20,000 leagues under the sea
(Book)

Translated from the French.

Taken aboard the submarine Nautilus by Captain Nemo, the narrator and his companions find themselves captives on a spectacular tour of the world's oceans, and witnesses to Nemo's increasingly obsessive hatred of the surface world. Professor Pierre Aronnax was rescued from drowning by Captain Nemo, who insists that in order to protect the secret of his submarine, Aronnax must stay on board the Nautilus for the rest of his life. They explore the oceans, with the inspired author guiding them through a terrific array of undersea wonders, some based on reality and others wholly imagined. Giving his lush imagination free rein Verne describes his characters encountering sunken ships, Antarctic ice, and the drowned city of Atlantis, spicing the action with an unforgettable battle with giant squid. Though it all Aronnax notes Captain Nemo's hatred for the nations of the surface world, which builds until it borders on madness and Aronnax and his companions realize that they must find a way to escape.