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hellsitesonlybookclub · 5 months

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Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

CHAPTER XXX. IN WHICH PHILEAS FOGG SIMPLY DOES HIS DUTY

Three passengers including Passepartout had disappeared. Had they been killed in the struggle? Were they taken prisoners by the Sioux? It was impossible to tell.

There were many wounded, but none mortally. Colonel Proctor was one of the most seriously hurt; he had fought bravely, and a ball had entered his groin. He was carried into the station with the other wounded passengers, to receive such attention as could be of avail.

Aouda was safe; and Phileas Fogg, who had been in the thickest of the fight, had not received a scratch. Fix was slightly wounded in the arm. But Passepartout was not to be found, and tears coursed down Aouda’s cheeks.

All the passengers had got out of the train, the wheels of which were stained with blood. From the tyres and spokes hung ragged pieces of flesh. As far as the eye could reach on the white plain behind, red trails were visible. The last Sioux were disappearing in the south, along the banks of Republican River.

Mr. Fogg, with folded arms, remained motionless. He had a serious decision to make. Aouda, standing near him, looked at him without speaking, and he understood her look. If his servant was a prisoner, ought he not to risk everything to rescue him from the Indians? “I will find him, living or dead,” said he quietly to Aouda.

“Ah, Mr.—Mr. Fogg!” cried she, clasping his hands and covering them with tears.

“Living,” added Mr. Fogg, “if we do not lose a moment.”

Phileas Fogg, by this resolution, inevitably sacrificed himself; he pronounced his own doom. The delay of a single day would make him lose the steamer at New York, and his bet would be certainly lost. But as he thought, “It is my duty,” he did not hesitate.

The commanding officer of Fort Kearney was there. A hundred of his soldiers had placed themselves in a position to defend the station, should the Sioux attack it.

“Sir,” said Mr. Fogg to the captain, “three passengers have disappeared.”

“Dead?” asked the captain.

“Dead or prisoners; that is the uncertainty which must be solved. Do you propose to pursue the Sioux?”

“That’s a serious thing to do, sir,” returned the captain. “These Indians may retreat beyond the Arkansas, and I cannot leave the fort unprotected.”

“The lives of three men are in question, sir,” said Phileas Fogg.

“Doubtless; but can I risk the lives of fifty men to save three?”

“I don’t know whether you can, sir; but you ought to do so.”

“Nobody here,” returned the other, “has a right to teach me my duty.”

“Very well,” said Mr. Fogg, coldly. “I will go alone.”

“You, sir!” cried Fix, coming up; “you go alone in pursuit of the Indians?”

“Would you have me leave this poor fellow to perish—him to whom every one present owes his life? I shall go.”

“No, sir, you shall not go alone,” cried the captain, touched in spite of himself. “No! you are a brave man. Thirty volunteers!” he added, turning to the soldiers.

The whole company started forward at once. The captain had only to pick his men. Thirty were chosen, and an old sergeant placed at their head.

“Thanks, captain,” said Mr. Fogg.

“Will you let me go with you?” asked Fix.

“Do as you please, sir. But if you wish to do me a favour, you will remain with Aouda. In case anything should happen to me—”

A sudden pallor overspread the detective’s face. Separate himself from the man whom he had so persistently followed step by step! Leave him to wander about in this desert! Fix gazed attentively at Mr. Fogg, and, despite his suspicions and of the struggle which was going on within him, he lowered his eyes before that calm and frank look.

“I will stay,” said he.

A few moments after, Mr. Fogg pressed the young woman’s hand, and, having confided to her his precious carpet-bag, went off with the sergeant and his little squad. But, before going, he had said to the soldiers, “My friends, I will divide five thousand dollars among you, if we save the prisoners.”

It was then a little past noon.

Aouda retired to a waiting-room, and there she waited alone, thinking of the simple and noble generosity, the tranquil courage of Phileas Fogg. He had sacrificed his fortune, and was now risking his life, all without hesitation, from duty, in silence.

Fix did not have the same thoughts, and could scarcely conceal his agitation. He walked feverishly up and down the platform, but soon resumed his outward composure. He now saw the folly of which he had been guilty in letting Fogg go alone. What! This man, whom he had just followed around the world, was permitted now to separate himself from him! He began to accuse and abuse himself, and, as if he were director of police, administered to himself a sound lecture for his greenness.

“I have been an idiot!” he thought, “and this man will see it. He has gone, and won’t come back! But how is it that I, Fix, who have in my pocket a warrant for his arrest, have been so fascinated by him? Decidedly, I am nothing but an ass!”

So reasoned the detective, while the hours crept by all too slowly. He did not know what to do. Sometimes he was tempted to tell Aouda all; but he could not doubt how the young woman would receive his confidences. What course should he take? He thought of pursuing Fogg across the vast white plains; it did not seem impossible that he might overtake him. Footsteps were easily printed on the snow! But soon, under a new sheet, every imprint would be effaced.

Fix became discouraged. He felt a sort of insurmountable longing to abandon the game altogether. He could now leave Fort Kearney station, and pursue his journey homeward in peace.

Towards two o’clock in the afternoon, while it was snowing hard, long whistles were heard approaching from the east. A great shadow, preceded by a wild light, slowly advanced, appearing still larger through the mist, which gave it a fantastic aspect. No train was expected from the east, neither had there been time for the succour asked for by telegraph to arrive; the train from Omaha to San Francisco was not due till the next day. The mystery was soon explained.

The locomotive, which was slowly approaching with deafening whistles, was that which, having been detached from the train, had continued its route with such terrific rapidity, carrying off the unconscious engineer and stoker. It had run several miles, when, the fire becoming low for want of fuel, the steam had slackened; and it had finally stopped an hour after, some twenty miles beyond Fort Kearney. Neither the engineer nor the stoker was dead, and, after remaining for some time in their swoon, had come to themselves. The train had then stopped. The engineer, when he found himself in the desert, and the locomotive without cars, understood what had happened. He could not imagine how the locomotive had become separated from the train; but he did not doubt that the train left behind was in distress.

He did not hesitate what to do. It would be prudent to continue on to Omaha, for it would be dangerous to return to the train, which the Indians might still be engaged in pillaging. Nevertheless, he began to rebuild the fire in the furnace; the pressure again mounted, and the locomotive returned, running backwards to Fort Kearney. This it was which was whistling in the mist.

The travellers were glad to see the locomotive resume its place at the head of the train. They could now continue the journey so terribly interrupted.

