Reading Order
Jules Verne published 54 novels under the title Extraordinary Voyages. Each book stands alone completely. You don’t have to read them in any particular order.
Many readers start with Verne’s most famous books. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea covers submarines and underwater adventure. Journey to the Center of the Earth sends characters down into the planet. Around the World in Eighty Days follows a race around the globe.
From there, choose based on what interests you. Space readers might pick From the Earth to the Moon and its sequel. Survival stories lead to The Mysterious Island, where castaways use scientific knowledge on a deserted island. Readers wanting earlier Verne can try Five Weeks in a Balloon, his first published novel.
The table below shows Verne’s major novels in publication order. Reading this way shows how his writing changed from straightforward adventure to more complex science fiction.
| # | Title | Year | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Five Weeks in a Balloon | 1863 | Buy |
| 2 | Journey to the Center of the Earth | 1864 | Buy |
| 3 | The Adventures of Captain Hatteras | 1866 | - |
| 4 | From the Earth to the Moon | 1865 | Buy |
| 5 | Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea | 1870 | Buy |
| 6 | Around the Moon | 1872 | Buy |
| 7 | A Floating City | 1871 | - |
| 8 | The Blockade Runners | 1871 | - |
| 9 | The Survivors of the Chancellor | 1875 | - |
| 10 | Michael Strogoff | 1876 | Buy |
| 11 | The Child of the Cavern | 1877 | - |
| 12 | Dick Sand | 1878 | - |
| 13 | The Fur Country | 1878 | - |
| 14 | Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon | 1881 | - |
| 15 | The Steam House | 1881 | - |
| 16 | Robur the Conqueror | 1886 | Buy |
| 17 | Facing the Flag | 1896 | Buy |
| 18 | An Antarctic Mystery | 1897 | - |
| 19 | The Mighty Orinoco | 1898 | - |
Around the World in Eighty Days (1873) is not technically in the Extraordinary Voyages series but ranks as Verne’s most famous work. Phineas Fogg accepts a bet to circle the globe in 80 days and races against the clock.
The Mysterious Island (1874) features castaways who rebuild civilization on a deserted island using scientific knowledge. The novel reveals Captain Nemo’s backstory, linking it to 20,000 Leagues.
From the Earth to the Moon (1865) and its sequel Around the Moon tell the story of the Baltimore Gun Club building a massive cannon to launch three men toward the moon.
Michael Strogoff follows a courier for the Tsar of Russia traveling across Siberia during a Tatar uprising.
Robur the Conqueror introduces a mysterious inventor who builds a heavier-than-air aircraft called the Albatross and abducts skeptics who laugh at his ideas.
Facing the Flag features a mad scientist threatening to bomb major cities unless his demands are met, while a young naval officer races to prevent catastrophe.