[Rockpile]

For me the 19th century fiction writers are mostly boring windbags.

I have found the books by soldiers,explorers,seamen,adventurers and so forth to be much more straightforward and interesting.

I do like Morris and Rider Haggard and Verne though.

Verne has suffered from suckass translators who shortened and abused his originals works.

[left that other site]

I agree. Sometimes Brevity can be the soul of wit.