''The Mysterious Island'' () is a novel by

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

, serialised from August 1874 to September 1875 and then published in book form in November

1875 Events January * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the year (Third C ...

. The first edition, published by Hetzel, contains illustrations by Jules Férat. The novel is a

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

to Verne's famous ''

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' () is a science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may inclu ...

'' (1870) and ''

In Search of the Castaways ''In Search of the Castaways'' () is a novel by the French writer Jules Verne, published in 1867–68. The original edition, published by Hetzel, contains illustrations by Édouard Riou. In 1876, it was republished by George Routledge & Son ...

'' (1867–68), though its themes are vastly different from those books. An early draft of the novel, rejected by Verne's publisher and wholly reconceived before publication, was titled ''Shipwrecked Family: Marooned with Uncle Robinson'', indicating the influence of the novels ''

Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' ( ) is an English adventure novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. Written with a combination of Epistolary novel, epistolary, Confessional writing, confessional, and Didacticism, didactic forms, the ...

'' and ''

The Swiss Family Robinson ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (German: ''Der Schweizerische Robinson'', "The Swiss Robinson") is a novel by the Swiss author Johann David Wyss, first published in 1812, about a Swiss family of immigrants whose ship en route to Port Jackson, Aus ...

''. Verne developed a similar theme in his novel, ''

Godfrey Morgan ''Godfrey Morgan: A Californian Mystery'' (, literally ''The School for Robinsons''), also published as ''School for Crusoes'', is an 1882 adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. The novel tells of a wealthy young man, Godfrey Morgan, who, ...

'' (French: ''L'École des Robinsons'', 1882). The chronology of ''The Mysterious Island'' is incompatible with that of ''

'', which begins in 1866, while ''The Mysterious Island'' begins during the American Civil War, yet is supposed to happen 16 years after ''Twenty Thousand Leagues''.

Synopsis

During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, five Northern

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

escape during the Siege of Richmond, Virginia, by hijacking a hydrogen-filled observation balloon. The escapees are

Cyrus Smith Cyrus Smith (named Cyrus Harding in some English translations) is one of the protagonists of Jules Verne's 1875 novel '' The Mysterious Island''. He is an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He is a very skilled man and a fi ...

, a

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

in the Union army (named Cyrus Harding in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

's translation); his ex-slave and loyal follower Neb (short for

Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar II, also Nebuchadrezzar II, meaning "Nabu, watch over my heir", was the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from the death of his father Nabopolassar in 605 BC to his own death in 562 BC. Often titled Nebuchadnezzar ...

);

Bonadventure Pencroff ''The Mysterious Island'' () is a novel by Jules Verne, serialised from August 1874 to September 1875 and then published in book form in November 1875. The first edition, published by Hetzel, contains illustrations by Jules Férat. The novel i ...

, a

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...

(who is addressed only by his surname; in Kingston's version, he is named Pencroft); his

protégé Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

and adopted son Harbert Brown (called Herbert in some translations); and the

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

Gedéon Spilett (Gideon Spilett in English versions). 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 ''Unknown Island'' is a 1948 American adventure film directed by Jack Bernhard and starring Virginia Grey, Phillip Reed and Richard Denning. Shot in Cinecolor it was released by Film Classics and in Britain by General Film Distributors. Plo ...

, described as being located at (Southern Pacific Ocean/Asian:Oceanian side), about east of New Zealand and about from Virginia. They name it "Lincoln Island" in honor of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

. With the knowledge of the brilliant engineer Smith, the five are able to sustain themselves on the island, producing fire, pottery, bricks,

nitroglycerin Nitroglycerin (NG) (alternative spelling nitroglycerine), also known as trinitroglycerol (TNG), nitro, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), or 1,2,3-trinitroxypropane, is a dense, colorless or pale yellow, oily, explosive liquid most commonly produced by ...

, iron, an

electric telegraph Electrical telegraphy is Point-to-point (telecommunications), point-to-point distance communicating via sending electric signals over wire, a system primarily used from the 1840s until the late 20th century. It was the first electrical telecom ...

, a cave home inside a stony cliff called "Granite House", and even a seaworthy ship, which they name the "Bonadventure". They start to think of themselves as colonists rather than castaways. During their stay on the island, the "colonists" endure bad weather and domesticate an

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...

