Jules Verne

A Journey to the Centre of the Earth Jules Verne

A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules VerneIn 1863, the German professor Otto Lidenbrock bought the manuscript of an old Icelandic saga. Inside, he and his nephew, Axel, find a coded document written by an Icelandic alchemist named Arne Saknussemm. By decoding it, they discover that the runes are directions to the center of the earth. Saknussemm explains that he made a success of this trip, which makes the professor believe that it is possible.

Lidenbrock and Axel immediately head to Iceland, as they will have to descend through an Icelandic volcano to follow directions from Saknussemm to the center of the earth. Their only window of opportunity for the trip is the end of June, which is almost upon them. Axel doesn't want to go, but Lidenbrock is unstoppable.

In Iceland, Lidenbrock, and Axel hire a guide, Hans Bjelke, who is a duck hunter. The three men successfully travel through the volcano and get closer and closer to the center of the earth, encountering many dangers along the way, such as dangerous flammable gases. At one point, they almost perish for lack of water, and Axel is also temporarily separated from the Professor and Hans.

The center of the earth, dangerous as it is, is also a wonderful place. It is a huge cave apparently untouched by humans from the surface of the planet (except that they find the initials "A. S." engraved in a rock). This underground world is lit by electrified gas. The three men encounter giant mushrooms that grow taller than them and a huge sea on which they travel by raft. Since...