coprime

Canon: The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne
Pairing: Tom Ayrton/Bonadventure Pencroff
Canon Level: Antagonists to Friends

The Mysterious Island is not exactly Verne's most well known work. It's not completely obscure, but if the Family Feud question were "Name a Jules Verne novel," The Mysterious Island would be down at the bottom of the list with just two people answering that. I think. I am not the most impartial of judges when it comes to this novel. The novel is about five Americans who get shipwrecked on an island in the South Pacific and eventually also find one more companion who'd been marooned on the island next door.

Anywho, on to Pencroff and Ayrton. They are my favorites. Pencroff is one of the five colonists, and he is by far the most effusive of the five, quick to judge and quick to praise and just generally sort of constantly out there with his emotions. He's markedly different from the other four in his way of going about his business, which makes him stand out among all the characters and therefore makes him like a breath of fresh air for me bringing some much needed levity by his very presence. Ayrton, on the other hand, is basically the opposite of Pencroff. He is solitary and broody and spends most of his time on the island angsting about how unforgivable of a person he is. It makes me want to hug him and pat his head.

Pencroff spends a not inconsiderable portion of the novel being an asshole to Ayrton until he changes his mind and becomes a fierce friend. It's great. They get the award for "relationship that changes the most" in the novel, and I want their relationship to keep changing into a romantic one.

Suggested reading:
Casus et Certum by psalm_onethirtyone

Hello, my Yuletide Author! I'm ridiculously easy to please and am willing to read just about anything, especially in the four fandoms I've requested this year. I'm sure I'll love whatever you write, so if you've already got an idea, go forth and write! The rest of this post is for if you'd like a bit more about my likes/dislikes.

( General Stuff )

( Jennifer Estep - Karma Girl )

( Jules Verne - The Mysterious Island )

( Monsoon Wedding )

( Owly )

The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne is the current book I'm reading. And I love it so. Freakin'. Much. I adore this book, which isn't that surprising since Jules is one of my favorite authors. But. This one is truly his masterpiece, I think. It's got the largest cast of characters (Eight and counting!) that I've seen in any of his books. (I've also read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Around the World in 80 Days, so what I'm saying isn't completely without basis.)

Anyways-- eight characters. Journey to the Center of the Earth only had three. And, this is the most well-developed I've seen any of his characters. They all have distinct personalities. There's Pencroff who is the doubting Thomas of the group and whose emotions are passionate but also on a pendulum. Gideon Spilett, with his own curiosity about what's going on but is much more understated than the rest of the group. And Cyrus Smith! So logical and methodical, mmm. He seems, almost, to be Jules' author avatar now that I think about it. Just-- with the amazing precision both have. There's also Neb, whose enthusiam almost rivals Pencroff's but without all Pencroff's doubting. And, of course, Harbert, whose name I just adore. So smart and willing to learn!

Gideon and Pencroff are my favorite characters, but I love them all. (And I know I said eight but only mentioned five. Others appear over the course of the novel, but I don't want to give anything vital away.)

I was honestly surprised at how distinct and realistic these characters were. In Around the World in 80 Days, there was a romance between Phileas and Aouda, which I was never able to accept. I never saw why Phileas loved Aouda nor did I even see that he, in fact, did love her. I was told it, yes, but that's not the same. So I was pleasantly surprised by how these characters had honest emotions that didn't seem forced and were shown in such a way that they were there for me to discover if I was paying attention.

Then, there's the mystery of the island. Because, yes the title is quite descriptive. I haven't solved the mystery yet, but it's really enthralling. It creeps up on you, slowly and surely. And it's so subtle at first that you don't realize there is a mystery until Cyrus and Gideon point it out to you. And by that time, you're too far gone to want to put the book down. Oh, I love this book! I love it, I love it, I love it. Ever since I read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, I've adored Verne's writing style. But this book takes the cake; it's just that good.

(A final note-- I'm reading Jordan Stump's translation and am using his names for people.)