, Jupiter, abbreviated to Jup (or Joop, in Jordan Stump's translation). There is a mystery on the island in the form of an unseen ''

deus ex machina ''Deus ex machina'' ( ; ; plural: ''dei ex machina''; 'God from the machine') is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly or abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence. Its function is general ...

'', responsible for Cyrus' survival after falling from the balloon, the mysterious rescue of Top from a

dugong The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest ...

, the appearance of a box of equipment (guns and ammunition, tools, etc.), and other seemingly inexplicable occurrences. The group finds a

message in a bottle A message in a bottle (abbrev. MIB) is a form of communication in which a message is sealed in a container (typically a bottle) and released into a conveyance medium (typically a body of water). Messages in bottles have been used to send distres ...

directing them to rescue a

castaway A castaway is a person who is cast adrift or ashore. While the situation usually happens after a shipwreck, some people voluntarily stay behind on a desert island, either to evade kidnapping, captors or the world in general. A person may also be ...

on nearby Tabor Island, who is none other than

Tom Ayrton Tom Ayrton is a fictional character who appears in two novels by French author Jules Verne. He is first introduced as a major character in the novel '' In Search of the Castaways'' (1867–1868). He then reappears in a later novel, '' The Myster ...

(from ''

''). On the return voyage to Lincoln Island, they lose their way in a tempest but are guided back to their course by a mysterious fire beacon. Ayrton's former companions arrive by chance on Lincoln Island and try to make it into their lair. After some fighting with the protagonists, the pirate ship is mysteriously destroyed by an explosion. Six of the pirates survive and kidnap Ayrton. When the colonists look for him, the pirates shoot Harbert, seriously injuring him. Harbert survives, narrowly evading death. The colonists at first assume Ayrton has been killed, but later they find evidence that he was not instantly killed, leaving his fate uncertain. When the colonists rashly attempt to return to Granite House before Harbert fully recovers, Harbert contracts

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

but is saved by a box of

quinine Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to ''Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg ...

sulfate, which mysteriously appears on the table in Granite House. After Harbert recovers, they attempt to rescue Ayrton and destroy the pirates. They discover Ayrton at the sheepfold, and the pirates dead, without any visible wounds except for a little red spot on each of them. Nemo s death

The island is revealed to be

Captain Nemo Captain Nemo (; also known as Prince Dakkar) is a character created by the French novelist Jules Verne (1828–1905). Nemo appears in two of Verne's science-fiction books, ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (1870) and '' The Mysterious Is ...

's hideout, and home port of the ''

Nautilus A nautilus (; ) is any of the various species within the cephalopod family Nautilidae. This is the sole extant family of the superfamily Nautilaceae and the suborder Nautilina. It comprises nine living species in two genera, the type genus, ty ...

''. Having escaped the

maelstrom Maelstrom may refer to: * Maelstrom (whirlpool), a powerful whirlpool ** originally the Moskstraumen in English Amusement rides * Maelstrom (ride), a former log flume dark ride attraction in the Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World Resort ...

at the end of ''

'', the ''Nautilus'' sailed the oceans of the world until all its crew except Nemo had died. Now an old man, Nemo returned the ''Nautilus'' to its secret port within Lincoln Island. Nemo had been the mysterious benefactor of the settlers, providing them with the box of equipment, sending the message revealing Ayrton, planting the torpedo that destroyed the pirate ship, and killing the pirates with an "electric gun". On his death bed, Captain Nemo reveals his true identity as the lost Indian Prince Dakkar, son of a

raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

of the then-independent territory of Bundelkund and a nephew of the Indian hero Tippu-Sahib. After taking part in the failed

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

, Prince Dakkar escaped to a

desert island An uninhabited island, desert island, or deserted island, is an island, islet or atoll which lacks permanent human population. Uninhabited islands are often depicted in films or stories about shipwrecked people, and are also used as stereotypes ...

with twenty of his compatriots and commenced the building of the ''Nautilus'' and adopted the new name of "Captain Nemo". Before he dies, Nemo gives them a box of diamonds and pearls as a keepsake. Nemo's final words are "God and my country!" ("Independence!", in Verne's original manuscript). The ''Nautilus'' is scuttled and serves as Captain Nemo's tomb. Afterward, the island's central volcano erupts, destroying the island. Jup the orangutan falls into a crack in the ground and dies. The colonists, forewarned of the eruption by Nemo, find shelter on the last remaining piece of the island above sea level. They are rescued by the ship ''Duncan'', which had come to rescue Ayrton, but was redirected by a message Nemo had previously left on Tabor Island. After they return to the United States they form a new colony in Iowa, financed with Nemo's gifts.

