20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a timeless sci-fi classic, first published in 1872. I always wanted to read it because it’s considered one of the first science fiction novels—but I was intimidated by its size. At around 500 pages, it’s no quick read. But what else do I have in prison but time?
The edition I read was a beautifully illustrated hardcover donated by a kind supporter named Johanna—thank you, Johanna!
To really appreciate older books like this one, you have to put yourself in the mindset of someone living in that time, with the concerns and technology of the 19th century.
The story is narrated by Professor Pierre Aronnax, a French marine biologist. The tale begins with mysterious sightings of a massive sea creature—reports say it’s over 500 feet long and glows in the dark. Things escalate when a ship is attacked, its hull punctured by something massive and unknown.
The U.S. Navy commissions a vessel to hunt and kill the “monster.” Professor Aronnax is invited to join the expedition. Eventually, after a battle at sea, Aronnax, his servant Conseil, and a Canadian harpooner named Ned Land are thrown overboard. They float for hours until they land—on top of the creature itself. But it’s not a creature—it’s a man-made machine: the world’s first submarine, the Nautilus.
They are taken aboard and meet the mysterious Captain Nemo, a brilliant and wealthy man who has abandoned life on land to explore the last great frontier of his time: the deep ocean. Nemo offers his “guests” food and shelter—but not freedom. They cannot return to land.
For months, they travel the seas in the Nautilus, powered by electricity harnessed from the ocean. Nemo even describes what we now know as scuba diving and underwater exploration, long before it became real. They walk along the ocean floor in special suits, sleeping underwater, discovering new species, and witnessing incredible sights.
I loved this book. The ideas were way ahead of their time, and it’s easy to see how it inspired the future of science fiction. Definitely a 5 out of 5 stars.
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