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.