Aouda, on seeing the locomotive come up, hurried out of the station, and asked the conductor, “Are you going to start?”

“At once, madam.”

“But the prisoners, our unfortunate fellow-travellers—”

“I cannot interrupt the trip,” replied the conductor. “We are already three hours behind time.”

“And when will another train pass here from San Francisco?”

“To-morrow evening, madam.”

“To-morrow evening! But then it will be too late! We must wait—”

“It is impossible,” responded the conductor. “If you wish to go, please get in.”

“I will not go,” said Aouda.

Fix had heard this conversation. A little while before, when there was no prospect of proceeding on the journey, he had made up his mind to leave Fort Kearney; but now that the train was there, ready to start, and he had only to take his seat in the car, an irresistible influence held him back. The station platform burned his feet, and he could not stir. The conflict in his mind again began; anger and failure stifled him. He wished to struggle on to the end.

Meanwhile the passengers and some of the wounded, among them Colonel Proctor, whose injuries were serious, had taken their places in the train. The buzzing of the over-heated boiler was heard, and the steam was escaping from the valves. The engineer whistled, the train started, and soon disappeared, mingling its white smoke with the eddies of the densely falling snow.

The detective had remained behind.

Several hours passed. The weather was dismal, and it was very cold. Fix sat motionless on a bench in the station; he might have been thought asleep. Aouda, despite the storm, kept coming out of the waiting-room, going to the end of the platform, and peering through the tempest of snow, as if to pierce the mist which narrowed the horizon around her, and to hear, if possible, some welcome sound. She heard and saw nothing. Then she would return, chilled through, to issue out again after the lapse of a few moments, but always in vain.

Evening came, and the little band had not returned. Where could they be? Had they found the Indians, and were they having a conflict with them, or were they still wandering amid the mist? The commander of the fort was anxious, though he tried to conceal his apprehensions. As night approached, the snow fell less plentifully, but it became intensely cold. Absolute silence rested on the plains. Neither flight of bird nor passing of beast troubled the perfect calm.

Throughout the night Aouda, full of sad forebodings, her heart stifled with anguish, wandered about on the verge of the plains. Her imagination carried her far off, and showed her innumerable dangers. What she suffered through the long hours it would be impossible to describe.

Fix remained stationary in the same place, but did not sleep. Once a man approached and spoke to him, and the detective merely replied by shaking his head.

Thus the night passed. At dawn, the half-extinguished disc of the sun rose above a misty horizon; but it was now possible to recognise objects two miles off. Phileas Fogg and the squad had gone southward; in the south all was still vacancy. It was then seven o’clock.

The captain, who was really alarmed, did not know what course to take.

Should he send another detachment to the rescue of the first? Should he sacrifice more men, with so few chances of saving those already sacrificed? His hesitation did not last long, however. Calling one of his lieutenants, he was on the point of ordering a reconnaissance, when gunshots were heard. Was it a signal? The soldiers rushed out of the fort, and half a mile off they perceived a little band returning in good order.

Mr. Fogg was marching at their head, and just behind him were Passepartout and the other two travellers, rescued from the Sioux.

They had met and fought the Indians ten miles south of Fort Kearney. Shortly before the detachment arrived, Passepartout and his companions had begun to struggle with their captors, three of whom the Frenchman had felled with his fists, when his master and the soldiers hastened up to their relief.

All were welcomed with joyful cries. Phileas Fogg distributed the reward he had promised to the soldiers, while Passepartout, not without reason, muttered to himself, “It must certainly be confessed that I cost my master dear!”

Fix, without saying a word, looked at Mr. Fogg, and it would have been difficult to analyse the thoughts which struggled within him. As for Aouda, she took her protector’s hand and pressed it in her own, too much moved to speak.

Meanwhile, Passepartout was looking about for the train; he thought he should find it there, ready to start for Omaha, and he hoped that the time lost might be regained.

“The train! the train!” cried he.

“Gone,” replied Fix.

“And when does the next train pass here?” said Phileas Fogg.

“Not till this evening.”

“Ah!” returned the impassible gentleman quietly.

CHAPTER XXXI. IN WHICH FIX, THE DETECTIVE, CONSIDERABLY FURTHERS THE INTERESTS OF PHILEAS FOGG

Phileas Fogg found himself twenty hours behind time. Passepartout, the involuntary cause of this delay, was desperate. He had ruined his master!

At this moment the detective approached Mr. Fogg, and, looking him intently in the face, said:

“Seriously, sir, are you in great haste?”

“Quite seriously.”

“I have a purpose in asking,” resumed Fix. “Is it absolutely necessary that you should be in New York on the 11th, before nine o’clock in the evening, the time that the steamer leaves for Liverpool?”

“It is absolutely necessary.”

“And, if your journey had not been interrupted by these Indians, you would have reached New York on the morning of the 11th?”

“Yes; with eleven hours to spare before the steamer left.”

“Good! you are therefore twenty hours behind. Twelve from twenty leaves eight. You must regain eight hours. Do you wish to try to do so?”

“On foot?” asked Mr. Fogg.

“No; on a sledge,” replied Fix. “On a sledge with sails. A man has proposed such a method to me.”

It was the man who had spoken to Fix during the night, and whose offer he had refused.

Phileas Fogg did not reply at once; but Fix, having pointed out the man, who was walking up and down in front of the station, Mr. Fogg went up to him. An instant after, Mr. Fogg and the American, whose name was Mudge, entered a hut built just below the fort.

There Mr. Fogg examined a curious vehicle, a kind of frame on two long beams, a little raised in front like the runners of a sledge, and upon which there was room for five or six persons. A high mast was fixed on the frame, held firmly by metallic lashings, to which was attached a large brigantine sail. This mast held an iron stay upon which to hoist a jib-sail. Behind, a sort of rudder served to guide the vehicle. It was, in short, a sledge rigged like a sloop. During the winter, when the trains are blocked up by the snow, these sledges make extremely rapid journeys across the frozen plains from one station to another. Provided with more sails than a cutter, and with the wind behind them, they slip over the surface of the prairies with a speed equal if not superior to that of the express trains.

Mr. Fogg readily made a bargain with the owner of this land-craft. The wind was favourable, being fresh, and blowing from the west. The snow had hardened, and Mudge was very confident of being able to transport Mr. Fogg in a few hours to Omaha. Thence the trains eastward run frequently to Chicago and New York. It was not impossible that the lost time might yet be recovered; and such an opportunity was not to be rejected.

