Verne's narration is quite old-fashioned (might be the translation) and filled with modern inventions at the same time. I kept thinking "they knew about this-and-that back then? There was that kind of technology?" all through the book. It's a bit like reading todays sci-fi from a 200 years into the future point of view.
The narration had some lengths and some bits were outright boring. And seriously, what's up with the ending? Was there a deadline to meet? Or a simple "whatever" attitude? It was so abrupt and deus ex machina I don't even know how to complain about it.