layered, intriguing, journey! I had trouble putting the book down. It is so well-devised and intelligent! I tend to get bored with books I can predict and I promise you right now, you cannot predict what the next page will bring. The characters are so well developed that you think you know them (and sometimes you feel like you ARE them)!
Looking for a great escape? Read this book!

This hugely ambitious project takes the reader behind Jules Verne's enigmatic, mysterious loner Captain Nemo (called Andre Nemo here). Anderson provides us with an exhilarating tale that spans a lifetime from childhood dreams and fantasies with friends Jules Verne (a masterstroke by Anderson) and Caroline Aronnax, to life on the high seas and adulthood.

The nineteenth century is an age of adventure, invention and wonder. The Victorians world was an exotic place to be explored and Nemo's story takes the reader right to the heart of it.

Anderson's Nemo is orphaned at an early age and takes to the seas travelling across the continents. Years pass and he is feared dead. Far from dead the intrepid Nemo discovers the lost city of Timbuktu, the hidden land at the centre of the earth, and is marooned on the uncharted mysterious island.

During his adventures he will face bloodthirsty pirates, prehistoric monsters, Arab slavers, and serves in the British cavalry against the Russians in the charge of the Light Brigade. Against all the odds he survives, becoming the captain of the futuristic state of the art vessel known as the Nautilus.

Anderson displays great imagination with a story that gives readers convincing characters with thrilling heart - pounding action. It is also about the loss of innocence. With the focus on the three childhood friends: Andre, Jules and Caroline it can also be read as a `rites-of-passage' novel with a heart wrenching romance thrown in.
What I really enjoyed was the ingenious idea of Verne and Nemo existing as true-life friends with the cautious Verne staying in France but living vicariously through his friend via his works of fiction. The story has Verne's quiet life juxtaposed with Nemo's life of adventure. The two friends are on two very different paths but both achieve great highs and lows through the course of their lives.

There is an excellent quote by Verne at the beginning of the book which neatly sums it all up: `What one man can imagine, another can achieve.'

That is very apt but the book is not just about flights of fancy. We learn more about the man and what made him. This reads at times like an entertaining and poignant fictional biography much like John Pearson did with Biggles years ago.

Anderson is a skilled storyteller and this is gripping stuff - it is quite clear why he is such a prolific and successful author and proves he is more than equal to the task of brining Verne's popular creation to life for a modern twenty first century audience. This is a story and premise that I am sure the French master of adventure and suspense would approve of. Fans of Verne will love the character references to his other works and non-initiates will enjoy a wonderfully entertaining adventure yarn.