BOOK SUMMARY ON “ THE MYSTRIOUS ISLAND”

By

Faiza Mahjabin Hasan, Class VI, Section E, Roll

Jules Verne’s “The Mysterious Island” is a classic adventure novel that describes the
adventure of a group of castaways on an uncharted South Pacific island. The book was first
published in 1874 by Pierre-Jules Hetzel. It was originally written in French with the title
“ L'Île mystérieuse”. The novel was translated in English by many writers such as Agnes
Kinloch Kingston and W. H. G. Kingston in 1875, Stephen W. White in 1876 and more recently
by Jordan Stump in 2001.

Jules Gabriel Verne was a French novelist, poet, and playwright who was born on 8 February
1828 in the seaport of Nantes, France. Verne is famous for his adventure novels and has
been the second most-translated author in the world since 1979. He has sometimes been
called the "Father of Science Fiction". He is the author of the classics such as Journey to the
Center of the Earth (1864), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870), and Around the
World in Eighty Days (1873).

The story of the book describes the tale of five prisoner of war during the American Civil War
who decide to escape, during the stage of Richmond Virginia, by hijacking a balloon. The
escapees are Cyrus Smith, a railroad engineer in the union army; his ex-slave and loyal
follower Neb; Percroft, a sailor; his protégé and adopted son Herbert; and the journalist
Gideon Spillet. The company is completed by Cyrus’s dog “Top”.

After flying in a great storm for several days, the group crash-lands on a cliff bound, volcanic,
unknown island, described as being located at about 2500 km east at New Zealand. They
name it “Lincoln Island” in honor of their president, Abraham Lincoln. With the knowledge
of the brilliant engineer Smith, the five could sustain themselves on the island, producing
fire, pottery, Bricks, nitroglycerin, iron, a simple electric telegraph, a home on a cliffside
called “Granite House”, and even a seaworthy ship, which they name the “Bonaduenture”.
They also manage to figure out their geographical location.

During their stay on the island, the group encountered number of mysteries in the form of
an unseen ‘help’, responsible for Cyrus’ survival after falling from the balloon and
appearance of a much-needed box of ammunitions and tools which were essential for their
survival. The group finds message in a battle that directed them to rescue a castaway on a
nearby island. On the return voyage to Lincoln Island, they lost their way in a tempest but
are guided back to their course by a mysterious fire Beacon. One day a pirate ship which was
trying to anchor at Lincoln Island was mysteriously destroyed by an explosion. A few days
later Herbert falls sick. Smith identified the illness and knew the medicine to give for it:
Sulphate of quinine. But there was no supply at quinine in the trees of the island which
mysteriously appears on the table in Granite House next day.

The secret of the Island is revealed when it is discovered to be as Captain Nimo’s hideout,
and home port of Nautilus, is submarine. Having escaped from the Maelstrom at the end of
“Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea”, another book of Jules Verne, the Nautilus sailed
the oceans of the world until all its crew except Nemo had died. Nemo has been the
mysterious helper of the settlers, providing them the box of equipment and planting the
torpedo that destroyed the pirate ship. On his death bed, Captain Nemo reveals his identity
as the lost Indian Prince Dakkar, son of an Indian Raja. After taking part in the failed rebellion
of 1857, Prince Dakkar escaped to an island with twenty of his compatriots and commenced
the building of the Nautilus and adopted the new name “Captain Nemo”. Nemo tells his life
story to Smith and his friends. Then the team leave Captain Nemo with his submarine to be
going down in water.

Based on the true story of Alexander Selkirk, who survived alone for almost five years on an
uninhabited island off the coast of Chile, The Mysterious Island is considered by many to be
Jules Verne’s masterpiece. Even today, it is read by millions of kids and adults alike across
the world in many languages.