Journey to the Centre of the Earth

Image credit: Abe Books

 Having closed the cover on cold weather, magic, and fantasy, I decided that my next book would be an adventure of a much different tone. So I plucked Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth from the shelf and had at it. 

Similar to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey chronicles a fantastical voyage attempted in the name of science. When Professor Lindenbrock finds an old manuscript from a historically celebrated Icelandic savant, he discovers a scrap of paper with strange scribbling on it: a cipher. When his nephew Axel cracks the writing’s code, it is revealed to be a set of directions to a secret passageway that could lead to the centre of the earth. So begins an epic adventure of Lindenbrock, Axel, and their Icelandic guide Hans, deep into the recesses of the planet where it’s believed man has never gone before. 

Blending scientific fact of the day with imaginative speculation and fiction, Jules Verne’s classic novel provides both a compelling and challenging reading experience for the modern bookworm (well, it did for me at least). 

Written as a sort of memoir from Axel’s point of view, it has a personal tone, but one that sometimes reads like a scientific journal. While the subject matter is quite interesting in itself, the book’s hotspots are certainly the more far-fetched and dramatic moments chronicling encounters with prehistoric monsters and life-threatening natural phenomena. 

There is also a fun and engaging bit of subtle social commentary going on, as Verne creates two science-minded characters who are constantly butting heads about the books's central question: is the centre of the planet hot or cold? Various recognised theories and hypotheses are referred to and explored, which brings an extra level of intrigue into the mix, as well as humour and narrative allegory, as the main story is a fantastical re-imagining of the literary tradition of a descent into Hell, a la Dante. 

Image credit: Wikipedia

Depending entirely on the reader, I found that perseverance was rewarded: the book is only a mere two hundred plus pages, but that still is ample amount of space for the narrative to take a slight dip in terms of entertainment. Perhaps I myself have been spoiled with exposure to such aggressively compelling writing that it’s somewhat stunted my ability to as actively read and enjoy Verne as I perhaps could. Who knows?

I still rose to the challenge of Journey and, by the climax, had decided that it’s a fun and exciting read more often than not, and I can certainly understand why it continues to be celebrated within the literary canon. 

Author: Jules Verne, 1864

Published: Voyage au Centre de la Terre. First published by P-J Hetzel (Paris, 1866). This edition published by Bantam Dell, an imprint of Random House, New York.