Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

By: Jules Verne

Narrated by: Peter Husmann

Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Jules Verne’s classic underwater tale.

A mysterious sea monster, theorized by some to be a giant narwhal, is sighted by ships of several nations; an ocean liner is also damaged by the creature. The United States government finally assembles an expedition to track down and destroy the menace. Professor Pierre Aronnax, a noted French marine biologist and narrator of the story, master harpoonist Ned Land, and Aronnax's faithful assistant Conseil join the expedition.

After much fruitless searching, the monster is found, and the ship charges into battle. During the fight, the ship's steering is damaged, and the three men are thrown overboard. They find themselves stranded on the "hide" of the creature, only to discover to their surprise that it is a large metal construct. They are quickly captured and brought inside the vessel, where they meet its enigmatic creator and commander, Captain Nemo.

Public Domain (P)2012 Trout Lake Media

A lot of fluff

This story could have been cut in half if it weren't for the ongoing classifications of fish. A lot of other reviewers pointed that out. It also spent waaaayyyyy too much time describing the exact geographic coordinates of each location in which parts of the story took place. Think about it. How many nautical navigators do you know? They are the only people that would hear/read these coordinates and think "oh okay so it happened there!" The movie was way better. Still not a bad story though.

Very captivating story, a good performance

Would you listen to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea again? Why?

I would listen to it again. The adventures the characters live in this book really sparkle your imagination. It can get tedious with long naturalist descriptions, but these add to the depth of the tale I guess.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea?

The descriptions of technology always had me amazed. It's great to see how envisioned technology came so close to what we now have...

Which character – as performed by Peter Husmann – was your favorite?

The servant Conseil kept me engaged from the beginning.

Any additional comments?

I have read previous reviews where Husmann performance was not specially liked. I have not read the original book so I can't comment if his performance detracts from the original intent of this book. For myself I really enjoyed it and was pleased at his job voicing the different characters.

great adventure

Loved this book, would have loved to hear what happened afterward. great job with this adventure.

oh the 19th century

I enjoyed the book. It's one of the first in the sci-fi genre, so it's worth taking in based simply on its historical significance. It does, however, live up to the reputation of its century, with 'prodigious' lists and numerous physionomic descriptions of its 'gallant' characters.

details

The book was different than expected. It was a story intermingled with a fish encyclopedia. Weird way to tell a story.

Enjoying a classec

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I read this book when I was about 10. I remembered nothing about it and now I know why. It is all full of discussions of latitude and longitude and species and such. I would have understood nothing of it.

However I really enjoyed it this time. This is an adventure but not in the modern style. This was written at a time when there was no TV, no internet, and the idea of traveling around the world in an undersea boat would have been the most fantastic story. Like some other books I have read from the 1800s, there is a lot about where they are at the time, latitude and longitude. One feels compelled to pull out a map and follow the voyage around the world.

I had always assumed that 20,000 leagues was a depth, but it is a distance, which makes a lot more sense.

If you would enjoy reading an adventure, in the old style, you will love this. If you are expecting the fast action of a modern joy ride novel, this is not for you. I enjoyed it!

What other book might you compare Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea to and why?

Moby Dick - lots of history and historical facts. A fair amount of science, as seen from the 1800s.

What does Peter Husmann bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I enjoyed the narration. More of a radio drama than a reading.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I enjoy these over time, living them over a course of a week or two. Thinking about the story when I am not listenting/reading.

Any additional comments?

Goes on my recommended list.

Scientific exploration

A good story going into great detail of aquatic life. Good characters and narrator, a little heavy on fish classifications, at times.

Great narrator. Fun story, but long.

Great narrator. Fun story, but very long. Overly detailed throughout much if the story, but if you accept that it's from the view of a scientist, it makes it somewhat bearable.

Classic SciFi. Easily recommended.

An immensely entertaining story that I enjoyed a great deal. However, all the talk of scientific classifications can lead to some duller moments. Also, when you listen, keep in the back of your mind that the original book was written some time ago. But a hearty recommendation in the end.

A Classic For a Reason

It's a story that really holds up over time. Very well written from start to finish.