The Master of the World

One of Jules Verne's final books, The Master of the World, which was released in 1904, is a science fiction classic. The novel was written as Verne's health was deteriorating. Master of the World is a "dark novel," full of dread and anxiety about the emergence of totalitarianism and tyrants like the book's antagonist, Robur. The plot of the book takes place in the summer of 1903 when things travel so quickly they are essentially invisible triggering a number of mysterious occurrences around the Eastern United States. John Strock, the first-person narrator, who works as the "Head Inspector in the Federal Police Department" in Washington, DC, goes on an investigation trip to the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. The Terror is a brand-new device that Robur has perfected. It is a ten-meter-long vehicle that may be used as a submarine, speedboat, car, or airplane. It can fly at more than 200 mph and move at the (then) unheard-of speed of 150 mph on land. Strock attempts to apprehend the Terror but finds himself taken prisoner. To escape his pursuers, Robur pilots the unusual vessel toward the Caribbean and into a rainstorm. Lightning strikes the Terror, which disintegrates and crashes into the water.