Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Format: ALC from Blackstone Publishing

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for the ALC of a new production of this classic book. Originally published in 1870, this classic book was groundbreaking in the subgenre of science fiction. I had no idea what this books was about when I picked it up and it went in some crazy directions!

I was more interested in the narration performance for Twenty Thousand Leagues. The audiobook came to my attention when I saw that Aria Mia Loberti was doing the vocal production. Loberti is the actress from Netflix’s new miniseries All the Light We Cannot See, based on the book by the same name.

Loberti brought these characters to life with great voices and accents for the characters. This was an abridged version of the original work, and topped out at about 11-12 hours long. Though the performance was good, the story still felt long to me. I would still recommend this audiobook to anyone interested in this title specifically, or classic science fiction.

I tried to read this book a while back and couldnt get into it, but the audiobook was surprisingly easy to listen to! Definetely an ideal way to read this classic.

I had read this years ago and remembered the story, but I was hoping the new narration would bring it to life. I knew exactly what I was getting into with the overly long and rambling story, so I was really in this for the audio and on that front, I was not disappointed. I was put off by a female voice at first, I expected a male voice for a male character, but honestly, Ms. Loberti did a lovely job! She was able to breathe more life into the story than I got from reading it alone.

Generally speaking, I’m a fan of Jules Verne’s adventure stories. But as is often the case with great authors of the past, there’s always one book amongst the body of work that stubbornly hangs around as a “classic” somewhat inexplicably.

20,000 Leagues has its moments of great excitement and adventure, but it’s hugely overlong, and as a result does exactly what an adventure story isn’t supposed to do, which is drone and drag.

There just isn’t enough substance here to justify how long this book rattles on, which is surprising for Verne, an author who usually understands the limits of his genre very well and, essentially, knows when to quit.

As a result the book feels fun at first, but fails to maintain the same level of engagement well before it reaches its halfway point, and leaves the reader exhausted and bored rather than fulfilled. Again, it does have its exciting and cleverly rendered moments, and the descriptions of sea life are lovely, but it lacks the charming humor and punchy, sharp sense of adventure that made Around the World in 80 Days such a delight to read.

I really enjoyed this abridged version of Verne’s classic. The narrator has wonderful pitch and pacing, making the story come to life. Well done and perfect for adults and children alike.

I had never read this book but found it quite interesting it did keep my attention the whole time and it is a classic I enjoyed it very much and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Adventures of it historical type Adventures

I enjoy sci fi classics and this is actually a reread from last year. Verne really had a talent for coming up with interesting and strange stories that had surprising technology for their time. This story is wild, where the main character is basically kidnapped by someone who is essentially a mad scientist (the famous Captain Nemo) wanting to protect his discoveries.
Although the most amazing bits are about the submarine, there are also fascinating adventures in various parts of the world. Modern readers may find the language old-fashioned, but if you get used to it, it's enjoyable.
I do think it's weird to have a female narrator, but the lady narrating the story did a fantastic job. Her speech was clear and she was telling the story in a believable way.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this classic on audio

It's hard for me to rate Classics, but I did enjoy it!

It still amazes me that these books were written in the late 1800's like how insane is that, especially with all the technology that was in here.

I liked Verne's world building a lot, it was easy to picture what was happening.

with all that being said its still an old book so it tends to get rambly and a bit boring sometimes.

overall I'm really happy I finally read this one!!

as for the narrator, I was a bit thrown off to have a female voice voicing a male character at the start because I didn't expect it. However, Aria did a fantastic job bringing the book to life.

This was very much a product of its time and aside from learning characters at times referenced in our current times (I.e. Captain Nemo was a familiar) and don’t mind lengthy books filled with outdated science, this might be just the book for you. If you loved Moby Dick, here’s your next favorite read. I also was confused on why a female was chosen to narrate a book that is entirely from men’s perspective. She did an excellent job trying to breathe life into this text, and I salute her for that.

I am in a classics mood lately and I am so grateful that @blackstonepublishing audio released 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA by Jules Verne! This is narrated by Aria Mia Lobert who you may know from her role in the film, "All the Light We Cannot See" just recently.

First, I must say, Ms. Lobert is an incredibly brilliant woman. She has several degrees, & is a PhD candidate in ancient rhetoric. It is clear, she knows her way around words.

I wasn't sure at first if I would enjoy a female narrator for all these male parts. I am pleased to report that I enjoyed it immensely! She took the roles of Professor Aronnax, Captain Nemo, Conseil, and Ned Land, making them very distinct and incorporated all the rising emotions of the men.

I must also admit, I had not ever read this classic tale and I am infinitely glad I listened to it! I don't know if I would have been able to read the highly descriptive paragraphs of the sea creatures they encounter deep under the water in the Nautilus. I am so glad to know this story now, as my assumptions of the plot were way off! I was fascinated by my changing opinions of Captain Nemo, just as Aronnax seemed to fluctuate. It really was a fascinating read, filled with remarkable human insights.

If you haven't read this science fiction classic, I would absolutely recommend this format.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing Audiobooks and @netgalley for this new recording and letting me share my thoughts. This published on November 7, so it is available now wherever you get your audiobooks! If there is an older version out there somewhere, choose this one.

What can I say about this book that hasn’t already been said? Not much. This has been one of my favorite classics since I was a child. Jules Verne is one of my heroes without a doubt. He was so far ahead of his time and his work has this air of childlike wonder about it that I absolutely love. It’s that ‘nothing is impossible’ mentality and the adventurous spirit that we all wish we could act on.

I had never ‘listened’ to this book before and was so happy to stumble upon this new recording of it and wanted to give it a try. I’m so glad I did!

Aria Mia Loberti did a phenomenal job of bringing this book to light in a way I hadn’t experienced before. Her voice kept me thoroughly engaged and it was a pleasure to follow along on this journey with. I especially loved her voice for Captain Nemo! It was so incredibly fun.

I absolutely recommend this audiobook to anyone who is a lover of science fiction, adventure and sea monsters ;)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!