When they boarded the hot air balloon they had no inclination of where it would take them. They figured anywhere was better than a war-torn Richmond. The balloon traveled thousands of miles away from the shores of Virginia leaving the occupants; Captain Cryus Harding, Gideon Spilett, Neb, Pencroft, Herbert, and Top the dog.



Severe weather and a torn balloon left the castaways in a desparate search for land. They tried everything to make their craft lighter to stay adrift of the air current. These steps left them without provisions, without tools, and without away back to the land they loved.



They landed on an island which never felt the weight of a man before. The castaways started from scratch, using the land to provide for their every want and desire. The island, and the colonists; as they began calling themselves, with a little know-how created everything from crude tools to simple sawmills.



The men with their varying backgrounds made a life for themselves on the island they called "Lincoln Island". Each day was full of hard work of farming, hunting, and surviving; the bad weather, the ferocious animals, and later a band of blood thirsty pirates.



They had an unknown benefactor that was smiling on the able bodies and minds of the first "colonists" who in times of need who greatly help them.

Since many people refer Jules Verne as the "Father of Science Fiction", I loved how he could take a complicated process like making glass from sand and other ingredients. He also describes the floral and fauna of the island in such away that you can imagine that it is you who is looking at the bird or beast through the gun sights.

This book made me realize that men and women taken out of their environment still have a way to survive. It may be easier to be stranded at the local Wal*Mart without a checkbook than in the wilderness without a compass, but human nature is to cope with our surroundings.

Jules Verne has written other creative novels like "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", "Around the World in 80 Days", and "Journey to the Center of the Earth". I recommend each of these as a Must Read

Because it is a mixture of Science, History, Mystery, Drama, and Action/Adventure.