The Mighty Orinoco

Posted by Ruth
Categories: Adventure, Mysteries, Older Readers, Review, Science Fiction
Tags: Animals, Jules Verne, Long Read

Our rating:

One of the biggest rivers in the South America: the mighty Orinoco. Or is it? MM. Miguel, Filipe, and Varinas can’t agree. Which river really is the Orinoco? After much debating, they decide the only way to find out is to take a trip and see for themselves. On the way, they meet Sergeant Martial, a retired military man, and his nephew, Jean de Kermor, who is searching for his long-lost father and has reason to believe that he’s somewhere down the Orinoco. Soon, their party is joined by an explorer and a botanist, Jacques Helloch and Germain Paterne, who have been assigned to an expedition of the Orinoco and its surrounding towns. Together they travel, encountering giant herds of turtles, electric eels, and an escaped convict.

When I first saw this book, I didn’t think I’d like it as much as some of Jules Verne’s other books, but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a little slow in the middle, but it picks up again in time for a nice finish. The characters are well developed and the storyline is very interesting.