Journey to the Center of the Earth, Jules Verne - review by @papi.mati

I really like the movie "Journey to the Center of the Earth", from 2008. Because the characters in the film were inspired by the book of Jules Verne of the same title, I decided it was time to get familiarized with his work. What an amazing adventure it was!

Everything spins around the young and friendly Axel with his harsh, somewhat autocratic uncle, and a quiet guide who was a little caricatured but charming. I followed with interest the discussions between the boy and his uncle. They were rich in theory, and that's what was making it interesting because between theory and facts there was a long road full of surprises. They also attracted my attention, because theories from the book showed me a bit about the world of scientists of that period. Besides, these two characters and relations between them were shown very well, they were very realistic for me. I also liked that the narrative was first-person, which allowed me to trace the feelings and thoughts of a 19th-century boy. He had great observations about what was happening around him. They were even comical sometimes, which made the reading a bit funnier and lighter at the right moments.

Very neat, short descriptions opened up a fascinating world both above and below the ground. I traced the character's journey on the map with my finger and I learned, above others, about Iceland with its specific landscape and mysterious inhabitants. I don't know if all the spots Verne mentioned are accurate, but what I checked is real, such as the Church of Our Most Holy Savior in Copenhagen (Vor Frelsers Kirke), with the basalt walls that look as if they were carved by a human hand. This world was simply full of life and diversity.

The journey to the center of the Earth, on the other hand, was a bit monotonous, but that's why it was authentic for me because you could feel the difficulty of the trip. It didn't matter that there were many difficult geological and mineralogical terms (well, at least difficult for me - I was reading the book in Spanish and I'm not fluent in that language yet). The most important thing was that the context indicated what stage of life development on Earth was mentioned to be able to understand what the characters were based on and to take further action. On this subject, I have minimal knowledge, but in my opinion, it was sufficient. The inner world, on the other hand, surprised me because it differs from the movie and was intriguing, but I think the author could investigate a little deeper into it, explore it more. On the other hand, perhaps this was the intention that a certain aura of mystery and inaccessibility should remain.

To sum up, I had a great time reading this book. I truly recommend it.

---

Thank you for reading,
@papi.mati

The invitation goes to:
@geos90
@willeusz