Not wishing to expose Aouda to the discomforts of travelling in the open air, Mr. Fogg proposed to leave her with Passepartout at Fort Kearney, the servant taking upon himself to escort her to Europe by a better route and under more favourable conditions. But Aouda refused to separate from Mr. Fogg, and Passepartout was delighted with her decision; for nothing could induce him to leave his master while Fix was with him.

It would be difficult to guess the detective’s thoughts. Was this conviction shaken by Phileas Fogg’s return, or did he still regard him as an exceedingly shrewd rascal, who, his journey round the world completed, would think himself absolutely safe in England? Perhaps Fix’s opinion of Phileas Fogg was somewhat modified; but he was nevertheless resolved to do his duty, and to hasten the return of the whole party to England as much as possible.

At eight o’clock the sledge was ready to start. The passengers took their places on it, and wrapped themselves up closely in their travelling-cloaks. The two great sails were hoisted, and under the pressure of the wind the sledge slid over the hardened snow with a velocity of forty miles an hour.

The distance between Fort Kearney and Omaha, as the birds fly, is at most two hundred miles. If the wind held good, the distance might be traversed in five hours; if no accident happened the sledge might reach Omaha by one o’clock.

What a journey! The travellers, huddled close together, could not speak for the cold, intensified by the rapidity at which they were going. The sledge sped on as lightly as a boat over the waves. When the breeze came skimming the earth the sledge seemed to be lifted off the ground by its sails. Mudge, who was at the rudder, kept in a straight line, and by a turn of his hand checked the lurches which the vehicle had a tendency to make. All the sails were up, and the jib was so arranged as not to screen the brigantine. A top-mast was hoisted, and another jib, held out to the wind, added its force to the other sails. Although the speed could not be exactly estimated, the sledge could not be going at less than forty miles an hour.

“If nothing breaks,” said Mudge, “we shall get there!”

Mr. Fogg had made it for Mudge’s interest to reach Omaha within the time agreed on, by the offer of a handsome reward.

The prairie, across which the sledge was moving in a straight line, was as flat as a sea. It seemed like a vast frozen lake. The railroad which ran through this section ascended from the south-west to the north-west by Great Island, Columbus, an important Nebraska town, Schuyler, and Fremont, to Omaha. It followed throughout the right bank of the Platte River. The sledge, shortening this route, took a chord of the arc described by the railway. Mudge was not afraid of being stopped by the Platte River, because it was frozen. The road, then, was quite clear of obstacles, and Phileas Fogg had but two things to fear—an accident to the sledge, and a change or calm in the wind.

But the breeze, far from lessening its force, blew as if to bend the mast, which, however, the metallic lashings held firmly. These lashings, like the chords of a stringed instrument, resounded as if vibrated by a violin bow. The sledge slid along in the midst of a plaintively intense melody.

“Those chords give the fifth and the octave,” said Mr. Fogg.

These were the only words he uttered during the journey. Aouda, cosily packed in furs and cloaks, was sheltered as much as possible from the attacks of the freezing wind. As for Passepartout, his face was as red as the sun’s disc when it sets in the mist, and he laboriously inhaled the biting air. With his natural buoyancy of spirits, he began to hope again. They would reach New York on the evening, if not on the morning, of the 11th, and there were still some chances that it would be before the steamer sailed for Liverpool.

Passepartout even felt a strong desire to grasp his ally, Fix, by the hand. He remembered that it was the detective who procured the sledge, the only means of reaching Omaha in time; but, checked by some presentiment, he kept his usual reserve. One thing, however, Passepartout would never forget, and that was the sacrifice which Mr. Fogg had made, without hesitation, to rescue him from the Sioux. Mr. Fogg had risked his fortune and his life. No! His servant would never forget that!

While each of the party was absorbed in reflections so different, the sledge flew past over the vast carpet of snow. The creeks it passed over were not perceived. Fields and streams disappeared under the uniform whiteness. The plain was absolutely deserted. Between the Union Pacific road and the branch which unites Kearney with Saint Joseph it formed a great uninhabited island. Neither village, station, nor fort appeared. From time to time they sped by some phantom-like tree, whose white skeleton twisted and rattled in the wind. Sometimes flocks of wild birds rose, or bands of gaunt, famished, ferocious prairie-wolves ran howling after the sledge. Passepartout, revolver in hand, held himself ready to fire on those which came too near. Had an accident then happened to the sledge, the travellers, attacked by these beasts, would have been in the most terrible danger; but it held on its even course, soon gained on the wolves, and ere long left the howling band at a safe distance behind.

About noon Mudge perceived by certain landmarks that he was crossing the Platte River. He said nothing, but he felt certain that he was now within twenty miles of Omaha. In less than an hour he left the rudder and furled his sails, whilst the sledge, carried forward by the great impetus the wind had given it, went on half a mile further with its sails unspread.

It stopped at last, and Mudge, pointing to a mass of roofs white with snow, said: “We have got there!”

Arrived! Arrived at the station which is in daily communication, by numerous trains, with the Atlantic seaboard!

Passepartout and Fix jumped off, stretched their stiffened limbs, and aided Mr. Fogg and the young woman to descend from the sledge. Phileas Fogg generously rewarded Mudge, whose hand Passepartout warmly grasped, and the party directed their steps to the Omaha railway station.

The Pacific Railroad proper finds its terminus at this important Nebraska town. Omaha is connected with Chicago by the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, which runs directly east, and passes fifty stations.

A train was ready to start when Mr. Fogg and his party reached the station, and they only had time to get into the cars. They had seen nothing of Omaha; but Passepartout confessed to himself that this was not to be regretted, as they were not travelling to see the sights.

The train passed rapidly across the State of Iowa, by Council Bluffs, Des Moines, and Iowa City. During the night it crossed the Mississippi at Davenport, and by Rock Island entered Illinois. The next day, which was the 10th, at four o’clock in the evening, it reached Chicago, already risen from its ruins, and more proudly seated than ever on the borders of its beautiful Lake Michigan.

Nine hundred miles separated Chicago from New York; but trains are not wanting at Chicago. Mr. Fogg passed at once from one to the other, and the locomotive of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago Railway left at full speed, as if it fully comprehended that that gentleman had no time to lose. It traversed Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey like a flash, rushing through towns with antique names, some of which had streets and car-tracks, but as yet no houses. At last the Hudson came into view; and, at a quarter-past eleven in the evening of the 11th, the train stopped in the station on the right bank of the river, before the very pier of the Cunard line.

The “China,” for Liverpool, had started three-quarters of an hour before!

