In the midst of the US Civil War, five prisoners escape by commandeering a hot air balloon, in hopes that the wind will guide them to freedom. Many days later, the aeronauts crash-land on a remote Pacific Island with no food or supplies and must scramble for survival.

In contrast with some "classic" works which tend to the dry, The Mysterious Island was delightfully entertaining and readable, including even its introduction. My recommendation, however, would be to first suspend one's disbelief. Though an adventure/survival novel, it is also in many ways fantastical, gleefully and continuously wavering across the line between the meticulously realistic and the laughably implausible. The detailed descriptions of how they built their habitat and provided for their needs was reminiscent of Robinson Crusoe, which I also read earlier this year. The castaways are resourceful and conveniently skilled — indeed, among the first technologies developed from scratch by Harding, the engineer, was essentially dynamite. (Really?!) They are at times wise and conservation-minded, and at others seem to just enjoy slaughtering the native fauna with abandon. Credit to Verne himself for being surprisingly knowledgeable about worldwide ecologies, though I had to chuckle when a dugong was referred to as "a dangerous animal." It was also fun to read about current theories in late-1800s cosmology. Not so fun was the casual racism cropping up suddenly from time to time and the way Neb, an adult Black man, was portrayed as childlike, which was cringeworthy to say the least. Among the curious and least believable aspects of the novel were the manner in which all obstacles were easily overcome, interpersonal relationships among the castaways were perfectly harmonious, and not for a moment do any of the men miss female companionship or even mention women at all. Finally, with an eye toward future editions, with so much focus on the geography of the island, as a reader I would have appreciated a map. Recommended! ( )

This one is very special. My granddad used to read it for me at my young years when I didn't like reading books at all. So I mostly rememmber it as the first and last book that was read aloud just for my childlish amusment. That changes many things and that gives it four stars even if it very usual and little bit draging like all Vern's sci-fi works.

P.S. But I also remember it as the book with descrition of how to make nitroglycerine on unibhabited island :). ( )

Five civil war POWs escape their incarceration in, of all things, a hot air balloon, only to get caught up in a massive storm and blown off somewhere in the pacific. They find themselves stranded on an unknown island, which they proceed to make their home for as long as needed. They have run-ins with pirates, befriend an orangutan, and get help from a mysterious benefactor, who turns out to be a crossover hero from another of Verne’s tales.

A fun-enough story, although a little long in the tooth in several places. Plus, well, casual racism. And not a female character in sight. All in all, a very male-centric playing-out of the Could You Survive on a Desert Island fantasy, which may be why, ultimately I didn’t love it – it was certainly not written with me in mind. ( )

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I won a copy of this from a spelling bee in 7th grade English class. It's a continuation of Capt. Nemo's story. There is a cheesy movie too with some nice Ray Harryhausen special effects. ( )

This one took me a long time to read...there are parts that are quite dry and nearly nothing much happens because it's all described out in such minute detail. I could feel quite safe if I were a castaway and had only this book and a dog with me. Seriously, the details are so great that I could execute much of what they did...and it was amazing stuff they did. They sure knew their science. Anyway, there is also a grand amount of ingenuity, adventure and mystery, as well as real feeling in this story. Once I was caught up in their progress, and a great plight was then introduced, then I read faster. The mystery solved was fun and surprising. Then the last bits were fraught with suspense, loss and relief. I'll have to read some more Verne. ( )

Recensione su my link text

In "L'Isola Misteriosa", quattro uomini scappati alle grinfie dei Sudisti finiscono per naufragare su un'isola apparentemente deserta. Sarà il loro ingegno e un aiuto misterioso ad aiutarli a sopravvivere.

La premessa della storia è interessante, un po' alla Robinson Crusoe, ma devo ammettere che l'ho trovato un po' noioso. È sicuramente un libro "figlio del suo tempo", non c'è molta azione e anzi le cose vengono dette invece che mostrate, tanto che a volte mettevo giù il libro per fare qualcos'altro. Devo dire, però, che ho trovato interessanti i vari modi che gli uomini trovavano per sopravvivere sull'isola da loro chiamata "Isola Lincoln".

Per quanto riguarda i presonaggi, sono quattro uomini, di cui il più intelligente e capo del gruppo è Cyrus Smith. Gli altri sarebbero persi senza di lui, che è un pozzo infinito di conoscenze. Un po' irrealistico, ma ci sta. Quello che non mi è andato giù, soprattutto in questo periodo così delicato, è leggere ogni volta il modo razzista in cui viene descritto Nab che, tra le righe, è considerato inferiore agli altri essendo uno schiavo affrancato (che si comporta ancora come schiavo).
Comunque, tutti i personaggi si adattano piuttosto bene alle avversità che si trovano davanti, soprattutto grazie a Top (il cane, che è il mio personaggio preferito... e questa la dice lunga) e Cyrus, il suo padrone.

