Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea takes place in the mid 1800s as talk of mysterious events have been circulating the globe. A great monster of enormous proportions has been sighted surfacing in every sea. When the monster starts attacking ships, men set out to kill the beast. Ned Land, a harpooner, M Arronox a renowned scientist, and Counsel, his assistant, have joined the hunting party in hopes of success. When they do find the beast however it proves its strength in fending off the attackers, but with an unexpected consequence, our three heroes have fallen off their ship and right onto the creature. As time on its back draws on we discover that it is not an organic organism but made of metal, and actually an early submarine, The Nautilus, run on electricity and captained by a man named Nemo. Nemo is a man of great beauty and strength, with a capacity of knowledge like no other. He has renounced the land above and its men to live the rest of his life beneath the waves. When discovering his stowaways he makes it clear they are now his prisoners, but treats them like valued guests, sharing with them all his ship, the wonders of it and the sea. The captives go on many adventures and see sights that have escaped even men today. But it wasn't to last. As the story draws lengthy the Nautilus encounters evil men from Nemo's past. The captain and his crew slaughtered their opponents. This sits terribly wrong with our three heroes and with great reluctance from Arronox, they devise a plan to escape. They steal the small sail boat that serves dinghy to the Nautilus and sail away, leaving the captain with his ship until both their ends.
In The Guardians 2014 post by Sian Cain, Jules Verne's novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea was argued to be the writer's masterpiece. The late 17th century writers' stories and scientific theories give it a special place because it was so accurate and far ahead of its time. Caines' review that this novel was one of “eerie tales of isolation and madness” is spot on as we read about them braving the depths of the sea and uncharted underground ocean tunnel, every next step could be their last. It keeps readers on the edge of their seat and is truly an enthralling story.