#around the world in 80 days #jules verne

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manchestertheatre · 1 year

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Around the World in 80 Days

Around the World in 80 Days is a bet story. Phileas Fogg makes a bet that they can travel the world within 80 days. Are they successful or What happened to them in their journey? Be a part of the Manchester theater - book your tickets today for Around the World in 80 Days to know their journey https://www.manchestertheatres.com/event/around-the-world-in-80-days

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evolutionpiner · 2 years

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Around the world in 80 days book

Around the world in 80 days book how to#

Around the world in 80 days book full#

Williams, whose incredible large-scale fold-out map reveals the full spectacle of Fogg’s riotous escapades. Sitting perfectly beside Verne’s quirky narrative is the flamboyant nature-inspired artistry of award-winning Kristjana S. But can our intrepid adventurers complete this thrilling race and make it back in time? Part globetrotting travelogue, part mystery caper, Around the World in Eighty Days is, above all, an adventure romance that still entertains almost 150 years after its first publication. Accompanied by his hot-blooded valet Passepartout, Fogg must face snowbound passes, sweltering jungles, opium dens, Sioux attacks and an alluring Indian princess to win the wager. But their positive attitude and determination make them winners. They prevail because they are motivated and find fulfillment - both individually and as a team.Īttention to respect, satisfaction, communication, inclusion and achievement of goals can lead to success in a journey around the world - and in our everyday workplace.In betting fellow members of the famous Reform Club half his fortune that he can circumnavigate the globe in just 80 days, Phileas Fogg embarks on the most famous race in literature. In the end, Fogg, Fix and Passepartout score a victory despite all types of challenges and confrontations that have been thrown at them. Make it happen and get a financial reward. While monetary rewards play a role, we see in the story - as in HR - that there is so much more to "total rewards." Financial rewards get everyone’s attention and are necessary. But we know that employees get really engaged and motivated by other factors. Respect, teamwork, communication, a sense of purpose, achievement, being included. Rewards - Around the World in 80 Days starts with a wager.

Around the world in 80 days book how to#

Goals - Every company must have associates who clearly understand the goals and priorities of the organization and are committed to achieving them. Similarly, the adventurers always keep their goals in mind and apply determination to realize success. In addition to understanding the goals and objectives, we need clarity about how to accomplish those goals. In other words, the “key results” in OKR vernacular. In each episode, our traveling friends come up with the "how" and put it into action to achieve the goal. The team learns to respect each other for who they are and firmly instill a strong sense of belonging. In fact, their diverse backgrounds, skills and experiences produce strength. Without these ingredients, the journey fails.ĭiversity - By all accounts, the adventurers are a diverse group. Each member contributes their perspective and strength to make the complete team stronger. Teamwork - While Fogg, Fix and Passepartout are an unlikely team, they develop tight relationships and apply their interpersonal skills and trust to produce positive outcomes. Communication, integrity and a high level of respect are essential. In the gripping story, HR pros will see four of the most important characteristics needed to create and maintain a successful organization. Of course, they are also the same items that matter most to employees. Let’s take a quick look: The journey brings our traveling trio - Phileas Fogg, Abigail Fix and Jean Passepartout - to Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, India, America and points in between. In each country they face -and overcome - challenges and obstacles - as a team. One of the key differences in this new version of Jules Verne’s classic adventure novel is how much the characters learn about themselves - and evolve - during their travels. A terrific new adaptation of Around the World in 80 Days has become a hit on PBS and Amazon Prime. Human Resource professionals find essential principles of HR bursting out of the series.

#Around the world in 80 days book

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fictionadventurer · 2 years

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I still can’t believe no one told me how hilarious Around the World in 80 Days is. I can’t stop thinking about how funny it is that Phileas Fogg is the most boring, straight-laced person imaginable and is secretly a maniac adventurer underneath. I thought the crazy things about this story would be the over-the-top gung-ho let’s-ride-in-hot-air-balloons adventures they’d wind up in. But no. It’s all because this guy’s insane.

Like, actual canon goes like this:

Phileas Fogg: *literally does nothing in life except go to his club and play whist*

Guys at the Reform Club: They say you can go around the world in 80 days, but I doubt it.

Phileas Fogg: I can do it.

Reform Club Guys: No, that’s impossible. There’ll be storms and delays and stuff.

Fogg: I’ll bet you 20,000 pounds that I can.

Reform Club Guys: What? No, that’s unnecessary.

Fogg: I’m leaving tonight! See you in 80 days!

[Back at Fogg’s house]

Passepartout: Wow, I sure am glad to work for a boring guy who schedules every day down to the minute and never does anything strange or unexpected.

Fogg: Get in loser, we’re going around the world.

Passepartout: Excuse me, what?

Fogg: No questions. Take this bag full of six million dollars in cash and get to the train station.

And then, when they’re traveling around the world, his solution to traveling problems is invariably:

Person with Mode of Transport: I can’t take you where you need to go.

Fogg: What if I give you a huge stack of cash?

Person with Mode of Transport: Still no.

Fogg: What if I give you a ridiculously enormous stack of cash and also make demands for speed that endanger all our lives?

Person with Mode of Transport: I’m listening.

And then, once they cross the Pacific Ocean, America unleashes entirely new levels of crazy from this guy.

Random Belligerent American: *punches Fogg in the face for no reason*

Fogg: *wiping dirt from his face* As soon as my trip is over I will come back to America and hunt you down for a duel of honor.

[on the train]

Fogg: Hello, Random Belligerent American who had the misfortune to get on the same train as me. Prepared to die?

Random Belligerent American: Sure. Let’s do this right now.

Train Conductor: Would you like to shoot each other inside this train car that we’ll empty out for the purposes of the duel?

Fogg: That sounds entirely sensible and not at all insanely dangerous for the other people on the train.

That’s not even the most insane thing that happens in this story! The man stages a mutiny to cross the Atlantic! And reveals hitherto unforeseen sailing skills! The other characters are just as baffled as we are!

And after the story is over, the ending boils down to:

Fogg: Boy, I sure am glad that I managed to win that wager that I made for literally no reason. I barely came out ahead because of all the money I spent, and not winning that wager would have left me penniless, but I have proven that it is possible to travel the world in 80 days if you’re a maniac who has six million dollars in cash with you.

Reader: Okay, cool. Now are we going to get some backstory that explains where Fogg got all his money, or why he’s pathologically OCD, or where he got those mad pirate skills that were never hinted at before?

Jules Verne: LOL, no. Why would we need that?

