It was some time before I could summon resolution to go down through the trees and bushes upon the flank of the headland to the beach. At last I did it at a run, and as I emerged from the thicket upon the sand I heard some other body come crashing after me. At that I completely lost my head with fear, and began running along the sand. Forthwith there came the swift patter of soft feet in pursuit. I gave a wild cry and redoubled my pace... So long as I live I shall remember the terror of that chase.

Man, there certainly was a lot of chasing and running through jungles in this book. At least it was more fun to read than it'd be to experience.

I had to keep in mind that this was written in 1896, easily making it the oldest book I've read this year. And it's age showed; the vocabulary and dialogue was dated at parts and it certainly didn't feel like a more contemporary work. However it did very much feel like something out of the golden age of "Adventure" media what with the far-flung and isolated locale, ~savages~, and multiple life-or-death scenarios. This easily could've been adapted into an R-rated episode of Johnny Quest or something.

The characters were, to a man, unlikeable for many different reasons. I found myself finishing the book mostly to watch them fail and get what they deserved, and was not disappointed in that regard. The two main themes I took away from the book were, "Ethics should not be a factor or a concern in the pursuit of science," and "Society is a veneer/we're all just barbaric animals under the surface," both of which point to a very pessimistic view of humanity I don't find myself agreeing with. This definitely is not a cozy book to put you in a cheery mood.

Still, it was interesting delving into a super early work of science fiction and it was short enough that I didn't feel like my time was misspent. And for me personally it's hard to go wrong with the "small cast of characters in a remote location" formula.