Journey to the Centre of the Earth: A Review

This is another one of those books that I thought I had read, but never got around to it.  Finally, after my older brother gave me a copy for Christmas, I sat down to read "Journey to the Centre of the Earth".  

Jules Verne has a very unique style.  He's not fettered down by absolute facts, and loves to sport a myriad of different theories of his time.  But first and foremost his books are travel logs.  While fantastic voyages, travels, and even technologies are introduced, the basic premise is the journey itself.  You are transported to other countries, cultures, and places so easily with his books.  

Another enduring and fascinating piece of his writing is his hero, the narrator, who is fundamentally flawed.  He either lacks fortitude, courage, resilience, or some other ideal that is instead reflected in another character.  I love it, because he can then explore the faults in humans in a way that brings sympathy instead of condemnation.  

Finally, there is the science!  Much of the "facts" he presents in his books are theories of the time, many of which have either been proved right or wrong.  Also, there is the way problems are surmounted, usually by the application of some technology that is either real, experimental from the time, or completely non-existent.  At any rate, it gets the juices flowing in the mind, if only to puzzle a way to make it work.  

The Journey was fabulous, as I have seen just about every version made for film, whether big or small screen.  The book, as always, outshines each presentation, and makes for interesting comparisons.  I just can't help comparing versions with the original story, trying to find reason in their changes. 

If you have never read Journey to the Centre of the Earth, I would highly recommend it.  The story is fascinating, making for a great story even before they enter the cave marked by Sarcaris.  The prose is reasonable for a translation, though it does make me wish I had a better grasp of the French language, so I could read the original.