Anyway, this book is wild and hilarious in an entirely different way than I ever expected based on what I absorbed about it from pop culture (there’s not even a hot air balloon!) and I’m kind of upset no one told me how much fun it was to follow this maniac around the world.

#around the world in 80 days #jules verne #books #this is how i would rant about this book to people in real life #and no one is around to rant to #so i'm going to post this even though i'm probably the only person who finds this funny

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ofpineapplesanddawns · 2 years

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after having seen episode 2 of atwi80d, i'd love to read will meeting phileas on the train for the first time and (after the occuring drama) deciding to join him? :)

I've only watched the episode once, so I'm going off of what I remember (I also missed a bit of dialogue because people were talking in the same room where I was watching, so just... put up with my nonsense).

Summery: Will was curious of this new man to the adventure game, and wanted to learn more about him and his great journey.

Phileas is a little unsure and not in the mood to talk, but he is a gentleman and must do his duty, which includes inviting a stranger into his room.

Warning: mild spoilers for episode two

On with the fic!

Will first saw Phileas Fogg when the train stopped.

The man was traveling with two others, a French valet and a lady journalist, he had informed the first class guests of the train during dinner that evening. He happily spoke about his journey to travel the world in eighty days, hopefully less.

Then the conversations turned sour when it was discovered that until today, Paris was the furthest Fogg had ever gone outside of England. And that was just yesterday.

The conversations got worse, and Will kept himself from speaking, just observing, and he could see that Fogg was nearing a breaking point. There was a haunted look to his face as the humiliation continued.

Will could see that this man was sheltered, he was a nervous wreck who preferred to do things in a set way for his own comfort, change was scary to him, made him nervous.

And yet... Will could see curiosity, wonder, a need to learn and explore, burning in a growing fire in this man.

He just didn't know how to handle it.

It was later in the evening when Will decided to make himself known to Fogg. It wasn't hard to figure out which car he was staying in, and he approached the door, giving it a knock with his cane.

"Ms. Fix, I told you, I'm not in the mood to-" Fogg spoke as he opened the door, pausing as he took in the man who was clearly not his associate. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Forgive my rudeness, I thought you were Ms. Fix."

"Ah, no trouble, no need to apologize. I don't believe we've been properly introduced." Will removed his hat, giving a small bow. "Will Charity."

"Phileas Fogg." The other man greeted with a nod, his tone a practiced one for strangers. Polite, but cautious.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Will asked. "I was listening in the dinner car about your adventure so far, and I'd love to hear more from a fellow adventurer."

Phileas frowned, suddenly looking so tired, then it was gone, locked away, hidden behind a mask. "I don't know if that's-"

"Nonsense, just a quick chat! I'll be out of your hair in a tick, just wanted to chat with you, give advice." He made his way in to the car, hearing Phileas sputter before gently closing the door, a bit flushed from the bluntness that Will displayed.

The shorter of the two took a seat on a small bench, smiling brightly as he rested his hat next to him, holding one leg over the other. "So, let's talk adventure!"

"I'm not sure I'm up for it, to be honest." There was a weary tone to the other's voice. "I have already greatly embarrassed myself earlier this evening, then made things much worse. Best I hold my tongue and keep my head low until I get back to London."

This made Will pause, raising an eyebrow. "You're giving up?"

"I suspect that would be the best option. I didn't think this through, if I am to be honest with you, Mr. Charity."

"Explain."

Phileas shifted where he stood, before moving to sit across from him. His attention was on a set of postcards, left in plain sight, that he quietly hid under them away. Will didn't ask, it wasn't his business. "I made a stupid bet at the Reform Club, because I was tired of being the joke of the place, I was tired of... being a coward."

He swallowed on the last word, as if it hurt to say it. "I was caught up in the moment, I set up a bet with a man who knows I'll fail, who knows I'm not the sort of just drop everything and run off to explore the sights of the world. And it seems that everyone else knows this exact thing."

His fingers twitched, he gripped at his pantlegs, before smoothing out the creases. "I know that my cohorts don't believe I can do this, I'm not good with this, I've never been past Edinburgh until yesterday."

Will leaned back, giving a shrug. "That's not a bad thing, Mr. Fogg."

Phileas looked up at him, confused. "What do you mean? All those people in the dinner car had such amazing places they've been too! I've only been up to Scotland, and that was just for an occasion!"

"Adventures have to start somewhere, you're not already a world-traveler right from the beginning. All you have to do is take the first step in the right direction."

Brown eyes stared at him, as if reading, trying to figure out what Will was saying. Will just smiled, folding his hands in his lap. "I'm been around a few places quite a bit, comes with the job, and I had to start off small myself, places close to home and all that. Then from there, the journeys got longer, further, and it just goes from there."

Will looked at Phileas, his expression soft. "You could use some help, get you walking in the right direction. Let me help you."

"What?" The other man blinked. "Why would you- you don't even know me!"

"And you don't know your associates well either, nor they you. But that's alright, I'm offering! I've nothing to do now, I just took a trip to Italy for a bit of rest, but I'm always up for adventure, the call is always so strong. Let me help you."

Phileas stared at him, his fingers gently scratching at his legs as he thought this over. "What if I fail?"

"Failure happens to everyone."

"I could lose everything."

"I'll make sure to keep you from doing that."

"But what if-" He was cut off when Will held up a finger.

"None of that, you're overthinking." He stood up, looking down at the other. "I'll leave you to think about it, but do let me know your answer before we arrive at the station, yes? Good night, Mr. Fogg."

Will took his leave, knowing that he'd get his answer tomorrow.

The train car was in pieces, but they arrived in time, and the young boy would be fine, he'd be safe.

Will overheard Phileas and his friends talking about making their way to a boat, to get to their next destination, yet he had not gotten the answer to his offer from last night.

Until he saw Phileas approach him. "That was a very brave thing you did today, very clever." Will spoke, grinning. "You have the makings of an adventurer in you, Mr. Fogg."

Phileas watched him, swallowed, then looked him in the eyes. "My answer is yes."

"Yes?"

"To your... to your offer, to help me." He held out a hand. "I would like for you to join us, Mr. Charity."

Will looked at the offered hand, and took it in his own. "A pleasure to be of service, and please, call me Will."

#will charity x phileas fogg #good omens extended universe #john's drabbles #will charity #phileas fogg #the adventurer: the curse of the midas box #around the world in 80 days

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theflyingfeeling · 2 years

Note

If you’re still doing the bc au summaries can I request something based on the concept of around the world in 80 days?

