The Master of the World

Jules Verne (1828 - 1905)

Chief Inspector Strock gets the tough cases. When a volcano suddenly appears to threaten mountain towns of North Carolina amid the non-volcanic Blue Ridge Mountains, Strock is posted to determine the danger. When an automobile race in Wisconsin is interrupted by the unexpected appearance of a vehicle traveling at multiples of the top speed of the entrants, Strock is consulted. When an odd-shaped boat is sighted moving at impossible speeds off the New England coast, Stock and his boss begin to wonder if the incidents are related. And when Strock gets a hand-lettered note warning him to abandon his investigation, on pain of death, he is intrigued rather than deterred.

Set in a period when gasoline engines were in their infancy and automobiles were rare, and when even Chief Inspectors had to engage a carriage and horses to move about, the appearance of a vehicle that can move at astounding speeds on land, on water - and as later revealed, underwater and through the air - marks a technological advance far beyond the reach of nations. It is technology invented by and for the sole benefit of a man who styles himself (with some justification) "The Master of the World."

This book is a sequel to an earlier Verne novel, "Robur the Conqueror", but enough detail is given to fully appreciate this story without having first read the other. (Summary by Mark)

Genre(s): Action & Adventure Fiction, Detective Fiction, Science Fiction

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 What Happened in the Mountains Mark F. Smith
00:15:39
Play 02 I Reach Morganton Mark F. Smith
00:16:31
Play 03 The Great Eyrie Mark F. Smith
00:23:08
Play 04 A Meeting of the Automobile Club Mark F. Smith
00:17:05
Play 05 Along the Shores of New England Mark F. Smith
00:17:10
Play 06 The First Letter Mark F. Smith
00:11:15
Play 07 A Third Machine Mark F. Smith
00:17:35
Play 08 At Any Cost Mark F. Smith
00:19:31
Play 09 The Second Letter Mark F. Smith
00:02:19
Play 10 Outside the Law Mark F. Smith
00:14:29
Play 11 The Campaign Mark F. Smith
00:18:30
Play 12 Black Rock Creek Mark F. Smith
00:17:59
Play 13 On Board the Terror Mark F. Smith
00:17:58
Play 14 Niagra Mark F. Smith
00:23:53
Play 15 The Eagle's Nest Mark F. Smith
00:18:08
Play 16 Robur, the Conqueror Mark F. Smith
00:11:26
Play 17 In the Name of the Law Mark F. Smith
00:25:25
Play 18 The Old Housekeeper's Last Comment Mark F. Smith
00:06:14