When it comes to fictional travel, few can match the skill of Jules Verne, the French author who wrote about expeditions and journeys people thought impossible in his day and age (1828-1905). And these five books saw him at his narrative best.
A Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Tunneling down a volcano to reach the centre of the Earth? Who would have thought of it? Verne did. And described it brilliantly. Nerve wrecking and spectacular. Don’t go by the film!
Around the World in Eighty Days
An eccentric English and his moody valet attempt to travel across the globe in eighty days, chased by a detective who thinks he is a bank robber. Quite brilliantly readable.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea
Imagine talking about travelling under the sea in a submarine, even before one had been invented. Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues…does just that with a compelling character to boot, Captain Nemo.
From the Earth to the Moon
To talk of travelling from the Earth to the Moon in the nineteenth century was considered pipe dreaming. Verne however, described it in stunning detail and with even near accurate calculations.
Five Weeks in a Balloon
The book that made Verne famous talks about the exploration of the African continent. In a hydrogen balloon. Unputdownable!
