My reaction is so mixed, maybe because it's such a mix of styles. If you took an aquarium catalog, a seafood menu, and an amazing adventure story and mixed them thoroughly, you'd get pretty close to this book. Be sure to mix them very well though. For example, insert a paragraph or two of Latin fish names into the middle of ocean bottom funeral procession. Do I sound a bit aggravated? I was, am. 
 The story was amazing. There were bits that I wanted to go on and on like that bit at the end of chapter 4 and beginning of chapter 5, oh and chapter 8. One of those surprises I should have expected, the other was totally unexpected. And that ending was spectacular. It makes you want to keep looking in hopes of seeing the Nautilus glide by... 
 But! The interminable lists of fish species! I get it; I get it; there are lots of fish in the ocean. Do you have to name them all? Please get back to the coconut sized pearl, or the hollow volcano, even the ocean over the South Pole. Nope, we have to read more fish names. Oh, that bit about the sunken galleon was good, but then more fish names! The inventions were so much fun: electric bullets, mussel fabric, whale milk (that was a bit weird), and then (please no) more fish names... I must admit about halfway through this book I started skipping those endless lists of fish. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the vast majority of this book, but abridged might be better. 
 The characters are quite a mixed lot also. Captain Nemo is a perfect Sci-fi genius, proud, boastful, but wonderfully secretive when convenient. The crew is most amusingly silent, on all subjects. The Professor is a wonderful narrator if a bit long winded on the subject of fish. They were all enjoyable. 
 I'm glad I read it but probably won't read it again. I l thought the sequel was much better, so keep reading. 
 P.S. They should have ( or in the real world would have) all died of the bends.