Customer Reviews

The Mysterious Island

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the 1875 translation, by WHG Kingston, which cuts sections of text, changes the names of the characters and is generally not faithful. Choose instead Sidney Kravitz's version for Wesleyan University Press to really understand what Verne intended to say.

I love the work of Jules Verne, and this is by far his best work. The island is really a symbol for the world, and how we could make use with it and still live in harmony with it. This translation (Signet Classic version) was very readable, and I believe that it was not edited in any way, but I can't find that anywhere on the book itself. I only mention this, because some Jules Verne novels are shamelessly cut apart, and censor the reading before the reader even has a chance to judge. The introduction and afterword are negligible. The characters are great, and even though they may be a little unbelievable by today's standards, the whole point of the novel is about what GREAT men can do even with nothing to start with. A MUST read after 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (be especially careful which version of that book you get)

This book lands in the category of Robinson Crusoe and Swiss Family Robinson. It's a great concept with an intriguiging start and finish. However, some of the inbetween gets a little slow. It is definitely worth the read and is educational as well. The resourcefulness of the castaways is remarkable and somewhat unbelieveable at the same time. (spoiler alert) The book has a great tie-in to 20,000 Leagues which made things even more mysterious. Also, Issac Asimov has an afterword which thankfully was an afterword rather than an introduction, making it easy to skip.

Just finished reading this book and a grand tale it is! Verne is a master
craftsman! He justly deserves the title (together with H.G. Wells) of
"Father of Science Fiction." But whereas Wells developed science fiction
as a means of conveying definitive utopian visions, for Verne the genre
facilitates the exploration of classic dilemmas confronting humankind.

Think of "Mysterious Island" as "Robinson Crusoe" meets "Twenty Thousand
Leagues Under the Sea" and you'll get an idea of where Verne is headed
with this story. There is certainly the emphasis on technology, science
and learning with which all sci-fi fans are familiar. What makes the
book worth reading, however, is the variation it represents on classic
themes found throughout literature. "Mysterious Island" is essentially
the age-old story of man versus nature and man versus his fellow man and
what consequences these confrontations have upon the human condition in
general. The interaction of these opposing forces constitutes the
enduring appeal of "Mysterious Island" and make it much more than just a
science fiction story.

Considering Verne's reputation and how well he writes I am surprised his
works are not more often taught in school. Perhaps the moniker "Father
of Science Fiction" hangs too heavily with him. Maybe it would just be
too easy to write a report on his ideas. Whatever the case, many people
are acquainted with his works only through their movie versions, and that
is a lost opportunity! Verne's works seem worthy of consideration
equally great as those of Mark Twain, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Daniel Defoe,
or Jonathan Swift. It is a joy to read Verne's works to see how he
develops many of life's classic oppositions in his tales.

"Mysterious Island" does not represent Jules Verne's best work. Even the
Verne fan may find it somewhat dull or overwritten when compared with
better known works such as "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" or
"Around the World in Eighty Days." The latter two works do greater
justice to Verne's style and grace, especially his powers of characterization. But Verne's ability to create the classic oppositions
of the human condition and present them to the reader makes "Mysterious
Island"--along with his whole body of work--worthy of reading among the
best in world literature.