Other editions of book The Master of the World

Set in the summer of 1903, a series of unexplained events occur across the eastern United States, caused by objects moving with such great speed that they are nearly invisible. The first-person narrator John Strock, 'Head inspector in the federal police department' in Washington, DC, travels to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to investigate. He discovers that all the phenomena are being caused by Robur, a brilliant inventor. (He was previously featured as a character in Verne's Robur the Conqueror.)

"It was seen first in North Carolina, or something was, smoking up from a mountain crater. With blinding speed, it roared past cars on a Pennsylvania road. It skimmed the Atlantic, then at the flick of its captain's will dove beneath the waves...It was the "Terror"...ship, sub, plane, and land vehicle in one and a letter from its inventor claimed that with it, he would rule the world." Long recognized as a truly prophetic science fiction classic, this exciting adventure was also Verne's last novel.

Volume 53 of 54 of Jules Verne's "Extraordinary Voyages", first printed in 1904. In this sequel to “Robur the Conqueror”, the brilliant inventor Robur has returned with a powerful new craft, on that surpasses any piece of machinery of the day. Can Inspector Strock, who is investigating the strange occurances related to Robur's craft, match himself against Robur and his mighty machines? This particular edition is reproduced from English-edition public works, and is presented simply with an emphasis on straightforward presentation, attractiveness and continuity of appearance, with each title in the "Extraordinary Voyages" sporting a journal-style brown cover accompanied by a cover illustration and quote from the text on the back cover.

If I speak of myself in this story, it is because I have been deeply involved in its startling events, events doubtless among the most extraordinary which this twentieth century will witness. Sometimes I even ask myself if all this has really happened, if its pictures dwell in truth in my memory, and not merely in my imagination. In my position as head inspector in the federal police department at Washington, urged on moreover by the desire, which has always been very strong in me, to investigate and understand everything which is mysterious, I naturally became much interested in these remarkable occurrences. And as I have been employed by the government in various important affairs and secret missions since I was a mere lad, it also happened very naturally that the head of my department placed In my charge this astonishing investigation, wherein I found myself wrestling with so many impenetrable mysteries.

If I speak of myself in this story, it is because I have been deeply involved in its startling events, events doubtless among the most extraordinary which this twentieth century will witness. Sometimes I even ask myself if all this has really happened, if its pictures dwell in truth in my memory, and not merely in my imagination. In my position as head inspector in the federal police department at Washington, urged on moreover by the desire, which has always been very strong in me, to investigate and understand everything which is mysterious, I naturally became much interested in these remarkable occurrences. And as I have been employed by the government in various important affairs and secret missions since I was a mere lad, it also happened very naturally that the head of my department placed In my charge this astonishing investigation, wherein I found myself wrestling with so many impenetrable mysteries.

Master of the World , published in 1904, is one of the last novels by French pioneer science fiction writer, Jules Verne, and is a sequel to Robur the Conqueror. At the time Verne wrote the novel, his health was failing, and Master of the World is a "black novel," filled with the fear of the coming of tyrants like the novel's villain, Robur, and totalitarianism. Jules Gabriel Verne (February 8, 1828 – March 24, 1905) was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870), Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873). Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travels before air travel and practical submarines were invented, and before practical means of space travel had been devised. He is the second most translated author in the world (after Agatha Christie). Verne is often referred to as the "Father of Science Fiction", a title sometimes shared with H. G. Wells.

Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. Visit us online at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG - - ~~~~~~If I speak of myself in this story, it is because I have been deeply involved in its startling events, events doubtless among the most extraordinary which this twentieth century will witness. Sometimes I even ask myself if all this has really happened, if its pictures dwell in truth in my memory, and not merely in my imagination. In my position as head inspector in the federal police department at Washington, urged on moreover by the desire, which has always been very strong in me, to investigate and understand everything which is mysterious, I naturally became much interested in these remarkable occurrences. And as I have been employed by the government in various important affairs and secret missions since I was a mere lad, it also happened very naturally that the head of my department placed In my charge this astonishing investigation, wherein I found myself wrestling with so many impenetrable mysteries.

A series of unexplained happenings occur across the eastern United States of 1903: an apparent volcanic eruption in North Carolina, an automobile traveling at 150 miles per hour, a fast-moving watercraft off the coast of New England, a submarine in Kansas! John Strock, head inspector in the federal police, across the continent to investigate, finally to discover the "Terror " an astounding vehicle, that is alternately speedboat, submarine, automobile, or aircraft. But when Strock attempts to capture the "Terror," he is captured himself and must confront its mad inventor, Robur - The Master of the World!