The Archipelago on Fire by Jules Verne : A fine read (BookReviews)

The first time that I read this book, I was 14 years old, or maybe younger. It made quite an impression on me back then ..

Many years have passed since that time, and I have forgotten most of the book's plot. I only remember that it was about pirates and that it took place on the trubled times of the Greek War of Independence on the Aegean sea. So, due to the positive memories I had for it, I decided to revisit this book. Here are my thoughts on it!

While reading the first pages of the book, I became aware of something that would continue until its end. There is lots of information about how ships work, nautical terms and extensive descriptions of ports, islands and costlines. Those were not as a harsh read as it seems. Maybe that's because I'm familiar with some of the things that Jules Verne was talking about, and so I did not lose my interest on what I was reading. I have to admit that they seemed to be quite unnecessary though.

Between those descriptions, Mr Verne shared some information about historical battles and events that took place during the times of the Greek Revolution. Those might seem quite interesting to a reader that has historical interests and some of them are also useful for the plot of the book. Then we, finally, start to learn some things about the main characters.

Do not expect to find something special on that aspect. Our protagonists are simple, one dimensional characters with clear motives and desires (except for the villain of the story). Their origins stories are interesting, but they were not enough for me to empathize with them. Yeah, in my opinion, the book fails miserably on that part.

The overall story of it, is one of its pros. It is simple, but entertaining at the same time. Lots of its parts seem to be predictable, but I still felt a strong desire to see how this thing ends. There are some twists on the last part, but do not expect to find moments like the "no, I am your Father" from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back ..

To sum this up, I thing that Jules Verne's: The Archipelago on Fire is a fine read, but you are definitely going to need some patience to get through some parts of it. After my revisit, I found out that I am no longer as impressed for it as I was when I was young. The plot and the characters seem to be too simple for me. I can justify Mr Verne for some of those cons. This is a short book and so, there is not enough space for a writer to create complex characters and unpredictable and engaging plots. But then, I think that he should have spent the space that talking about nautical terms and describing ports takes, to develop the characters of our protagonists even further. Not the best book in the world, but it deserves a read and who knows, if you are at a young age, you might become astonished by it, just like I was during my childhood ..

Started Reading: 15/04/2020

Finished Reading: 20/04/2020

Score: 3/5 stars

You can find this review on my Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3282929789?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

#bookreviews #julesverne #thearchipelagoonfire #fiction #adventure #greece #3stars