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Book cover for Journey to the Center of the Earth (Extraordinary Voyages, #3)
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Journey to the Center of the Earth
(Extraordinary Voyages #3)
by Jules Verne
3.85 125,991 ratings 4,147 reviews
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The intrepid Professor Liedenbrock embarks upon the strangest expedition of the nineteenth
century: a journey down an extinct Icelandic volcano to the Earth's very core. In his quest to
penetrate the planet's primordial secrets, the... More
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Stephen
Stephen rated it really liked it
almost 7 years ago
Shelves: easton-press , lost-my-world , 1800s , science-fiction , classics-european , quests ,
classics
Gawd dim it, bollocks, ShazBot and shit snacks...I am so, SO bummed that I didn’t experience
Jules Verne’s novels for the first time as a young man, rather than as an aging manolescent.
Reading them now, as a 41 year old, I still find myself carried away in the rollickingness of his
well crafted adventures, but part of me knows deep down in my nethers that there’s a warm,
gooey nostalgia that will always be missing. This giant load of empty in my core, if filled, would
likely have elevated this from a really good read to a cozy memory-rewind of simpler, happier
times.

*coughs bitterness from aching heart.*

Alas, my loving parents were unintentionally guilty of literary child neglect. Thus, while I really
enjoyed all those afternoons watching Gilligan’s Island, I think my time would have been better
utilized immersing myself in the classics of Wells, Verne, Doyle and Poe.

So, yes, it hurts...

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...and I’m a little disappointed...

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...maybe even a skosh angry...

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But...*wipes tear*...no sense crying weeping uncontrollably over spilled milk** misspent reading
years. I must just remember to ensure that I don’t make the same error with my own children.
So far, so good.

**Why anyone would shed tears over spilled bovine teat juice is beyond me.

PLOT SUMMARY:

One of the most popular and beloved works within Verne’s 54 volume Les Voyages
Extraordinaires, Journey to the Center of the Earth tells of the travels of Professor Lidenbrock,
an accomplished and incredibly impatient, mineralogist, and his quiet, reserved nephew Axel.

While perusing an ancient manuscript, Lidenbrock discovers a mysterious message encrypted

in runic script. After cracking the code, with unexpected help from young Axel, the professor
discovers that the message describes how to locate a secret passage leading to, uh, take a wild
guess. The pair immediately scamper off to Iceland where, with the help of hunter/guide named
Hans Bjelke, they discover the hidden entrance and embark on a highly perilous, but even more
highly enjoyable, adventure.

THOUGHTS:

Verne was a consummate story-teller who never wrote down to his audience or cut corners with
his material. One of the most enjoyable aspects for me about reading his stories is the scientific
thoughtfulness that Verne poured into his novels. True, much of his science is badly dated and
many of his theories, including the central premise of this story, have long since been disproved
and relegated to nonsenseville.

However, when written, Verne was conscientious in his attempt to be as accurate as possible
and employed a rigor to his plot elements and story details that few can match. This diligence
was the result of Verne’s desire to use his novels to use his novels as teaching tools as well as
entertainment. This is a major bonus for the reader because Verne’s devotion to authenticity
actually enhances the sense of wonder by creating an air of plausibility that allows the
suspension of disbelief to occur unconsciously and, thus, unnoticed.

What I’m bushing around the beat about is that I really, really enjoyed this. I’m couldn't give it
the full 5 stars because I thought the initial portion of the novel (i.e., the part before the entrance
to the hidden passage) took a bit too long to develop and the time spent in the most interesting
segment of the journey (i.e., the [censored to avoid spoilerage] was too fleeting. Still, there is
genuine wonder here and excellently drawn characters who display remarkable depth for this
kind of story. Add to that an ending that is perfectly suited for the tale and you have a classic,
well done adventure yarn that should be read.

Oh, a final gripe in the interest of full disclosure. The ending’s awesomeness was dampened a
tad for me by the compass “mystery” which I thought was overindulged by the Jules. Two days
after finishing this, I am still mildly annoyed by that snippet of the tale so I thought I would be
remiss if I failed to mention it.

However, minor nits and compass annoyance aside, this was a great experience. Definitely one
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

4.0 stars.

