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Michael Sypes
Michael Sypes is on page 412 of 761 of Eon / Eternity (The Way, #1-2)
Eon starts off really good, but gets progressively more confusing as you go so that the second half seems a twisted jumble where you kind of understand the broad scopes of what's happening, but you're unsure of the details and the characters' motivations as they pursue their own ends. Why "The Way" was created, how it's being used, and peoples' plans for it, are torturously obscure.
Feb 18, 2022 08:10AM Add a comment
Eon / Eternity (The Way, #1-2)

Michael Sypes
Michael Sypes is finished with Jules Verne: Seven Novels
"The Mysterious Island" is a ridiculous version of "Robinson Crusoe ." The fantastic aspects are how the protagonists are able to continually do the work of ten men each – hunting, gathering, farming, carpentry, masonry, mining, metalworking, ship building, tailoring, animal training, etc. – beyond the realm of belief.
Jan 29, 2022 12:28PM Add a comment
Jules Verne: Seven Novels

Michael Sypes
Michael Sypes is on page 825 of 1196 of Jules Verne: Seven Novels
"Around the world ..." is by far the most readable/entertaining of the books so far. There's much less contrived examples of people delving casually into esoteric science principles or solving complex mathematical equations in the blink of an eye. Fogg, like the other books' primary characters is the same taciturn "brick" of a man, but Passepartout makes up for it.
Dec 16, 2021 04:03PM Add a comment
Jules Verne: Seven Novels

Michael Sypes
Michael Sypes is on page 702 of 1196 of Jules Verne: Seven Novels
While not quite as exciting as I remember reading it as a child, there are still a few great adventurous chapters here, although a lot of the book is taken up with "Traveled through an area, saw a lengthy list of organisms with these Linnean classifications, and them's good eatin'."
Aug 09, 2021 02:43PM Add a comment
Jules Verne: Seven Novels

Michael Sypes
Michael Sypes is on page 503 of 1196 of Jules Verne: Seven Novels
Around ... picks up right where you left off. Again, this reads less like a novel and more like a series of magazine articles, with a sudden shift at the end. Lots of exposition, little character development, other than descriptions of "intrepidness." While still fantastical and generally wrong, you have to admire Verne's dedication to the science of his time.
May 29, 2021 02:25PM Add a comment
Jules Verne: Seven Novels

Michael Sypes
Michael Sypes is on page 403 of 1196 of Jules Verne: Seven Novels
From The Earth To The Moon reads less like a novel and more like a third-rate newspaper reporter's missives from the field, or a history textbook trying to give you more than the facts by adding a human perspective. It's got some great passages about the technical aspects of the project, but almost zero characterization. It also ends rather abruptly, an obvious cliffhanger for the next book.
May 12, 2021 08:35PM Add a comment
Jules Verne: Seven Novels

Michael Sypes
Michael Sypes is on page 323 of 1196 of Jules Verne: Seven Novels
A Journey to the Center of the Earth is still good. Not great, but very good. Axel, the narrator, is very excitable, and perpetually amazed by his uncle and Hans. Ultimately, for me, the big disappointment is <spoiler>they don't actually get to the center</spoiler>
Apr 21, 2021 07:03PM Add a comment
Jules Verne: Seven Novels

Michael Sypes
Michael Sypes is on page 180 of 1196 of Jules Verne: Seven Novels
Five weeks isn't great. Starts off as some hard sci-fi (for the late 1800's), but is mostly interesting for understanding European attitudes toward Africa and Africans at that time. Otherwise just a travelogue and history lesson.
Oct 03, 2020 07:45AM Add a comment
Jules Verne: Seven Novels

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