JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH

The book that I read to review titled Journey to the Centre of the Earth. The original title for
this book is Voyage au centre de la Terre, an 1869 science fiction novel by Jules Verne. The publisher
was Pierre-Jules Hetzel, dated 1864. It has 183 pages, ISBN 0486440885, the genre is science fiction,
adventure novel and the language is French.

The staggering success of this novel though, meant that his other works are not as well
known. Indeed, most of us waited for the film to be introduced to Journey to the Centre of the
Earth. In this novel, instead of going around the world, we are now going into it! Though most
adventures and action books these days rely on shoot outs and car chases to keep the reader
interested, Jules Verne manages to grip us using old fashioned mystery and suspense. It is also clear
that he did heaps of research before writing this book. The imagination he put into it along with his
knowledge of science makes compelling reading.

This story about epic adventure begins when enthusiastic geologist Professor Otto
Liedenbrock discovers old documents, which he believes are instructions on getting to the center of
the earth. Along with his whiz-kid nephew, Axel Liedenbrock he discovers the key to the document,
and finds the location of the crater. They pack any and every survival equipment they can find, but
will it be enough for the perilous journey ahead? Along with estimable, quiet, Icelandic guide Hans,
Otto and Axel embark on a fantastical and dangerous journey down volcanic tubes and volcano
craters. The journey is not for the faint-hearted – who knows what creatures lurk down there? Will
their supplies last? How will they get back up to the surface? Will they ever get back up to the
surface? They must find their way through a maze and an endless sea, as well as many other
obstacles before they can find their way to the heart of the earth.

The main characters in this book are Professor Otto Lidenbrock (a professor of geology), Axel
Lidenbrock (the nephew of Professor Lidenbrock), Hans Bjelke (a Danish-speaking Icelandic
eiderduck hunter who becomes their guide), Grauben ( the goddaughter of Professor Lidenbrock
with whom Axel is in love, from the Vierlande area of Hamburg) and Martha ( the maid at the house
of Professor Lidenbrock).

The first time I read Journey, I was in Form 1 and 2. Prehistoric skulls and mysterious sea-life
gripped me, just as they do today. But reading it back, there are many lessons to be learned — and
many I wish I'd known back then. The first one is pursue your crazy ideas. When Axel and the
Professor find out that the ancient manuscript they've deciphered holds the key to traveling to the
center of the earth, Axel dismisses it. "What a crazy idea!" But had he not put his fears aside and
joined his adventurous (and oftentimes slightly deranged) uncle, there would be no novel. There
would be no adventure. I was surprised by how much I loved this book. Through underground rivers
and oceans, animals thought long extinct, and other discoveries, this book was very enjoyable.
Likeable characters and an interesting plot. Definitely recommend this book to my friends and
family.