[verizon]

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

Translated by William Butcher

I read a great deal of Jules Verne when I was a youngster ? it was considered 'acceptable' ? but haven't touched any for at least three decades. And I don't recall ever reading this. I know the plot, of course, thanks to repeated TV screenings of David Niven as Phileas Fogg.

What is there to say? Victorian Englishman Fogg agree to a bet that he can circumnavigate the globe in 80 days and runs into various scrapes in the process of his attempt, aided by his valet, Passepartout.

Verne's prose is generally restrained, although he gets excited whenever describing a machine ? boat or train. The characters are not particularly deeply painted ? but then again, this sort of adventure doesn't really require it. Verne's comments on things, from the British respect for Indian religions to the opium trade in China are, however, fascinating.

Good, entertaining stuff.

[Rqqneujr]

I haven't read a Jules Verne novel in years, but he was a writer I followed with passion when I was younger; I had quite a few books by him at home and they represented some of my first incursions into literature. He was a clever writer, mixing his age's love for science with exciting exotic settings: it was a winning combination. I remember little about this novel, except that twist at the end that wins Fogg the bet.