800 Leagues on the Amazon (1881)
By Jules Verne (1828 – 1905)
Jules Verne novel “800 Leagues on the Amazon” does
not contain his
standard science fiction content, but is rather, an
adventure novel. This work, however, does have some one of the trademarks of Jules Verne’s work, it is a novel about a journey. Verne’s space exploration novels (“Around the Moon”, “Off on a Comet”) his sea novels (“20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, “Mysterious Island”, “Master of the World”), and his adventure novels (“Journey to the Center of the Earth”, “Dick Sand”) all were in one way or another, works about a journey.
800 Leagues on the Amazon is a story about the Garral family. The family lives on a large plantation in Peru, just past the Brazilian border. Joam Garral’s daughter Minha wishes to marry Manuel Valdez. Valdez is a Brazilian doctor and army officer. Joam grants her wish and the family must travel to a city named Belem. Belam is a long way down the Amazon River and the vehicle of choice is a large raft. Along the way, they encounter piranhas, crocodiles and other dangers.
Joam has some dark secrets from the past and plans on clearing his name during this trip. A con artist named Torres is willing to clear Joam’s name for the unthinkable. Torres will clear Joam’s name in return for Minha’s hand in marriage. A coded letter contains information that would exonerate Joam. Will family love and dedication help Joam in his struggle to clear his name? Will the coded message be deciphered in time?
This work has been made into an independent film. The film stars Daphne Zuniga as Minha, Barry Bostwick as Garral and Adam Baldwin as Koja. Even though this book is not standard Jules Verne, it is still an exciting adventure novel and a quick read.