The Mysterious Island facts for kids
Cover page of The Mysterious Island
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| Author | Jules Verne |
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| Original title | L'Île mystérieuse |
| Translator |
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| Illustrator | Jules Férat |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Series |
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| Genre | Adventure novel, Science fiction |
| Publisher | Pierre-Jules Hetzel |
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Publication date
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August 1874 – September 1875 (serial); November 1875 (book) |
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Published in English
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1875 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Preceded by | Around the World in Eighty Days |
| Followed by | The Survivors of the Chancellor |
The Mysterious Island (French: L'Île mystérieuse) is a famous adventure novel by the French author Jules Verne. It was first published in 1875. The story is about a group of Americans who escape from a war in a hot-air balloon and crash-land on an unknown island in the Pacific Ocean.
This book is a special kind of sequel. It connects the stories of two of Verne's other popular novels: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas and In Search of the Castaways. It was inspired by other survival stories like Robinson Crusoe and The Swiss Family Robinson. The Mysterious Island is a classic tale of adventure, science, and discovery.
Contents
The Story: Survival and Secrets
Escape in a Storm
The story begins during the American Civil War. Five men from the northern Union army are captured. They make a daring escape from Richmond, Virginia, by stealing a giant observation balloon. The group includes Cyrus Smith, a brilliant engineer; his loyal friend Neb; a tough sailor named Bonadventure Pencroff; a smart teenager named Harbert Brown; and a journalist called Gedéon Spilett. Cyrus's dog, Top, is also with them.
A huge storm catches their balloon and carries them across the ocean for days. They finally crash on a deserted volcanic island. They decide to name it Lincoln Island in honor of the American president, Abraham Lincoln.
Building a New World
At first, the castaways have nothing. But with Cyrus Smith's amazing knowledge of science, they learn to survive and thrive. They figure out how to make fire, create pottery and bricks, and even produce powerful substances like nitroglycerin and iron. They build a comfortable home inside a cave, which they call "Granite House." They also build their own electric telegraph to communicate across the island.
They are no longer just castaways; they are "colonists" building a new life. They even become friends with an orangutan they name Jupiter, or Jup for short.
A Hidden Helper
Strange things start to happen on the island. When Cyrus first falls from the balloon, he is mysteriously saved. The dog, Top, is rescued from a dangerous sea creature. A large box full of useful tools, weapons, and books washes ashore. The colonists realize someone is secretly helping them, but they don't know who it is. This unseen helper is like a guardian angel for the island.
Rescuing Another Castaway
One day, the group finds a message in a bottle. It leads them to a nearby island called Tabor Island. There, they find a man named Tom Ayrton, who was left there years ago for his bad deeds. They bring him back to Lincoln Island to give him a second chance. On their way back, a mysterious fire beacon guides their boat safely through a storm.
Pirates and a Powerful Ally
Ayrton's old pirate crew arrives at Lincoln Island, planning to make it their hideout. The colonists must fight to protect their home. During the battle, the pirate ship is suddenly destroyed by a huge explosion from under the water. The colonists are shocked and wonder who could have done it. The remaining pirates later capture Ayrton and badly injure Harbert. Just when things seem hopeless, Harbert is saved by medicine that mysteriously appears in Granite House. Later, the colonists find the pirates defeated, each with a small, strange mark on them.
The Secret of Captain Nemo
The island's greatest secret is finally revealed. Their hidden helper is Captain Nemo, the famous captain of the submarine Nautilus from the book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. After his adventures in that story, the old and dying Nemo brought his submarine to a secret cave under Lincoln Island.
Nemo explains that he was the one who helped them all along. He saved Cyrus, sent the box of supplies, destroyed the pirate ship with a torpedo, and defeated the remaining pirates with his special electric gun. Before he passes away, he tells them his true story. He was once an Indian prince named Dakkar who fought for his country's freedom. He gives the colonists a chest of jewels and asks them to sink the Nautilus after he dies, so it can be his final resting place.
A Fiery Escape
Captain Nemo warns them that the island's volcano is about to erupt and will destroy everything. The colonists rush to build a bigger boat to escape. The volcano erupts violently, and Lincoln Island sinks into the sea. The colonists survive on a small piece of rock that remains. Just when they have lost all hope, they are rescued by the ship Duncan, which had come looking for Ayrton. Nemo had left a final message on Tabor Island to guide the ship to them.
Using the treasure from Captain Nemo, the friends return to America and buy a large piece of land in Iowa. They build a new "Lincoln Island" colony, where they live and work together.
The Lincoln Island Colonists
- Cyrus Smith: The leader of the group. A brilliant engineer and scientist who knows how to make almost anything from scratch.
- Gedéon Spilett: A brave and resourceful journalist who records the group's adventures.
- Bonadventure Pencroff: A skilled and cheerful sailor who is practical and never gives up hope.
- Harbert Brown: A smart and brave teenager who loves learning about nature. Pencroff thinks of him as a son.
- Neb (Nebuchadnezzar): A man who was formerly enslaved and is now Cyrus Smith's loyal and dedicated friend.
- Top: Cyrus's faithful dog who is an important member of the team.
A Universe of Adventure
The Mysterious Island is part of a larger story world created by Jules Verne.
- Captain Nemo and his submarine, the Nautilus, are from Verne's earlier novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. This book finally tells readers what happened to Nemo after his submarine disappeared into a giant whirlpool.
- Tom Ayrton is a character from another Verne novel, In Search of the Castaways. In that book, he was a villain who was left on a deserted island. The Mysterious Island continues his story and shows him getting a chance to change his ways.
The Island on Screen and in Parks
The Mysterious Island has been a popular story for movies and TV shows for over a century.
- Movies: One of the most famous film versions is Mysterious Island from 1961. It is known for its amazing special effects by Ray Harryhausen, which brought giant crabs and bees to life. A more recent movie, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012), starring Dwayne Johnson, is a fun adventure loosely based on the book.
- Television: There have been several TV series and movies based on the novel, including a Canadian series in 1995 and a TV movie in 2005 starring Patrick Stewart as Captain Nemo.
- Video Games: The computer game Return to Mysterious Island (2004) is a sequel to the book's story, where a new castaway has to solve puzzles to survive.
- Theme Parks: At the Tokyo DisneySea theme park in Japan, there is a whole section called Mysterious Island. It is designed to look like Captain Nemo's secret base inside the volcano from the book.