Nel complesso, insomma, una storia con del potenziale e sicuramente un classico da leggere, pur con tutti i suoi difetti.
( )

This book was much cooler when I was 14. ( )

Whlle not as well known as some of his other novels (20,000 Leagues under the Sea, Around the World in Eighty Days) this is thought by many to be Jules' Verne's masterpiece. It is the story of five northern prisoners during the civil war who plot their escape by hijacking a hot air balloon, which they crash land on an island. They are a diverse group of men - a sailor, a former slave, a journalist and an engineer with his protégé. It is this diversity which provides the meat of the tale. It is not a book for those who want the action to move quickly nor those who dislike detail. Verne described in minute detail every engineering feat of the group, from several tries at a safe abode to utensils used in their everyday lives. Each event in the men's story is similarly narrated. It is a fascinating tale and one that should be included on everyone's reading list. Just make sure you have a good chunk of time to devote to it! ( )

I read this around the age of 10. It was transporting! A seminal work by one of the world's sci-fi pioneers. ( )

Gekürzte Ausg

This novel was divided into three parts. The last part was by far the most interesting. Verne tends to write the majority of his novels very matter of fact, and then in the last three chapters everything goes sideways and crazy shit starts happening. This book followed that formula. I thought it was awesome how Cyrus Harding knew who Nemo was because he had read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. ( )

This was a very entertaining adventure novel, even if Verne's castaways were implausibly gifted with just the right skills and knowledge necessary to survive. ( )

A tale replete with suspense, action, mystery, and fulfillment. I was very impressed at what this novel had to offer and I think it's among Verne's better portions of his work. There is a great surprise too, which I will not reveal for the reader. Overall, the plot was good, the characters likeable, and I felt a strong willingness to embark upon the journey and see it to it's end.

3.75 stars- worth it! ( )

I obviously have not read enough Jules Verne. I was pleasantly surprised with this book. Now I have to start reading more of Verne's works. I like him better then H. G. Wells. Wells' stories were often more dreadful, hopeless and too "Victorian England". Verne writes with a timeless flavor of optimism and possibility. ( )

Great escape reading. Loved the imagery and adventure! ( )

Au cours de la guerre de Sécession, cinq Nordistes : l'ingénieur Cyrus Smith et son chien Top, le reporter Gédéon Spilett, le Noir Nab, le marin Pencroff et le jeune Harbert, prisonniers des troupes séparatistes, se sont enfuis en ballon.

Pris dans la tempête, ils échouent sur une île déserte, en plein océan Pacifique. Ingénieux, persévérants, les cinq compagnons, pourtant privés de tout, ne tardent pas à s'organiser, à vivre presque normalement. D'ailleurs l'île, qu'ils baptisent du nom de Lincoln, offre des ressources admirables et tout à faits inattendues.

Mais une série de faits inexplicables, des coïncidences troublantes les obligent à croire à la présence d'une puissance mystérieuse qui les épie sans cesse et conduit leur destinée, leur imposant sa volonté par des voies détournées, intervenant pour les sauver aux moments critiques... L'Ile mystérieuse, un des très grands romans de Jules Verne, cet enchanteur aux charmes inépuisables.

Read this book (including this paperback version) in high school or maybe junior high. It's a sequel to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, also a great read. Loved Jules Verne. ( )

Mildly entertaining, but there was much wrong with the book.... wrong science (but tis ok as it was the science of the time), but mostly the writing style. It seems that Verne has certain phrases he will use ad nauseum until the reader wants to throw the book at his grave. That really was the issue with me. Bad chronology as well that could have been easily fixed by eliminating certain dates. Enjoyable, but ponderous. ( )

Originally published in 1875, this novel is noticeably dated, but it's still a good read. ( )

I listened to the audio version of this book on a road trip. And while interesting and entertaining. it was just so dang long. Not as good as Jules Vern's Journey to the Center of the Earth. I know long and wordy was the style back 150 years ago when this was originally written as there were few other choices for entertainment, and I have to say some of the vocabulary was quite interesting and educational. How these colonists managed all this time on this Mysterious Island while never once having an argument is the true mystery of the story to me. ( )

This a book I'd recommend to just about anyone!
( )

It's a tale that still grips the reader despite having been written over a 100 years ago. Jules Verne had a great imagination and it's no wonder he was such a popular author. In this, 5 northerners escape Richmond during the siege of that city during the Civil War (1865) using a hot air balloon. Caught up in a hurricane that was monstrous (illogically so) and oddly, took the balloon against prevailing winds to an uninhabited island northeast of New Zealand. There the colonists (as they refer to themselves) establish a community that makes life bearable. They are fortunate in their companions...the engineer who knows how to make things, the sailor who can build boats, the reporter who doubles as a doctor and a hunter, and a young man who knows botany. Despite all this convenience (and if one must be stranded, this is the right group to be stranded with), there is hardship but there appears to be a mysterious benefactor who comes to their aid at the nick of time. Worth reading! ( )

A violent storm blows a hot air balloon carrying five American men and a dog thousands of miles into the Pacific and strands them on a deserted island. Through their intelligence and ingenuity, they survive and prosper. There seems to be nothing they can't do with their knowledge of science and technology, and they create a home, a farm, a ranch, a mill, a telegraph, and a mine, among other things. As the years pass, they notice more and more strange events occurring that they can't explain. When they can no longer chalk these occurrences up to coincidence, they set out to discover the island's secret.

I didn't notice that my version was abridged until I was more than halfway through, and although I usually avoid abridged books like the plague, I don't think I could have taken much more of this one. There was nothing wrong with the concept, but it would have been much better as a novella or a short story. Verne went on for a couple hundred pages about the scientific details of how they could make things like iron and nitroglycerin. I was bored out of my mind. The novel got better by the end when it concentrated more on unraveling the mystery of the island and less on how the castaways could make anything they wanted out of what they found there. I really enjoyed Around the World in 80 Days, more than I thought I would, but I can't say the same for this one. ( )