The science fiction writer Theodore L. Thomas criticized the novel in 1961, claiming that "there is not a single bit of valid speculation" in the book and that "none of its predictions has come true". He described its depictions of Nemo's diving gear, underwater activities, and the Nautilus as "pretty bad, behind the times even for 1869 ... In none of these technical situations did Verne take advantage of knowledge readily available to him at the time." However, the notes to the 1993 translation point out that the errors noted by Thomas were in fact in Mercier's translation, not in the original.
Despite his criticisms, Thomas conceded: "Put them all together with the magic of Verne's story-telling ability, and something flames up. A story emerges that sweeps incredulity before it".[14]
Recently Nemo has been presented as the first "Eco-terrorist", or the first figure of ecologic radicality.[21]