Publication history in English

In the United States the first English printing began in ''

Scribner's Monthly ''Scribner's Monthly: An Illustrated Magazine for the People'' was an illustrated American literary periodical published from 1870 until 1881. Following a change in ownership in 1881 of the company that had produced it, the magazine was relaunc ...

'', April 1874, as a serial. In September 1875 Sampson Low, Marston Low, and Searle published the first British edition of ''Mysterious Island'' in three volumes entitled ''Dropped from the Clouds'', ''The Abandoned'', and ''The Secret of the Island'' (195,000 words). In November 1875 Scribner's published the American edition of these volumes from the English plates of Sampson Low. The purported translator, W. H. G. Kingston, was a famous author of boys' adventure and sailing stories who had fallen on hard times in the 1870s due to business failures, and so he hired out to Sampson Low as the translator for these volumes. However, it is now known that the translator of ''Mysterious Island'' and his other Verne novels was actually his wife, Agnes Kinloch Kingston, who had studied on the continent in her youth. The Kingston translation changes the names of the hero from "Smith" to "Harding"; "Smith" is a very common name in the UK and would have been associated, at that time, with the lower classes. In addition many technical passages were abridged or omitted and the anti-imperialist sentiments of the dying Captain Nemo were purged so as not to offend English readers. This became the standard translation for more than a century. In 1876 the Stephen W. White translation (175,000 words) appeared first in the columns of ''The Evening Telegraph'' of Philadelphia and subsequently as an Evening Telegraph Reprint Book. This translation is more faithful to the original story and restores the death scene of Captain Nemo, but there is still condensation and omission of some sections such as Verne's description of how a sawmill works. In the 20th century two more abridged translations appeared: the Fitzroy Edition (Associated Booksellers, 1959) abridged by I. O. Evans (90,000 words) and ''Mysterious Island'' (Bantam, 1970) abridged by Lowell Bair (90,000 words). Except for the Complete and Unabridged Classics Series CL77 published in 1965 (Airmont Publishing Company, Inc), no other unabridged translations appeared until 2001 when the illustrated version of Sidney Kravitz appeared (Wesleyan University Press) almost simultaneously with the new translation of Jordan Stump published by Random House Modern Library (2001). Kravitz also translated ''Shipwrecked Family: Marooned With Uncle Robinson'', published by the North American Jules Verne Society and BearManor Fiction in 2011.

''Wrecked on a Reef'' influence

The 2003 English edition of ''Wrecked on a Reef'' (1869), a memoir by French shipwreck survivor

François Édouard Raynal François Édouard Raynal (8 July 1830 – 28 April 1898) was a French sailor best known for his involvement in the ''Grafton'' shipwreck at the Auckland Islands. He wrote a popular account of the voyage, ''Les Naufragés, ou Vingt mois sur ...

, has additional appendices by French scholar Christiane Mortelier who presents a case for the influence of Raynal's book on Verne's ''The Mysterious Island''. The '' Grafton'' was wrecked near New Zealand on the

Auckland Islands The Auckland Islands ( Māori: ''Motu Maha'' "Many islands" or ''Maungahuka'' "Snowy mountains") are an archipelago of New Zealand, lying south of the South Island. The main Auckland Island, occupying , is surrounded by smaller Adams Island ...

on 3 January 1864, where the crew of five survived for 19 months before obtaining rescue. ''Wrecked on a Reef'', Raynal's memoir of the incident, was very popular at the time of publication, being translated into multiple languages. According to Mortelier, Verne read Raynal's account and loosely based his novel on the true life story of ''Grafton'' shipwreck, survival, privation, and ultimate rescue.

