A Journey To The Center Of The Earth

By Brandon C.

A pioneer of the Science Fiction genre, Jules Verne is simply one of the best when it comes to this genre. Journey To The Center Of The Earth is the story of a German professor, Otto Lidenbrock, and his newphew, Axel, who voyage into the center of the Earth, and encounter many adventures along the way, some of which thought to be extinct.

 

Otto Lidenbrock is a German professor who discovers an ancient coded script, which gives them a rather odd message, but after more decoding, finds that it is coordinates to the location of where to get into the center of the Earth. He believes that there are volcanic tubes which go to the center of the Earth, located in an Icelandic volcano. Lidenbrock immediately travels to Iceland with his nephew Axel, and upon arriving procure the services of Hans Bjelke to be their guide and take them to the volcano. Once inside the volcano, the three main characters encounter many strange phenomenons, such as prehistoric animals and natural hazards which threaten to trapt the three of them inside this volcano until they meet their eventual doom.

Jules Verne writes this book astonishingly, and manages to keep the reader in suspense from start to finish. It is a joy to see the professor and his nephew try to crack an ancient code, and just by reading, you almost feel as if you are helping to crack the code along with them. The story of the journey, along with all of the details on what they encounter in the center of the Earth are astonishing, and are what assumingly make this book a classic.

This is the only book written by Jules Verne that I have ever read, and after reading this one, I know I will read another one of his books again. Being as old as this book is, it still manages to encapture the readers attention, and doesn't let up until the end. This book is a must read, especially for anyone who is a fan of Science Fiction.

Joureny To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne, Barnes & Noble Classics Series, 2009