20,000 leagues under the sea - Jules Verne

It is only fitting that I start this blog with the first book I read, way back in school (albeit in an abridged version). Jules Verne, one of the pioneers of the science fiction genre wrote this book at a time when underwater travel existed only in flights of fancy. The book begins with an account of the mysterious attacks on seafaring ships that cannot be attributed to any known creature. An expedition is assembled comprising of Prof Arronax (who also narrates the story), his assistant Conseil and the master harpooner Ned Land. They encounter the 'monster' after a long search, which in turn is revealed to be a submarine by the name of 'Nautilus'. During the attack on the expedition ship, the three persons mentioned earlier are taken aboard the submarine. Here they encounter the captain of the submarine, Captain Nemo (we never know if this is his real name, for Nemo means 'no-man') who welcomes them aboard but also rules out any possibility of them returning as they now share his secret. What follows is a wondrous journey through the depths of the waters of the world. Jules Verne riveting description of the underwater life and the different adventures truly transports you to 20,000 leagues under the sea. I recently had a chance to read the unabridged version and the amount of research Jules Verne must have done to write this book is truly staggering. Every sighting of a marine flora or fauna is accompanied by a commentary on the biological classification by Prof Arronax (which can get a bit overwhelming at times) down to the class, order and suborder.

The most interesting character in this book is undoubtedly captain Nemo. Although we are given no clear picture as to why he leads this strange life in the waters, it is subtly attributed to his contempt for the world above with its rules and divisions governing every aspect of life together with a thirst for knowledge. I particularly liked the way the different facets of Captain Nemo's personality were exposed through the different incidents that occurred throughout the book. Every adventure that the crew of the Nautilus encountered revealed the different shades of Captain Nemo's character - father figure, rebellious, ruthless, vulnerable, caring, nature lover to name a few. Among the other characters, Prof Arronax acts as the narrator of the book who slowly comes to sympathise with Captain Nemo and longs to be part of this journey due to the wonders it holds, Conseil is the archetypal assistant figure who supports his master without any questions and the harpooner Ned Land is a perfect example of a rebel - one who believes in writing his own rules and does not bow down to anyone.

Well, I believe this will encourage some of you to give this truly marvellous book a read which never fails your attention from the riveting start to the equally mysterious end. A word of caution though, if the thought of reading pages and pages of biological classification scares you or threatens to put you to sleep, I would advise you to read an abridged version. For the rest of you, who love the subject of biology and are looking for a good read, this is manna from heaven for you. Enjoy..