The Mysterious Island

Jules Verne

Jan 2017 · Author's Republic · Narrated by Mark F. Smith

About this audiobook

Based on the true story of Alexander Selkirk, who survived alone for almost five years on an uninhabited island off the coast of Chile, The Mysterious Island is considered by many to be Jules Verne’s masterpiece. Here is the enthralling tale of five men and a dog who land in a balloon on a faraway, fantastic island of bewildering goings-on and their struggle to survive as they uncover the island’s secret.

Ratings and reviews

Some of the feats seem a little far fetched as one of the group is kind of like the professor on Gilligan's Island, but still a great read. You should read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea first to help you understand some strange happenings, especially the end of the story. I would have at least lost nothing if I did not enjoy. The language, despite being written a long time ago, is very easy to pick up and follow. Nothing too heavy to put a casual reader off (I would not have thrown 5 stars its way if that were the case). After reading through I can honestly say I feel bad that I had such pleasure for nothing. It is a lengthy read, but the length is justified. Every page makes the story strong and makes the reader's enjoyment all the more full. The characters are well fleshed out and every one of them is different enough from every other to make the group truly enjoyable to read about. Jules Verne has a talent for making you deeply care about his characters, praise their victories and genuinely feel fearful of turning the page when you know a failure is coming.

I can't remember the number of times I have re-read this Verne masterpiece and discovered something new every time I had. In fact, my book has become so frayed around the edges over the years that I fear I won't be able to open it anymore without being afraid of ruining the pages or the cover for good. Trying to recollect my feelings when I read the book for the first time ever seems a bit of a humongous task. But I can't possibly forget the rush of adrenaline and intense emotions, joy and thrill that inhabitants of Lincoln Island and their numerous adventures gave me - be it while hunting game in the forests, or rescuing Captain Harding, building a boat for a voyage to an island close by, fending off an attack by pirates, making priceless discoveries like finding a hint of sulphur in a nearby spring or even a massive block of granite (which was to become their home later on). Every time I have started reading it, I have been sucked right into the core of the tale, the predicament of the castaways and their struggle against the forces of nature and their quest for survival and felt like I was one of them. This book would've been my most favorite Verne novel without any competition whatsoever if I had not read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea. But being torn between these two books, wondering which one edges past the other in terms of adventure or plot or characters or backdrop or scientific information is a sweet dilemma to have. Will read it again and again and again and again.

Trying to recollect my feelings when I read the book for the first time ever seems a bit of a humongous task. But I can't possibly forget the rush of adrenaline and intense emotions, joy and thrill that inhabitants of Lincoln Island and their numerous adventures gave me - be it while hunting game in the forests, or rescuing Captain Harding, building a boat for a voyage to an island close by, fending off an attack by pirates, making priceless discoveries like finding a hint of sulphur in a nearby spring or even a massive block of granite (which was to become their home later on). Every time I have started reading it, I have been sucked right into the core of the tale, the predicament of the castaways and their struggle against the forces of nature and their quest for survival and felt like I was one of them. This book would've been my most favorite Verne novel without any competition whatsoever if I had not read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea. But being torn between these two books, wondering which one edges past the other in terms of adventure or plot or characters or backdrop or scientific information is a sweet dilemma to have. Will read it again and again and again and again.