Jules Verne
Paperback | Pages: 196 pages Rating: 3.62 | 1791 Users | 100 Reviews
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| ISBN: | 1599869322 (ISBN13: 9781599869322) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | James Starr, Simon Ford |
| Setting: | The Trossachs, Stirlingshire, Scotland Aberfoyle, Stirlingshire, Scotland Stirlingshire, Scotland |
Commentary During Books The Underground City (Extraordinary Voyages, #16)
The Underground City, by Jules Verne, is a novel about the fortunes of a mining community at Aberfoyle which is near Stirling, Scotland. Miner James Starr, after receiving a letter from an old friend, leaves for the Aberfoyle mine. Although believed to be mined out a decade earlier, James Starr finds a mine overman, Simon Ford, along with his family living deep inside the mine. Simon Ford has found a large vein of coal in the mine but the characters must deal with mysterious and unexplainable happenings in and around the mine.Point Of Books The Underground City (Extraordinary Voyages, #16)
| Title | : | The Underground City (Extraordinary Voyages, #16) |
| Author | : | Jules Verne |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 196 pages |
| Published | : | November 30th 2006 by Filiquarian Publishing, LLC. (first published 1877) |
| Categories | : | Classics. Fiction. Science Fiction. Adventure |
Rating Of Books The Underground City (Extraordinary Voyages, #16)
Ratings: 3.62 From 1791 Users | 100 ReviewsRate Of Books The Underground City (Extraordinary Voyages, #16)
Sometimes bad guys are an afterthought for Jules Verne. Like many people, I haven't read much of him, but am familiar with his large imprint on science fiction, or adventure fiction, in general. I picked up a possible first US edition of this, one of his many lesser known works. Like, say Journey to the Center of the Earth, the drama is in the exploration, man's* struggle to survive in strange new environments. In this case the terra incognito is a coal mine that leads to extraordinarily largeTHE UNDERGROUND CITY is a short story by Jules Verne that I had never heard of until I stumbled upon it quite by accident in the library. What else can I say? Its Jules Verne! I enjoyed it even though it was short and fell short of his typical works. Still, it was entertaining and pure Jules Verne and for that reason, I gave it four stars.
This was a nice casual read. The first Verne I've read. The characters weren't deep but the idea of the story is very interesting.
Respected engineer James Starr spent years in charge of the coalmine in Aberfoyle, near Scotlands Loch Katrine. He enjoyed his time there and was liked by all of his employees. When the coal eventually ran out he was deeply saddened to leave it, but returned to live in Edinburgh. However, the mines foreman Simon Ford remained living in the mine along with his wife Madge and son Harry. Simon never doubted that there was still coal to be found and spent years searching for signs of a seam.Years
In short, I found this book tedious and painfully dull. It is highly repetitive, slow paced, and the ultimate twist ending is simultaneously improbable and one of the least interesting possible outcomes. Unless you have a deep interest in the techniques and technology of 19th century coal mining or the understanding of geology at the time, I don't recommend this story.
I'm one of Jules Verne's biggest living fans, so it pains me to give this book two stars. People think of submarines, trips around the world and to the moon when they think of Verne. In short, they think of science fiction. Verne did write fiction, and it was mostly based on science, but he mainly wrote travel stories about settings unfamiliar to his French audience. This book is set in the coalmines of Scotland, and is not really a "fantastic voyage" as his other novels were. The plot is slow
I absolutely loved this -- I couldn't put it down and I finished it in two days! I'm quite a fan of Jules Verne by now, and I definitely think this is one of his better works (although pretty much all of his stories are amazing). Taking place in an underground city of coal miners, here's a riveting story of mystery, intrigue and love. This is an easy 5 stars.
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