That's such an interesting idea, anon! 🤔 Been a while since I read the book and an even longer while since I watched the cartoon. In addition, I haven't seen any recent adaptions, so please have extremely low expectations for this modern adaption of some sort 😅🌎

I offer you: Tommi as Phileas Fogg, Olli as Passepartout, and Porko as...Porko

(As for the other guys..keep reading!)

And as all ridiculous ideas, this one too starts when the boys get very, very drunk one night

Porko: "Remember when Tommi once drove from Oulu to Helsinki in five hours?"

(Regrettably, Olli does. He had never feared for his life more than then)

Tommi: "Could've done it in four if Olli hadn't been screaming so much"

P: "Betcha couldn't do it in four though"

T: "I betcha ass I could?!?!??"

(Olli does not like the sound of this)

P: "Really, though? 🙄😌"

T: "Actually, I betcha stinky ass I could drive around the fucking globe in four hours"

P: "My ass is too precious to bet on, but how about, say, a jar of mustard? 😏"

T: "Olli, put on your shoes, we're going on a little drive"

And Olli does, because he ain't gonna let Tommi make a trip like that all by himself, and Porko's gonna come too, whether he wants or not, since he's the one that put the thought in Tommi's thick head in the first place 😑

They agree that four hours is a tad optimistic and settle for twenty days instead, which should be doable according to my research lol

(And they also waited until the next day of course, when they're more hangover than drunk and everyone else except Tommi is regretting their existence)

"Turn left" the navigator says, and so they turn left. Soon enough, they're in Russia

...10 days later, they're still in Russia

And it's not until they reach the Bering sea that they realize a car has been following them 👀

(Later Porko will claim to have known since they left Helsinki, but really he has not glanced the review mirror once during the whole journey)

Aleksi: "You really thought we'd let you guys go alone? 🙄"

Joel: "Wait, we were following them? I thought we were going to McDonalds!"

A: "In Russia?!"

J: "...I heard they have really good burgers there 😒"

They cross the Bering Strait together on a ferry, although Tommi was all ready to paddle through the "pitiful puddle" for another jar of mustard, had Olli not held him back while scowling at Porko for opening his big mouth again

Somewhere halfway through the US, they encounter Niko, "the princess" they save from some absurd situation

All of them enamored by his beauty, they agree to have him aboard for the rest of the journey

(Little do they know he's a jailbird on a run, but no one's perfect?)

Plot lines include 1) Tommi wanting to dump Olli and Porko at every gas station in Russia, 2) Joel internally wondering just how good the Siberian burgers supposedly are since you gotta drive entire days to find the restaurant, 3) Convincing Tommi to have a day off so that they can all get extremely hammerred on Russian vodka (the equivalent of the opium dens in the original story), 4) Porko and Olli cuddling Tommi in the backseat of the car as they sleep (they're saving time by sleeping in the car instead of a motel), 5) Joel and Aleksi doing the same (and more? 😏) in their car and suddenly Joel doesn't mind not getting his burger anymore, 6) Porko and Olli demanding Tommi to stop at every ridiculous attraction in North America, 7) Niko renacting the whole fucking Titanic on their sail from New York to Europe, 8) Porko asking "are we there yet?" every 10 kilometres

Once they're back home, Tommi gets his mustard ("I betcha can't eat it all at one go tho"), Aleksi finally takes Joel for burgers, and everyone wants to marry Niko the princess-convict. Who will he choose? 😌

#blind channel #blind channel rpf #this turned out as more a road trip kinda thing i guess but i didn't want to just copy the original #also don't we all agree that porko and joonas are two different people

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thatscarletflycatcher · 2 years

Text

Finished Around the World in 80 Days (1989).

It is a retelling that makes the best of the premise, in my opinion, reworking to some degree the outdated aspects of the original novel, although in true British fashion it gets a kick out of kicking the French.

Fix is completely insufferable all the way through, and Passepartout too but only for like the 90% of the series. Thankfully the bankers appear very little because they too are stupid to the point of irritation.

Pierce Brosnan as Phileas Fogg was a delightful surprise. The character isn't as caricaturesquely stoic as in the novel, but still very British and stoic all the same unraveling at some points in service of the romance plot, which is a wise choice in context.

Princess Aouda gets an expanded role that I think really fulfills the potential the character had untouched in the novel. She's given the presence, speech and actions of an intelligent, educated, and self possessed woman, without being anachronistic in her views of the world, which is not an easy task to achieve for the script.

The romance between the leads is a somewhat frustrating slow burn with a very, very satisfying payoff, IMO.

The heartbreak of the lost bet, the tension of the arrival at the last minute and the euphoria of the win are absolutely fantastic here.

Also, an special note is the always delightful Christopher Lee, who never half did ANY role, playing one of the gentlemen that make the bet with Fogg.

The first episode of the series is weirdly horny (not in the sense of explicit, just... horny vibes) but it disappears after that.

20 years of my life I have lived not getting what women saw in Pierce Brosnan. Now I do.

Bottom line: watch for Pierce Brosnan as Fogg, for Aouda, for the romance, and for Christopher Lee.

#around the world in 80 days 1989 #around the world in 80 days #Jules Verne

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aroundtheworldwithphillyfogg · 2 years

Text

I ask your forgiveness and your kind patience (again) while I pitch this to you on these trying times, because the first post didn't show up on tags. I promise this will be the last one before the book posts begin:

A chronological reading of Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days.

THIS IS NOT A SUBSTACK, NO EMAILS.

This is a Tumblr blog, where we will be posting the corresponding text for every day, and then a post at the exact time the main character -Phileas Fogg- reaches certain locations, according to the times provided by the book. This way you can choose to what degree to engage with the text: you can turn on notifications to the blog and be notified of every post, catch texts on your timeline, or just know where in their journey the characters are, with the log posts. The choice is yours!

Around the World in 80 Days is an 1872 adventure novel that follows eccentric British gentleman Phileas Fogg, as he bets to his club friends £20.000 that he can travel around the world in 80 days, and makes the trip with his recently hired valet, Passepartout.

We will start posting on October 1st, the day before Phileas Fogg Makes a Bet Day, and our last post will publish on December 22nd.

#Around the world in 80 Days #Dracula Daily #Jules Verne #Historical literature #books and libraries #Tumblr book club

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chimicalbomb · 3 years

Note

Conseil and Parspartout meet by chance at a bar, for example, they have a day off. And not knowing each other, they share their experiences about their masters. They traveled, everything happened, they have something to share with a random guy whom they bought a drink 😏

Conseil and Pierre Aronnax just arrived in England ,the professor had some very important business at the royal science institute,so his servant followed him without a word.