Translations in Indian languages

The novel has been translated into

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

by B. R. Bhagwat titled 'निर्जन बेटावरचे धाडसी वीर', which roughly translates as "Brave Fighters on a Deserted Island", and has a cult following in

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. The novel has also been translated to

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

, as ''Nigoodadweep'', translated by Kesavan Nambisan. There is more than one translation in

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

. The translation by Kuladaranjan Roy is called “আশ্চর্য দ্বীপ” (''Aschorjo Dwip'') and was republished by Kalpabiswa Publications in 2023. Another translation by Shamsuddin Nawab from

Sheba Prokashoni Sheba Prokashoni () is a publishing house in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was founded by Qazi Anwar Hussain. Its books are aimed at young Bangladeshi readers, and include translations of Western literature, Western literary Classic book, classics into t ...

, published in 1979, is called ''Rahosshor Dip''.

Adaptations

Lobby Card for the 1929 version of The Mysterious Island

Film – English language

* ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'' (1916 film): This classic American silent feature combines ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' and ''The Mysterious Island'' into a single narrative, shifting back and forth between the ''Nautilus'' and the island. * ''The Mysterious Island'' (1929 film): loosely based on the back-story given for Captain Nemo in the novel. It is an American part-talking feature shot largely in

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

, and features talking sequences, sound effects and synchronized music. Filmed as a silent but a talking sequence was added to the beginning and brief talking sequences were integrated into the film. Directed by

Lucien Hubbard Lucien Hubbard (December 22, 1888 – December 31, 1971) was an American film producer and screenwriter. Biography Hubbard is best known for producing the 1927 film ''Wings'', for which he received the first Academy Award for Best Picture. Luc ...

with

Benjamin Christensen Benjamin Christensen (28 September 1879 – 2 April 1959) was a Danish film director, screenwriter and an actor, both in film and on the stage. As a director, he was best known for his 1922 film '' Häxan'' (aka ''Witchcraft Through the Ages'') ...

and

Maurice Tourneur Maurice Félix Thomas (; 2 February 1876 – 4 August 1961), known as Maurice Tourneur (), was a French film director and screenwriter. Life Born Maurice Félix Thomas in the Épinettes district (17th arrondissement of Paris), his father was a w ...

. * ''Mysterious Island'' (1951 serial): a 15-chapter serial directed by

Spencer Gordon Bennet Spencer Gordon Bennet (January 5, 1893 – October 8, 1987) was an American film producer and director. Known as the "King of Serial Directors", he directed more film serials than any other director. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Benne ...

. * ''Mysterious Island'' (1961 film): directed by

Cy Endfield Cyril Raker Endfield (November 10, 1914 – April 16, 1995) was an American film director, who at times also worked as a writer, theatre director, and inventor. Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, he worked in the New York theatre in the late 1930s ...

, also known as ''Jules Verne's Mysterious Island'', featuring special effects from

Ray Harryhausen Raymond Frederick Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American-British animator and special effects creator who is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of both fields. In a career spanning more than 40 ...

and

Herbert Lom Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchačevič ze Schluderpacheru (11 September 1917 – 27 September 2012), known professionally as Herbert Lom (), was a Czech-British actor with a career spanning over 60 years. His cool demeanour and precise, elegan ...

as Nemo and a score by

Bernard Herrmann Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in film scoring. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely regarde ...

. * '' Journey 2: The Mysterious Island'': a 2012 film loosely based on the novel, directed by

Brad Peyton Brad Peyton (born May 27, 1978) is a Canadian filmmaker, best known for directing the Dwayne Johnson star vehicles '' Journey 2: The Mysterious Island'' (2012), '' San Andreas'' (2015), and '' Rampage'' (2018) as well as the Netflix series '' Day ...

, done as a sequel to an earlier

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...

of Verne's ''

Journey to the Center of the Earth ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel written by French novelist Jules Ve ...

'', with

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional w ...

taking over the lead role from

Brendan Fraser Brendan James Fraser ( ; born December 3, 1968) is an American-Canadian actor. List of awards and nominations received by Brendan Fraser, His accolades include an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a nomination for a Golden Globe A ...

