Reads faster than most Jules Verne. Best read after first reading "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pyn of Nantucket", Poe's only novel. Verne's book expands on Poe's story. Both written before the discovery of Antarctica.

This book was a disappointment in that it failed to measure up to the past works of the Sci-Fi/adventure master, Jules Verne. The story is lethargic, the characters stoic and wooden and the temp of the story is slow. From a moderm perspective given the the knowledge gleamed from many polor explorers and scientific teams that ventured into the Antarctic, the entire story line and subsequent adventures are entirely impossible and hard for a modern day reader to fathom given the realities and dangers facing anyone venturing into the Antarctic who are ill prepared.

Jules Verne is a well known fiction author. This was not one of his best works. The story is interesting especially for those who love sea stories. The plot and character development lack sufficient depth but nevertheless keep the reader hooked. The story unfolds too slowly, drags in some places and never builds to that great crescendo one expects from a master story teller. My rating is likely biased from comparing this story with the genius of Jules Verne's other great works.