Around the Moon

Jules Verne picks up his lunar adventure exactly where From the Earth to the Moon left off, with three men sealed inside a hollow projectile that has just been fired toward the sky by an enormous cannon. President Barbicane, the tough Captain Nicholl, and the high-spirited Frenchman Michel Ardan spend the voyage measuring, arguing, and marveling as they drift through space, only to have a stray meteor knock them off course and into orbit rather than a landing. Verne fills the cabin with real physics, dry humor, and genuine wonder at the emptiness outside the window. Written in 1870, it remains a landmark of early science fiction and a surprisingly careful guess at what leaving Earth might feel like. Free PDF and EPUB editions are available to read and download.