Television – English language

* ''Mysterious Island'': a Canadian television series that ran for one season in 1995. * ''Mysterious Island'' (2005): a TV movie featuring

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor. With a career spanning over seven decades of Patrick Stewart on stage and screen, stage and screen, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Patrick Stewart, variou ...

as Captain Nemo which is only loosely based on the novel. Nominated for a

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...

for best TV presentation. * '' Jules Verne's Mysterious Island'': A 2012 cinematic adaptation, loosely based on the novel, made for the Syfy Channel. * The 2019 Netflix television series ''

The I-Land ''The I-Land'' is an American science fiction thriller television miniseries created by Anthony Salter. The series is executive produced by Neil LaBute, Chad Oakes and Mike Frislev. The series stars Kate Bosworth, Natalie Martinez, Ronald Peet ...

'' is inspired by Vernes' Mysterious Island, and a paperback copy of Vernes' book is featured in the first episode. There is also some significance of an adaptation of Captain Nemo and the Mysterious Island in the first arc of the sixth season of ''Once Upon a Time''.

Film and TV – foreign language

* ''Mysterious Island'' (1941 film): a

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

production, directed by Eduard Pentslin. * The 1967 live-action/animated film ''

The Stolen Airship ''The Stolen Airship'' (; ) is a 1966 live-action/animated film by Czech filmmaker Karel Zeman. The story is based loosely on Jules Verne's novels '' Two Years' Vacation'' and ''The Mysterious Island''. The film in Art Nouveau style consists of li ...

'' by Czech film maker

Karel Zeman Karel Zeman (3 November 1910 – 5 April 1989) was a Czech film director, artist, production designer and animator. He is best known for directing fantasy films combining live-action footage with animation, including '' Journey to the Beginning ...

is based loosely on Jules Verne's novels '' Two Years' Vacation'' and ''The Mysterious Island''. * '' La isla misteriosa y el capitán Nemo'' (''L'Île mystérieuse'') (1973): directed by

Juan Antonio Bardem Juan Antonio Bardem Muñoz (2 June 1922 – 30 October 2002) was a Spanish film director and screenwriter, born in Madrid. Bardem was best known for '' Muerte de un ciclista'' (1955) which won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1955 Cannes Film Festiv ...

and

Henri Colpi Henri Colpi (; 15 July 1921 – 14 January 2006) was a French film editor and film director. Early life Colpi graduated from the IDHEC in 1947. During 1950 to 1960, he edited films for such notable French New Wave directors as Agnès Varda and ...

: a TV

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

featuring

Omar Sharif Omar Sharif (, ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub ; 10 April 1932 – 10 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the 1950s. He is bes ...

as Captain Nemo.

Audio and music

* ''The Mysterious Island'' (1977): A radio adaptation by Ian Martin broadcast on the ''

CBS Radio Mystery Theater ''CBS Radio Mystery Theater'' (a.k.a. ''Radio Mystery Theater'' and ''Mystery Theater'', sometimes abbreviated as ''CBSRMT'') is a radio drama series created by Himan Brown that was broadcast on CBS Radio Network affiliates from 1974 to 1982, ...

''. * ''The Mysterious Island'' (2018): a new radio dramatisation by Gregory Evans broadcast on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

on 5 August 2018 as part of their ''To the Ends of the Earth'' drama series. * ''Pulp Musicals, Episode 4: The Searcher in the Shadows'' (2024). The Mysterious Island served loosely as inspiration for a three-part musical by composer Matt Dahan as part of his musical radio series ''Pulp Musicals''. The episode primarily takes places on Lincoln Island and is inspired by both The Mysterious Island and ''Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea''.

Board games

* The boardgame ''Mysterious Island'' was published by The Game Crafter in 2019. The game is a cooperative game, based on the themes of Jules Vernes novel, where all players have to survive and escape an island.

Video games

* The computer game ''

Myst ''Myst'' is a 1993 adventure video game developed by Cyan and published by Broderbund for Mac OS. In the game, the player travels via a special book to a mysterious island called Myst. The player interacts with objects and traverses the ...

