In Search of The Castaways by Jules Verne

Most reviewers stick to new books. It makes sense. The authors will be much more appreciative if they're still alive when you review their books, and you can get the word out about new writers who are still early in their careers. But I'm a sucker for the classics. I've been a devotee of Jules Verne especially since before high school, and since I got my Kindle I've been discovering books of his that I'd never even heard of before. In Search of The Castaways is one of those books.

In Search of The Castaways is actually part of a trilogy Verne wrote, the most famous novel of which is 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and the conclusion of which is The Mysterious Island (also a great read). Each book can be read and enjoyed individually and have only the smallest bits of interaction, but they really pop when read together.

Castaways is a true adventure novel. A message from a missing sea captain appears in a bottle, and an entertaining and unlikely group of explorers--men, women, and even children--sail around the world in an effort to find and rescue the wrecked survivors. Most of the story takes place either at sea, in the Chilean wilderness or in colonized Australia, and the heroes have to battle the elements, pirates and cannibals on their way to learning the fate of the men.

The characters are just as unforgettable as the adventures they face: the determined orphans who will do anything to see their father again, the daring young sea captain who's just crazy enough to make the trip, and (my personal favorite) the brilliant French geographer who is also, despite his intellect and abilities, the unluckiest person on the world.

This book is a worth read and deserves a spot in anyone's classics collection. And hey, if you can read it for free online, what is there to lose?

Five stars!

*****