I "read" this one as an audio book. I think, because of that, that was the only reason I finished it.
From Goodreads.com:
"The quest begins when irascible but dedicated mineralogy Professor Hardwigg finds a centuries-old parchment inside an even older book. His nephew Henry decodes it, and discovers instructions on how to get to the center of the Earth: “Go down into the crater of Snaefells Yocul,” an extinct Icelandic volcano. As they descend, the explorers also travel backward to the past, through layers of human history and geologic time, encountering prehistoric plants and animals and ultimately coming to understand the origins of humanity itself.
Though brimming with exciting exploits, this journey is also metaphorical—a spiritual and psychological trip to the center of the human soul. While many of Verne’s scientific speculations have been proven, it is this author’s remarkable ability to fashion a rousing tale full of compelling characters, extraordinary adventures, and provocative ideas that ensures he will be read for years to come."
Well, I must say I am truly perplexed about where these "exciting exploits" resided. And if it was a metaphorical story, then Henry, the narrator and main character, is a bigger putz than I thought. I looked up some reviews on Amazon and was quite amazed at how many people thought this was just stupendous.
I felt this story had moderately interesting bits punctuated by a very tedious main character. It contained very vivid and well described visual description regarding the imaginary bowels of the earth in its fantastical variety, complete with antediluvian creatures, but the incessant whining of the main character, a grown man, really put it all at a disadvantage.
I was wholly glad for the rapidity of the books completion.
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