Like many classics, this book is paced completely different than a modern novel. It takes forever to get going and even then, not all that much does happen. That to me was the biggest disappointment: Not all that much happens at all. Sure, they get in some trouble and have to fight their way through, but overall, it seems a two-week trip of my own is often more exciting than these 80 days around a world (to excaturate slightly). And to make matters worse, even when something does happen and people venture out to solve a problem, too much time is spent describing the people left behind waiting, and sometimes there is no description of the actual solution of the problem. But such is the style of the time, I guess.

I guess part of the problem is that the story deals with getting around the world as fast as possible, which leaves little time for anything but getting from a ship to the next train and so forth. Very little time is spent at all the different places, which would have offered so much potential story-wise, yet there is no time.

I still enjoyed reading it, in part because the way books were written at this time just amuses me (old English and all). And towards the end, the excitement does pick up a little bit. Not to modern-day-novel levels, but still, I enjoyed it.

You will like this book if you start reading with the right expectations.

Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne, is a novel set in 1872, when technical revolutions allow a man to travel around the world in eighty days. But, to all the members of the Reform Club but one, this is only correct theoretically. However, to Mr. Phileas Fogg, this is a practical number. He then wagers twenty thousand pounds that he can make the journey.

So Mr. Fogg and his newly acquired servant, Passepartout, immediately set out for their first stop- Suez. There they encounter a detective named Fix, who has heard news of a robber that fits Mr. Fogg's description exactly. Fix, wanting the reward of five percent of the fifty-five thousand pounds stolen, makes it his business to stop the `criminal' at all costs. Fix, believing that the wager is just a ruse to get the cops off his tail, thinks that Mr. Fogg will not follow through with this journey around the world.

All goes smoothly, seeing as Fix is unable to attain a warrant for Mr. Fogg's arrest, until the railway that they are traveling on from Bombay to Calcutta, much to their surprise, is unfinished! Fortunately, thanks to Mr. Fogg's cunning ways, the party is able to buy an elephant to travel the fifty miles to the next railway station.

On the way to the next railway station at Allahabad, they see a young woman being carried by Indian savages. An acquaintance, Sir Francis, explains that she is going to be sacrificed. Mr. Fogg, having gained twelve hours, decides to save the woman from a painful death.

Aouda, as it turns out, is royalty to a village in India. But, since the savages will stop at nothing to find her, it becomes necessary to take her to her cousin in Hong Kong, which is conveniently one of the stops on Mr. Fogg's journey. But, much to the party's dismay, the relative has moved to Europe.

Fix, hoping to delay the party, gets Passepartout knocked out on opium, keeping the valuable information that the Carnatic, the vessel from Hong Kong to Yokohama, is leaving that night instead of tomorrow morning. However, to Aouda's sorrow, the party finds another privately owned boat to take them to Shanghai, leaving Passepartout behind. The party decides to go to Shanghai because that's where the steamer to San Francisco starts, then stops at Yokohama and Nagaski, then departing for San Francisco.

Much to the party's delight, they find out that Passepartout actually did make it aboard the Carnatic before it left, and they had a reunion aboard the San Francisco steamer. The steamer makes it into the San Francisco bay on the third of December, and Mr. Fogg has neither gained nor lost a day.
The party then takes a rail passage from San Francisco to Ogden, only impeded by a herd of bison for three hours. On the way from Ogden to Omaha, however, a band of Sioux Indians attacks the train. Three passengers are captured, including Passepartout!

Mr. Fogg does his duty, and rescues Passepartout. Fix, now having his best interests to get Mr. Fogg back to English soil as soon as possible, tells of a sledge that can be taken to the city of Omaha, where trains are plentiful.

They take the trains to New York without stoppage. However, upon arriving at New York, they find out that the China, the steamer going to Liverpool, left only forty-five minutes beforehand! Mr. Fogg's party is able to board a private boat, for two thousand pounds each. He then `persuades' the crew to set sail for Liverpool. A storm makes the crew resort to steam power only. They run out of coal and have to burn the wooden parts of the ship, which Mr. Fogg buys off the owner for sixty thousand dollars.

They take a rail line from Queenstown to Liverpool, gaining twelve hours on the steamers. The arrive in Liverpool at noon on the twenty-first, leaving only eight hours and forty-five minutes to get to the Reform Club. But, much to Mr. Fogg's surprise, he is arrested by Fix. But the thief had been caught three days before!

After a three-hour delay, they charter a train to London, where they arrive at 8:50-five minutes too late. The next day, Mr. Fogg and Aouda decide to get married. When Passepartout runs off to find a reverend, he learns that it's only the 21st instead of the 22nd! Mr. Fogg arrives at the Reform Club at the preset time, winning his wager! By traveling east, he had gained a day during his journey, allowing him to win his wager.

Jules Verne does a great job balancing facts and excitement in this novel. He provides an exciting science-fiction story, while giving some great info on places around the world. I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone with a sense of adventure, or whoever has dreamed about going around the world.

I think those of us who were introduced to this classic via the recent Jackie Chan movie were done a great disservice. This book accomplishes what few books can: even though the characters are one dimensional, the reader cares about them and genuinely wants to know what will happen next.

The basic setup is that Phileas Fogg makes a bet with members of his club that he can travel the world in 80 days, and then lugs Passaporteau around with him while he sets about accomplishing this task.

Verne does a great job of indicting the tourist mindset that we have today, and apparently had back in Verne's time. Throughout the whole book, Fogg is traveling through France, India, Singapore, Japan and the US, yet never takes the time to appreciate any of it. It's a lot like the people who take vacations and then bring back 20 rolls of film depicting every single landmark mentioned in Frommer's. They've seen it all, but it's all done with a sense of urgency and no real joy. Again, Verne has proven adept at predicting and accurately characterizing human foibles.

This seems to be the least science-oriented of Verne's work. The focus is on winning the bet, and all Fogg wants to do is complete the journey. This of course leaves Passepartout dealing with all the complications they encounter. I won't spoil the ending- but it's clever and memorable.