"Poor Pym!" - Verne Meets Poe in Antarctica
My current interest in Antarctica led me to finally read The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket , by Edgar Allan Poe , and its sequel An Antarctic Mystery , by Jules Verne . (I am the biggest Vernian fangirl ever, so this duology sounded written for me.) While in fairness I can only give Pym 3 stars and its sequel 3.5 stars , together they were definitely worth the read, if you're into polar fiction, Poe, and/or Verne. Pym is probably the least - or most? - Poe-like writing of his I've read. Think "Treasure Island ends badly"... Indeed, the plot starts out as a traditional sea story: boy runs away to sea, boy happened to pick a ship that was bound for adventure (or, in Poe fashion, terror). The plot has a spontaneous quality to it, and when Arthur Pym eventually makes it to Antarctica, it seems rather like an accident or an aside. You'll find several classic Poe moments - aka spooky stuff - throughout the book, but not as many as fans might hope