After arriving to their temporary home prepared by the institute,Pierre had to leave and since he didn't need any help,and obliged his servant to enjoy his day in London. This didn't sit well with Conseil,it wasn't the norm to be free and walk around randomly,but he couldn't do anything but to stuff some money into his brown pants and get dressed for a little exploring. Nothing to extravagant,he wasn't going to chatter with ladies,he just wanted to look presentable to he wouldn't embarass his master.

As the door closed behind him,he took a deep breath and looked around him,finally being able to enjoy time in peace,every moment seemed to take awhile to pass,like the time suddenly stopped. So,he decided to take his time,from seeing all the beautiful english gardens to walking past the Buckingham Palace and humming a little tune.

In the afternoon,he looked around for a good place to spend his time,and finding a nice bar,he entered a bit shyly,since he was quite self conscious when he was alone. His english wasn't quite the best,but even so,he greeted the barman and ordered a pretty tame drink.

Suddenly,Passpartout heard an english he somehow recognised,that slight french accent that was still present in his own talk! "Frenchmen! Oh France! When you can't come to her,she comes to You!" Dreamly thought the interested Passpartout,as he got up and walked to the table that the Young gentleman was sitting at.

"Bonjour!" Passpartout greeted in his playful nature,while taking a seat,smiling while taking a small sip of his whiskey.

Conseil suddenly snapped out of his own thoughts and smiled at the sound of the familiar language.

"Ah! Bonjour,Monsieur!"

After quite an awkward exchange of words ,they made their introductions and that's how both of them found out they were two servants. The debate began! Which was the stricter master? Who had more free time? How was the salary,the living conditions?

"My Master,Mr. Fogg,even though i look at him as a friend now,so i sometimes call him Phileas,let's me have my afternoon off until dinner! It's quite pleasant! Mostly because i don't have much to do,Mr. Fogg is a very clean man" explained Passpartout with much pride.

"Oh! That's very nice of him! I never get a day off,not that Mister Aronnax has something against it,i just don't find myself fond of free time,working for him is very relaxing,even though traveling can get...a bit tiring" Conseil sighed a bit and looked out the window.

"Travelling?! Tell me about it! Mister Fogg on my first day made me pack my bags,since he wanted to make a trip around the world in 80 days for some bet! Can you imagine? I thought he was crazy at first!" Exclamed the taller servant ,raising up from his seat with excitement.

"No way, you wouldn't believe this,but i was stuck on a submarine for 7 months with Mr.Aronnax." silently replied Conseil,trying not to laugh.

Passpartout almost choked,and started laughing,putting one arm around the slimmer frenchman,making Conseil laugh too!

But then,things got even more interesting,both of them started to plot am even bigger trip! Oh what a beautiful thing that would be! On land,under and over water! If that was possible! If only they weren't just strangers!

After Conseil insisted he brought a drink to the jolly servant next to him,he started drawing in napkins intricate maps,Passpartout letting Conseil talk about interesting animal species, letting eachother get enchanted by eachother's knowledge.

And at the end of the evening,only napkins and empty glasses remained at that table filled with dreams,hopes,and nostalgic memories.

Anywhere you'll go,friends will find you. Even just for a day.

{THANK U SO MUCH FOR THE PROMPT!!}

#conseil #passpartout #professor aronnax #20000 leagues under the sea #ao3 #fanfic #tkluts #jules verne #around the world in 80 days #phileas fogg

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thoughts-facts-notions · 4 years

Text

✍As a reader and a learner

Around the world🌍 in Eighty days.

I don't exactly remember when and where I bought this book📗. But one thing iam very sure about is this book was sleeping in my cupboard for more than 4 years !😅. Finally I got some time to spend on this. Since I had this unread for years🤭 I had an inquisitiveness to know the story. Whenever I read a story or watch a movie I look for something different, something new or a twist or in simple words something which makes me feel 'WoW'. The books or movies which satisfies this criteria holds a special place.

Thankfully this book didn't disappoint me !. I like travelling, probably one of reasons why I liked this book. Though I have read some novels in past, I felt this book is special one. Above all, this novel is claimed to be one of the masterpieces of Jules Verne.

Jules Verne has narrated how his fictional character Phileas Fogg (hero) has travelled around the world within 80 days along with his French manservant Passepartout, despite many struggles they need to face during their journey. Here, I have shared that part of novel which I admired the most after giving a short outline of the story.

Story outline

The Novel starts with a bank robbery scene in England and then describes Phileas Fogg's wager with his fellow members of club, to travel around the world within 80 days. Fogg's journey around the world was explained in a stupendous manner, which makes the readers feel as if they themselves were travelling in the steamship⛴ from country to country🌍. Ofcourse, the author touched what was famous in those countries, as the hero passed by.

Slightly deviating from normal story, in this novel the manservant Passepartout was depicted to have shown more heroism than our hero Philieas Fogg, in some much needed situations during their journey. Certainly they need to face many natural and manmade hindrances. After managing all oods, Fogg managed to return to England on 79th day after travelling around the world. Yeahh ! He won the wager, but Fogg was not sharp enough to identify immediately that they had won the wager. He missed on something, which became the ultimate tricky part in the novel. And It was revealed later in a beautiful way portraying his victory. But more than winning the bet, fogg felt more happy to have married Auoda, the girl whom he had met in India during his Journey . Even when Fogg mistook to have lost in bet and was financially ruined, he was still happy to have travelled around the world and was much happier to have met Auoda during his Journey. The ultimate beauty is, at a point, author conveyed that, having a love❤ is more beautiful than having money.

The startling part !

Needless to say, the book was not as simple as how I narrared it in the outline. There were so many little things cautiously taken care by the author. The way Fogg crossed each and every country was described in a wonderful manner.

The tricky part and some fact which was new for me, was this.

If people travel around the world towards east, chasing the sun☀️, they gain little time every day. Finally the travellers gain a whole 24 hours when they reach Pacific Ocean line. During this journey towards east, Fogg reached Pacific oceanline on a Saturday and that day had again started on a Saturday as per world time. So they had lived 2 Saturdays ! Fogg forgot this fact completely, which he came to know on the last day of wager. And this part of the Novel surprised me lot. I felt it as a piece of informative twist as I didn't know this before. Iam happy whenever I come across something new. I had a sense of satisfaction after reading this book, which I wouldn't generally have after reading fictional books, as there would nothing special apart from living the story. But this novel became an exception to it !

