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Book reviews for "Verne,_Jules" sorted by average review score:

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Puzzles & Mazes
Published in Paperback by Golden Books Pub Co Inc (1997)
Author: Jules Verne
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A perfect thriller
This book is as suspenseful as it gets. The story is great, but the psychology of the characters is what makes this an elite work. Every main character: Captain Nemo, Pierre Arronax, Conseil, Ned Land; they are all fascinating and wonderfully written. An excellent book for people who enjoy the complexities of intelligence and human nature.


20,000 leguas de viaje submarino
Published in Hardcover by Santillana Pub Co (01 February, 2002)
Author: Jules Verne
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Una obra clásica!
En inglés o español, este libro será gozado por los programasde lectura jóvenes y viejos por años para venir!


Adventures of the Rat Family: A Fairy Tale (Iona and Peter Opie Library)
Published in Hardcover by Oxford Univ Pr Childrens Books (1993)
Authors: Jules Verne, Felician Myrbach-Rheinfeld, and Evelyn Copeland
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Another Jules Verne Treasure
Adventures of the Rat Family is one of Verne's most unusual stories, in which he diverged from his usual formula to write his only fairy tale and one of his few pure fantasies. First published in France over a century ago, it is now published in an elegant children's edition by Oxford University Press (72 pp., ...). Included are all 17 original color illustrations by Felician Myrbach-Rheinfeld, reproduced from the January 1891 holiday issue of the fashionable Parisian journal Le Figaro illustre.

Adventures of the Rat Family was not published in book form until after Verne's death, with the
appearance of the 1910 anthology Yesterday and Tomorrow, containing only a few of the engravings and a text revised by Verne's son, Michel, his literary executor. The Oxford edition is
the first time that Adventures has been published in book form in any language with all of the original illustrations.

As Adventures of the Rat Family attests, Verne's writing is far more diverse than his reputation as the father of science fiction suggests. He wrote more than 60 novels, as well as numerous short stories, plays, articles and poems, covering a range of genres and literary forms. He was actually most prolific in the genres of adventure, mystery and comedy.

Adventures of the Rat Family deals with evolution, a problematic and controversial idea when the story first appeared in 1891, and one that was surely prohibitive for American publishers. This was especially true since Adventures of the Rat Family was also one of Verne's few stories accessible to a very young audience. However, like many fairy tales, its larger significance requires more sophisticated adult reading.

Verne portrays a magical movement up and down the evolutionary ladder, as a close-knit family of rats is transformed into various lower forms of life, from mollusks to birds. The instigator of these deeds is a genie, hired by a cruel prince who desires the family's daughter, although she loves another.

Verne both recognizes and mocks the idea of evolution by having his characters change from one species to another, finally making a metamorphosis into men and women. Added amusement is
provided by one cousin who never quite catches up as he makes each transformation, always retaining a feature of his previous incarnation, until finally he has a donkey's tail even after
becoming a man.

Verne had long been interested in evolution and basically accepted the theory. His 1858 play, M. de Chimpanze (untranslated), is of a chimp that readily adapts to high society, and a giant prehistoric man is sighted in Journey to the Center of the Earth. Verne portrays a "missing link" species in his 1901 novel, The Aerial Village, and speculates that the tribe will be incorporated into an imperial colony. "The Humbug" is the story of a P.T. Barnum-like character whose successful hoax convinces New Yorkers that he has unearthed the bones of early man near Albany.

By cloaking his use of the evolutionary theme within the fantasy of Adventures of the Rat Family, Verne hoped to circumvent disapproval of his more serious and controversial subtext. He had first related the story during a European lecture tour in 1887, and he was so delighted with the idea that he enlarged it into a novella. He cleverly imbued it with his satirical expertise, lending it a light touch that concealed much of its bite. Verne was skilled in comedy, especially when it involved bizarre characters in unusual locales, as demonstrated by his treatment of the stuffy British travelers in Around theWorld in 80 Days.

Adventures of the Rat Family is a rewarding, one-of-a-kind story that will be enjoyed in different ways by all ages.


Around the World in 80 Days
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Bantam Books (1984)
Author: Jules Verne
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Excellent Book
This is a book that I read when I was young boy, and I always thought that it was a fantastic story for children to read. It stimulates their thinking and certainly creates all kinds of imaginations. I totally recomend this books for those children that like some adventure in their readings. Unfortunately, the thrill of this book is threatened with the easy access we now have to the WWW. It is no longer necessary to go around the world in 80 days, but it could easily be done in 80 seconds! ...and still arrive early to win the bet.

