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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea cover art

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

By: Jules Verne,Tony Lee
Narrated by: Adrian Lester,Clive Mantle,Carla Mendonca,Terry Molloy,Montserrat Roig
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Summary

This Audible Original drama voyages across the seas on board the USS Abraham Lincoln in pursuit of a mysterious monster that has been terrifying unsuspecting ships, in an expedition to hunt this creature down before more people are injured or killed. 

Amongst the crew are Professor Pierre Aronnax, who wants to be the first person to identify the creature, believing it to be nothing more than an oversized Narwhal. He’s joined by Ned Land, a Canadian harpoonist, believed to be the best in the world. Brought onto the USS Abraham Lincoln to kill the creature, Ned has a secret - his love was on a previous ship attacked by the monster (as was he) and died deep in the bowels of the ship, and he wants revenge. 

Also on board is Constance Boyd, an agent for the fledgling and secret Office of US Naval Intelligence.  

After a long search the ship finally encounters the beast, but during the attack our three crew members are thrown into the water. As they cling on for life to their surprise they discover the monster to be an advanced technologic masterpiece, the Nautilus, a submarine unknown to man, commanded by Captain Nemo, played by Adrian Lester OBE (The Day After Tomorrow, Primary Colours, Hustle). 

An enigma, a man without a nation, who’s declared war on mankind by attacking ships that cross his path, our story truly begins when we meet Nemo and discover he’s not the monster that he’s made out to be.  

Cast, in alphabetical order; Gary Andrews, Michael Brandon, Sean Connolly, Barnaby Eaton-Jones, Abigail Fox, Joseph Fox, Adrian Lester, Clive Mantle, Carla Mendonca, Terry Molloy, Ben Perkins, Montserrat Roig, Andrew James Spooner.   

Directed by Barnaby Eaton-Jones.

Public Domain (P)2018 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

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Too much changed from the original

The introduction of three females (wife of Ned, feemale companion of Aronax and feemale second i command of Nautilus) was totally unessesary and tske away much of the historical connection.

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9 people found this helpful

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Great book, terrible adaptation

Why change a classic? This is a great story that really didn't need updating in any way. I'd suggest searching out a straightforward reading.

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8 people found this helpful

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Mediocre production of Verne classic

Adrian Lester is coolly enigmatic, but other performances not always convincing.
Most annoyingly, synthesised orchestral music plays almost continually. On balance, I’d rather have heard the novel read without the bells and whistles.

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Superb adaptation with well-chosen cast.

Superb. Lester is the perfect Nemo. Great supporting cast. I only wished it'd been longer.

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Adrian Lester as Captain Nemo was brilliant, and the narration captured my imagination wonderfully. I throughly enjoyed this audio book. A great listen.

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Excellent production!

Absolutely amazing production, acting & sound design. Very much like the old theatre plays I used to listen to on vinyl. 10 stars!

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Great way to read (listen) a book story

Such a great way to read (listen) a book story, after listening to the Anna Lee version of Around the World in Eighty Days, which is a little better than this version, an adaptation that brings up a classic to a new life nowadays.

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Amazing story!

what an incredible audio drama! Loved every second of this. I highly recommend it!! 10 out of 10

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Five Star Performance

Brilliant casting and adaption of the text have made for an entertaining audio-drama. Easy to follow and had me until the end.

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Entertaining listening

I am really pleased I listened to this as I found it enjoyable & also interesting as I hadn't ever read it despite intending to for years, and so wasn't aware of the story & there was a bit more to it than I thought there would be. It is slightly more plausible than some Sci fi of the same era and has strong female characters (who aren't there to provide romance).

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  • Kindle Customer
  • 20-10-20

loved this version

the actin, sounds and music made this dramatization come to life for me. glad I took a chance on this one.

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  • D. Duncan
  • 22-11-20

This is a radio show, not a book reading

I was looking forward to hearing a lovely reading of the book, as I had a job coming up in which my hands could be on autopilot and thus my brain could be otherwise engaged.

This version is not a reading of the book. It is completely re-written as a radio play and has new characters. I suppose it is well done, but it is not my cup of tea, and not what I wanted, so I am disappointed. I am returning it to look for something that is as well read as the Sherlock Holmes stories read by Simon Vance.

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2 people found this helpful

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  • Stefan Filipovits
  • 30-08-20

A classic done justice

This Audible Original is superb. Competently adapted and perfectly performed, this adaptation of Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is a throwback to the radio dramas of yesteryear. I could easily imagine Orson Welles or Basil Rathbone performing this while children sit around their ancient radios in rapt attention and wonder. Everything from the sound effects to the music to the pitch perfect performances from the actors adds so much depth and realism that you can’t help but be immediately and utterly immersed in one of the best adventure stories ever written. Adrian Lester deserves particular praise for his performance as Captain Nemo. It’s the kind of adaptation that reminds you what makes 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea so timeless and enthralling. It also makes me very excited to see the next classic Audible Original adapts. Give it a listen, you’ll be glad you did!

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 17-10-20

fantastic

a great adaptation and wonderful performance by the team. so when is mysterious island coming out?

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  • Gene R. Obrien
  • 21-08-20

What an adventure!!!

Outstanding! Take a few hours and go on an outstanding adventure with a remarkable cast! There isn't a dull moment in this audio. Each chapter is thrilling and you feel as if you ARE on board the Nautilus! Adrian Lester's portrayal of Captain Nemo is cool and commanding. Clive Mantle's Ned Land and Carla Mendonca's Constance Boyd have just enough spunk and fire to make their characters dynamic. Montserrat Roig de Puig as the loyal First Mate Juanita make you wish that we all had friends as loyal as she. Of course, the legendary Terry Malloy as Professor Arronax is without peer. The man uses his voice the way McCartney plays bass. THIS WHOLE CAST is a example of perfect casting. There isn't one voice that takes you out of the story in any way. The sound design by Joseph Fox is impeccable and creates a 'sense of place' that puts you on board the Nautilus or on an island or the South Pole or IN a diving suit. Tony Lee's dramatization and Barnaby Eaton-Jones' production and direction really bring all these elements to life perfectly! This story is worth the money or credit. If you have to stay in, this production of '20,000 Leagues Under The Sea' gives you places to go and adventures to have!

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  • Chelsea Flournoy
  • 31-07-23

Truly enjoyed this!

I’ve enjoyed many audio dramas and this is one of my favorites by far. Look forward to many more from this company!

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  • Mr Q Awesome
  • 28-07-21

Great Listen

It's a very good and entertaining story that it's in story that I think everyone will enjoy. Not too long is on. Just the right length for the story

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  • chas
  • 02-06-21

great performance

I thoroughly enjoyed the performance on this one. will look for more by this production company

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  • James Garrett
  • 10-02-21

WOW!

This was an AMAZING listen! the voice acting was great and the story was very compelling! It only helped fuel my imagination even more of what lies under the sea and I am very glad I took the time to enjoy!

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  • Tia
  • 19-01-21

A great classic

Told very well, this classic brings Nemo to life once again for all to enjoy!

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