'', released 1993, and several locations featured in the game were also inspired by Jules Verne's novel. * The computer game '' Return to Mysterious Island'' (2004) is an

adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story, driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based m ...

sequel to the story. Its heroine, Mina, is shipwrecked alone on the uncharted island, and finds the body of the previous inhabitant, Captain Nemo (whom she buries). She finally escapes by locating the ''

'' and disabling the island's defenses. On November 25, 2008

Microïds Microids (formerly Microïds) is a French video game developer and publisher based in Paris. Founded in 1985 by Elliot Grassiano, it attained early success with games published through Loriciel in France and other partners (including Activisio ...

(

Anuman Interactive Microids (formerly Microïds) is a French video game developer and publisher based in Paris. Founded in 1985 by Elliot Grassiano, it attained early success with games published through Loriciel in France and other partners (including Activisio ...

's adventure games label) announced that a sequel was being made, ''Return to Mysterious Island II''. It had been in development by Kheops Studio since April 2008, and was released on PC and Apple

iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...

on August 14, 2009. *

Zen Studios Zen Studios is a Hungarian video game developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software with headquarters in Budapest, Hungary and offices in the United States. It is known for its game franchises, ''Pinball FX'' and '' Zen Pinball'', ...

released a table based on the book for

Pinball FX ''Pinball FX'' is a pinball machine video game for the Xbox 360. It was developed by Zen Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released on April 25, 2007 via the Xbox Live Arcade service. The game features three tables, wit ...

on June 8, 2023. Playing as Cyrus Smith, Gideon Spilett, Bonaventure Pencroft, or Harbert Brown, the objective is to survive and escape the island. The table designer was inspired from reading the book when he had a summer job.

Literature

* The 2002 novel '' Captain Nemo: The Fantastic History of a Dark Genius'' has the events of this novel based on 'real' events that occurred to the real Nemo, Andre, who gave the details of his encounters to Verne. * The 2021 novel ‘Daughter of the Deep’ by Rick Riordan inspired by Jules Verne’s books ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ and ‘The Mysterious Island’.

Theme park

* Mysterious Island is also the name of a themed land at

Tokyo DisneySea is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, just next to Tokyo. It opened on 4 September 2001, at a cost of 335 billion yen. The Oriental Land Company owns the park, and licenses intellectual prope ...

opened in 2001 and features two attractions based on other Jules Verne novels, ''

'' and '' Journey to the Centre of the Earth''.

Notes

* In the French original, some characters were named a little differently: Gédéon Spillet, Nabuchodonosor (Nab) and Harbert Brown. In the Kingston translation, the engineer is named Cyrus Harding, and the sailor is named Pencroft. * There are discrepancies in continuity between this novel and ''

''. Although this novel was written in 1874, its events take place from 1865 to 1869. The events of ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' take place between 1867 and 1868. For example, the Captain Nemo appearing in this novel dies at a time when the Captain Nemo in ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' was still alive. There is usually a note in most editions of the book admitting date discrepancies. There are also similar discrepancies with ''

'', although, these are not as often pointed out. Another error is that Neb is depicted as Smith's former slave. But since Smith is identified as being from Massachusetts, where slavery was abolished in the 1780s, Neb would never have been a slave.

References

External links

* * —Stephen W. White translation (1876) * —W. H. G. Kingston (Mrs. Agnes Kinloch Kingston) translation (1875) *
''The Mysterious Island''
��Sidney Kravitz's unedited unabridged translation (2001). The extensive introduction and notes for this volume are a
''Mysterious Island Introduction''

''The Mysterious Island''
��Interactive 3D model on CryEngine 1 by Crytek *
North American Jules Verne Society

Link to a map of Lincoln Island with English labels

''The Mysterious Island''
��

drama adaptation {{DEFAULTSORT:Mysterious Island, The 1874 French novels 1874 science fiction novels French science fiction novels French adventure novels Crossover novels Sequel novels Robinsonades Novels set in Oceania Novels set in the Southern United States Novels set in Virginia Novels set in Richmond, Virginia Novels set on fictional islands Novels set on uninhabited islands Novels about the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Novels set during the American Civil War Novels about apes Novels about dogs Novels about pirates Novels about survival skills Fiction about castaways Fictional islands French novels adapted into films Science fiction novels adapted into films Adventure novels adapted into films French novels adapted into television shows French novels adapted for radio Novels adapted into comics Novels adapted into video games Novels by Jules Verne