An Ordinary Voyage

It seems that in the past few years, 3-D movies have become much more numerous than they were before. One of the more recent movies of this kind is "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D," starring Brendan Fraser. It did very well in the box office, but I doubt it will have the same legacy as its namesake.

Journey to the Centre of the Earth, by Jules Verne, was written during the time of the American Civil War. That was a very long time ago, and yet it is still a very well-known story. Journey to the Centre of the Earth is told through the eyes of Axel, a nineteen-year-old living with his strict Uncle Lidenbrock.

When Lidenbrock buys an ancient tome at a bookstore in town, he is very pleased to see that the book was once owned by Arne Saknussemm, a very famous Icelandic alchemist. He is even more thrilled when a note written in Icelandic falls out of the book. Axel and Uncle Lidenbrock proceed to decipher the mysterious note, and, after days of fruitless searching, they finally figure out the answer.

The note tells of a secret passageway in a crater called Sneffels (in Iceland) that leads to the centre of the earth. Axel and Lidenbrock depart immediately. With the help of their guide Hans, they embark on their treacherous journey to the interior of our planet.

Jules Verne wrote Journey to the Centre of the Earth over a century ago, so the writing style is often humorous how old it seems. The book is very slow for the most part; it does not have very much suspense or edge-of-your-seat action. Yet Verne wrote an interesting tale that has survived many years of history. Even if this "Voyage Extraordinaire" does not have the same features that a modern adventure novel today would have, it is still good, and should be read and enjoyed by present and future generations.

http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Centre-Earth-Puffin-Classics/dp/0141321040/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223751127&sr=8-4

Grade: 7