"It is a faithful narrative of an incredibleexpedition in an element inaccessible to man, and to which progress will one dayopen up a road."
When the main character states this at the end of20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, he is dead-on. But little does he know that itisn't the submarine but the book itself that will open up roads. This classicwork of science fiction opened the public's eyes to the possibility ofsubmarines. What is most striking is that Verne could so accurately predictthings like weapons and diving suits with self-contained oxygen. If you didn'tknow when the book was originally published, you would think it had just beenreleased.
In this tale of adventure, there are four main characters:Monsieur Aronnax, the narrator; Conseil, Aronnax's servant and faithfulcompanion; Ned Land, a Canadian harpooner; and Captain Nemo of the mightyNautilus.
The story begins with Aronnax on the U.S. frigate AbrahamLincoln in search of a giant sea creature called a narwhal. When they finallyfind it, Ned, Aronnax and Conseil are thrown overboard from a shock they receivefrom the narwhal. Swimming to it, they find it is not a creature, but a giantiron object - the Nautilus. This submarine is a marvel of its time, but a secretto everyone but those on board. The characters then go on an amazing adventure tothe depths of the ocean and beyond.
This tale is truly amazing to anyreader who enjoys suspense, excitement and just a great read.
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