20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Jules Verne, France, 1870

•  Characters: Professor Pierre Aronnax, Captain Nemo (Nautilus Captain), Conseil (Arannax’s assistant), Ned Land (Canadian harpoonist)

•  Genre: Novel, Science Fiction, Adventure

•  Reading time: 41 days (10/07 to 20/08)
•  Setting: The seas and the Naitilus; 1867

•  Pages: 99,566 words / 245 (physical book) / 192 (PDF) / 394 (EPUB) (average pages per day: 9)

•  Rate: 3/5

• Plot Summary

During the second half of the XIX century, a mysterious phenomenon takes the center of attention in all nations: numerous tales return from the seas describing an enormous, powerful creature that ruthlessly turns ships to wrecks. The United States government steps in and sets an expedition intended to trace what is suspected to be a narwhale.

Professor Aronnax, a distinguished scientist, and Conseil, his assistant, are invited on board the Lincoln frigate. After months of unsuccessful search, an immense object, namely a submarine, is sighted, which then attacks the Lincoln causing Aronnax, Conseil and Ned Land, a Canadian harpooner, to be thrown off the ship. Nautilus is the name of the gigantic machine which is now the residence of the men, and there they meet the enigmatic Captain Nemo.

Arannox and Conseil are delighted with the wonders of the ocean, but Ned Land's feelings gradually grow more and more discontent with confinement. Arannox is shown the marvelous mechanics of the Naitilus, and the three men and Nemo experience many exciting adventures: they hunt in underwater forests, bump into angry primitive islanders, sail across the Red Sea, etc. However, misfortune would also fall upon the men as they have a funeral for one of the Naitilus' crew member and witness a sinking ship besieged by countless corpses.

By this time, Ned Land had entertained the idea of escaping, but his two companions would encourage him to be patient. Besides, Arannox did not wish to let his studies of the underwater just then.

Before they find a way out the Nautilus, it gets struck in underwater blocks of ice. This causes the Nautilus to run out of oxygen but escapes just in time. Later, the crew fights a bunch of gigantic octopus and one of them dies. Then, Nemo sinks a vessel intended to destroy the Naitilus. Petrified, Aronnax observes the sinking ship and his men drown. It is then when Aronnax, Conseil and Ned Land escape by means of a longboat. They end in a cost of Norway but nobody knows the fate of the Naitilus and its Captain Nemo.