Tamer


Around the World in Eighty Days: The Extraordinary Journeys
Published in Paperback by Oxford University Press (1999)
Authors: Jules Verne and William Butcher
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An excellent translation
This is Verne's classic story of the trip of Phileas Fogg (who is obsessed with time), Passeportout, Aouda, and Detective Fix around the world on a wager. The book is filled with beautiful time and space imagery throughout (I would bet that one could write an entire thesis on all the time and space references in the novel). Thirty-three years after its publication, the world first learns of the space/time continuum (although I'm certain Verne was not anticipating Einstein). Fogg bets his fellow club members that he can circumnavigate the globe in a mere eighty days. He leaves immediately with his valet Passeportout and is pursued by Detective Fix, who thinks he is a bank robber. Through many adventures, including the rescue of Aouda from immolation, they all return to London. Interestingly, a few years later, after a number of improvements had been made in railways and roads, a U.S. journalist named Nellie Bly (the pseudonym of Elizabeth Cochrane) decided to attempt to break Fogg's "record." Leaving New York on November 14, 1889, she was able to circumnavigate the globe in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes, and 14 seconds. But, she didn't rescue a Hindu princess! It should be noted, however, that one has to be very careful concerning the translations of this novel. There are some terrible ones being sold. This translation by William Butcher appeared in 1995.


At the North Pole
Published in Hardcover by Amereon Ltd (1976)
Author: Jules Verne
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Top Ten of All Time
This is one of my top ten of all time favorite books. It is pure Jules Verne. If you liked From The Earth To The Moon or The Mysterious Island, you will like this, if not love it. The characters are so well portrayed, you will feel strong attachments and by the end of the book their success and failure will be perfect. Don't pass this up.


City in the Sahara
Published in Hardcover by Airmont Pub Co (1960)
Author: Jules Verne
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Another uncanny insight into the future by Verne.
At the moment when the existence of the radio was only a rumor travelers in southern Saharan Africa are guests in a technologically advanced and surprisingly modern city being built in the desert unknown to the Western European world. Verne forsees the use of helicopters and explosive bullets in warfare against local native peoples in the surrounding countryside as well as tunnel boring machines similar to that used to construct the channel tunnel and other major recent tunnels. I read Into the Niger Bend in about 1960 in conjunction with City in the Sahara, the companion volume. My review above may have mixed elements of these 2 connected stories. At the time the 2 books were in the collection of the North Hollywood branch of the Los Angeles Public Library. I highly recommend them.


Clipper of the Clouds
Published in Hardcover by Associated Booksellers (1985)
Author: Jules Verne
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The airplane before it was
An incredible story of flight before the modern airplane, with an engineer, Robur, and the Weldon Institute. A story of lighter-than-air versus heavier-than-air travel, and it takes you all around the world, even over Antarctica.


Dick Sands the Boy Captain
Published in Hardcover by Amereon Ltd (1976)
Author: Jules Verne
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A jewel of children's literature
Though not directly related to Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - In Search of Castaways - Mysterious Island sequel, this book is very similar to them and just as good. It's a classical adventure, something that every child should grow up with, one of the jewels of world children's literature. It's all that - adventure and mystery, courage and love, gallantry and friendship. Left in the command of a ship by an accident, the main character, a 15-year old boy, delivers his passengers and the crew through all the dangers on land and on sea and sucessfully overcomes the evil intentions of their enemy, who was trying to sell them to slavery. Let your kids read it - it's a must!


Dr. Ox and Other Stories
Published in Hardcover by Associated Booksellers (1979)
Author: Jules Verne
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Exellent collection of short stories!
Even though this author in particular or in question, i.e., Jules Verne, will never wrote anything that was directly profound, cerebral nor astounding when it comes that of the work of the mind; he, i.e., Mr. Verne has in this pages of this book, been able to write numerous well written short stories. He is one of those great fantasy writers, e.g., Tolkien that will stand for all time and will therefore by read for several future generations. The stories themselves, e.g., Dr Ox, are all very well written and versed and are therefore a treat to read and ponder, ruminate and think over as one reads studies and examines the short stories in question. However, the best story is probably the story called "Town of Quiquendone"; which tells the story of a mad scientist whom plays with towns people's emotions at his own whim, desire and liking.' "A winter amid the ice" is on the other hand not very engrossing and a bit tedious (it unfortunately has a strong sedative quality to it, which is a major faux pas when it comes to literature) and is therefore the weakest of all the stories. Overall, I would have to say that this collection, i.e., Dr. Ox and Other Stories by Jules Verne is by itself and in itself a good read and I would without apprehension nor hesitation recommend it as a good piece of action packed literature.


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