Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is an action-packed story of a voyage into the unknown - an enthralling mixture of 'fact' and fiction. Although Jules Verne is describing the most fantastic of events, he gives credence to them by packing the novel with details and dates. To add further weight, the narrator is a man of science – the respected Professor Aronnax. It is through his empathy with Captain Nemo that the reader comes to know the fallen, tortured soul who has condemned himself ceaselessly to roam the seas. His story elevates a good, rip-roaring yarn into fine tragedy.