Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

The novel kicks off when rumors spread about sightings of a mysterious sea monster, initially thought to be a giant narwhal. This instigates the United States government to organize an expedition in hopes of hunting down and destroying the ravaging creature. Consequently, French marine biologist Pierre Aronnax is invited to join the expedition, who takes with him his trusted servant Conseil, along with expert harpooner Ned Land, and accordingly the trio set about the search. Following a lengthy pursuit, the ship finally finds and attacks the monster but to no avail, as the impact hurls the three men into the water. In an attempt to grasp the hide of the monster, the men come to a startling discovery as they realize the supposed monster is in fact a submarine. The men are then captured and brought inside the futuristic vessel, which they later find out is named Nautilus, and meet its enigmatic commander and creator, Captain Nemo. So begins the journey on board the Nautilus, as its three coerced guests travel across all the world’s seas visiting different underwater locations while witnessing the most bizarre, yet gripping marvels of the oceanic depths. Shipwrecks, giant squids, sharks, lost cities, coral reefs, whirlpools and an eccentric captain are just some of the obstacles separating the trio from their freedom.

An exhilarating subaqueous adventure through unseen wonders, Verne’s detailed and prophetic imagination propels the novel and secures its position as a literary classic and a pristine model for science fiction enthusiasts.