The Master of the World

The Master of the World is a science fiction novel written by Jules Verne and first published in 1904, shortly before the French writer's death.

In a mountainous area of North Carolina, strange explosions and lights have been heard and have spread terror among the locals. To determine the origin of the explosions, and in the face of the failure of the police, the government sends one of its best investigators, the intrepid John Strock, to look into the matter.

What Strock does not expect to find is a genius inventor who has created a vehicle capable of moving through land, air and water at great speed. The inventor has also called himself "The Master of the World" and his invention will threaten the world order and is a challenge to the authorities.

Strock must find a way to stop the Master and his dangerous machine in an adventure full of action, intrigue, and Verne-esque technological detail. Themes of human ambition and technological progress are the protagonists of the story.

"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."