P.S. I need to add a note to the doofus-brained asshats who put together the 1871 English
translation published by Griffith and Farran. Dear Sirs, You SUCK!!! Worse, this version
happens to be the one that the geniuses at Easton Press decided, in their unimaginable
stupidity, to use in their collection of science fiction classic. The mind boggles. This literary
assassination abridged and largely rewrote the story, even changing the main character’s name
from Professor Lidenbrock to Hardwigg.

Thank Odin and Cthulhu, the unabridged audiobook I listened to was the original, quality
translation. This actually gave me the ability to compare the to volumes. There is no
comparison. If you are reading a version where the professor’s name is Hardwigg...toss it in the
trash and find an original translation. As for the creators of the 1871 abomination, I only wish
you could find yourself on the receiving end of justice...
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Like Likes: 133
Manny
Manny rated it it was ok
over 7 years ago
Shelves: science-fiction
Why does Jules Verne often remind me of Monty Python? I mean, it's not funny or anything.
Perhaps I was struck by the fact that Robur-le-conquérant doesn't just feature a flying machine
called the Albatross, but also gives you a precise figure for the speed of a swallow. Any ...more
Like Likes: 105
James Lafayette Tivendale
James Lafayette Tivendale rated it really liked it
about 2 years ago
Shelves: classics , sci-fi
"As long as the heart beats, as long as your body and soul keep together, I cannot admit that
any creature endowed with a will has need to despair of life"

I thought this book was brilliant and superbly well written by Venre as I will summarise below.

It follows 3 main charac ...more

Like Likes: 100
Matthew
Matthew rated it liked it
about 2 years ago
Shelves: book-a-book-club , 2014 , own , classic , sci-fi
This was a DNF for me when I was a teenager. I loved the old movie, but I just couldn't get into
the book.

Then, I selected this for my Goodreads book-club a couple of years ago thinking that now that I
have grown up and read more - and because Jules Verne is one of the found ...more
Like Likes: 60
Leo .
Leo . rated it it was amazing
about 1 year ago
When I was young I read this book and most of his others too. I used to wonder about the
Hollow Earth and often compared it to Middle Earth and Midgaurd. Alice down the rabbit hole.
Shamballa and Hades. Like At The Earths Core this book opens the imagination to an inner real
...more
Like Likes: 69
Jan-Maat
Jan-Maat added it · review of another edition
8 months ago
Shelves: fiction , 19th-century , read-in-translation , france
Well that was fun.

I staged an unarmed raid on the library and with some guilt I made off with Journey to the
Centre of the Earth, my instinct was that this is a children's book and so taking it was the
equivalent of grabbing an ice cream or a lollipop from a wailing child, t ...more
Like Likes: 52
Shovelmonkey1
Shovelmonkey1 rated it it was amazing
about 7 years ago
Recommends it for: old skool sci-fi fans
Recommended to Shovelmonkey1 by: 1001 books list
Shelves: 1001-books , bookcrossing-books , travel-books
I've tried to make The Journey to the Centre of the earth myself people, and let me tell you, it is
fraught with danger! It should be a warning to you that I'm writing this from the bed of a Burns
unit by typing with two chargrilled finger stumps, because the centre of the e ...more
Like Likes: 47
Tracey
Tracey rated it liked it
about 1 year ago
Shelves: 19th-century , audio , scifi , fantasy , 3-star
I have had a ridiculous amount of fun this year listening to classic novels as audiobooks. When
Audible offered a freebie (I think it was a freebie) of Journey to the Center of the Earth read by
Tim Curry, I was excited – Tim Curry! Come on. It almost didn't matter what it w ...more
Like Likes: 39
Ahmad Sharabiani
Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it
over 1 year ago
Shelves: 1001-book , classic , childrens-young-readers , fiction , science , adventure ,
19th-century
866. Voyage au centre de la Terre = Journey To The Centre of The Earth = A Journey to the
Centre of the Earth = A Journey to the Interior of the Earth (Extraordinary Voyages #3), Jules
VerneJourney to the Center of the Earth (French: Voyage au centre de la Terre, also transl
...more
Like Likes: 37
Anne
Anne rated it it was amazing
over 1 year ago
Shelves: read-in-german , favorites
It was a pure joy to read this wonderful story of adventure, I felt entertained the whole way
through.
I loved the characters, the writing style and the plot so incredibly much. I can't even explain why,
I just had a good feeling every time I picked up this book.
Like Likes: 37
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