Those who love reading fictions would love this novel😁and specially, people who love travelling would enjoy this book a lot.

- Thoughts.Facts.Notions

#readerscommunity #book readers #booksforlife #around the world in eighty days #thoughtsfactsnotions #jules verne

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notimetoblog · 5 years

Text

Thank you all so much for joining the World Book Day celebration! It was a pleasure getting to hear about your favorite books! I am a fervent believer that reading is so powerful. It expands your minds, takes you to places you had never even imagined, and can teach you so much about the world and ourselves.

I have compiled the list (in alphabetical order by title) of all the books that were recommended during this celebration. Each book links to the original recommendation, states the genre of the book, and has a brief synopsis of the book :D

If you would like to recommend more PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DO SO!! We could always use more books in our lives!! Thank you all again and I hope you’re able to read some books on the list that you haven't read before!

BOOK RECS

A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas

Recommended by @wintersxsoul here

Genre: Young Adult / Romance / Fantasy

Synopsis: Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price.

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Recommended by @just-add-butter here

Genre: Fiction / Adventure / Classics

Synopsis: One ill-fated evening at the Reform Club, Phileas Fogg rashly bets his companions £20,000 that he can travel around the entire globe in just eighty days - and he is determined not to lose. Breaking the well-establised routine of his daily life, the reserved Englishman immediately sets off for Dover, accompanied by his hot-blooded French manservant Passepartout. Travelling by train, steamship, sailing boat, sledge and even elephant, they must overcome storms, kidnappings, natural disasters, Sioux attacks and the dogged Inspector Fix of Scotland Yard - who believes that Fogg has robbed the Bank of England - to win the extraordinary wager.

Burn for Burn Series by Jenny Han

Recommended by @marvelsangel here

Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal / Young Adult

Synopsis (of first book): Postcard-perfect Jar Island is home to charming tourist shops, pristine beaches, amazing oceanfront homes—and three girls secretly plotting revenge.KAT is sick and tired of being bullied by her former best friend.LILLIA has always looked out for her little sister, so when she discovers that one of her guy friends has been secretly hooking up with her, she’s going to put a stop to it.MARY is perpetually haunted by a traumatic event from years past, and the boy who’s responsible has yet to get what’s coming to him.None of the girls can act on their revenge fantasies alone without being suspected. But together…anything is possible. With an alliance in place, there will be no more “I wish I’d said…” or “If I could go back and do things differently...” These girls will show Jar Island that revenge is a dish best enjoyed together.

Code Name Verity By Elizabeth Wein

Recommended by @notimetoblog here

Genre: Historical Fiction / Young Adult

Synopsis: Oct. 11th, 1943 - A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun. When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution. As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage and failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?

Coming of Age in Mississippi: The Classic Autobiography of a Young Black Girl in the Rural South by Anne Moody

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Memoir / History / Nonfiction

Synopsis: Born to a poor couple who were tenant farmers on a plantation in Mississippi, Anne Moody lived through some of the most dangerous days of the pre-civil rights era in the South. The week before she began high school came the news of Emmet Till's lynching. Before then, she had "known the fear of hunger, hell, and the Devil. But now there was...the fear of being killed just because I was black." In that moment was born the passion for freedom and justice that would change her life.

Crazy Rich Asians Series by Kevin Kwan

Recommended by @marvelsangel here

Genre: Fiction / Romance

Synopsis (of first book): the outrageously funny debut novel about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families and the gossip, backbiting, and scheming that occurs when the heir to one of the most massive fortunes in Asia brings home his ABC (American-born Chinese) girlfriend to the wedding of the season.When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn't know is that Nick's family home happens to look like a palace, that she'll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia's most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back.

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

Recommended by @just-add-butter here

Genre: Romance / Fantasy

Synopsis: It begins in a cold and shabby tower room, where young Countess Meliara swears to her dying father that she and her brother will defend their people from the growing greed of the king. That promise leads them into a war for which they are ill prepared, a war that threatens the homes and lives of the very people they are trying to protect. But war is simple compared to what follows, when the bloody fighting is done and a fragile peace is at hand. Although she wants to turn her back on politics and the crown, Meliara is summoned to the royal palace. There, she soon discovers, friends and enemies look alike, and intrigue fills the dance halls and the drawing rooms. If she is to survive, Meliara must learn a whole new way of fighting--with wit and words and secret alliances. In war, at least, she knew whom she could trust. Now she can trust no one.

Deadline by Chris Crutcher

Recommended by @rosegoldlilacs here

Genre: Fiction / Young Adult

Synopsis: Ben Wolf has big things planned for his senior year. Had big things planned. Now what he has is some very bad news and only one year left to make his mark on the world.How can a pint-sized, smart-ass seventeen-year-old do anything significant in the nowheresville of Trout, Idaho?

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Recommended by @wintersxsoul here

Genre: Classics / Fiction / Fantasy

Synopsis: Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to move from Transylvania to England so he may find new blood and spread undead curse, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Recommended by @softhairbarnes here

Genre: Fiction / Mystery / Thriller

Synopsis: On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

Harry Potter Saga by J.K Rowling

Recommended by @agentpegcxrter here / First book recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult

Synopsis (of first book): Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Recommended by @notimetoblog here

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis: Two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, are born into different villages in eighteenth-century Ghana. Effia is married off to an Englishman and lives in comfort in the palatial rooms of Cape Coast Castle. Unbeknownst to Effia, her sister, Esi, is imprisoned beneath her in the castle's dungeons, sold with thousands of others into the Gold Coast's booming slave trade, and shipped off to America, where her children and grandchildren will be raised in slavery. Generation after generation, Yaa Gyasi's magisterial first novel sets the fate of the individual against the obliterating movements of time

How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City by Joan DeJean

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: History / Nonfiction

Synopsis: At the beginning of the seventeenth century, Paris was known for isolated monuments but had not yet put its brand on urban space. Like other European cities, it was still emerging from its medieval past. But in a mere century Paris would be transformed into the modern and mythic city we know today.Though most people associate the signature characteristics of Paris with the public works of the nineteenth century, Joan DeJean demonstrates that the Parisian model for urban space was in fact invented two centuries earlier, when the first complete design for the French capital was drawn up and implemented.

Love Style Life by Garance Doré

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Nonfiction / Memoir / Fashion

Synopsis: Garance Doré, the voice and vision behind her eponymous blog, has captivated millions of readers worldwide with her fresh and appealing approach to style through storytelling. This gorgeously illustrated book takes readers on a unique narrative journey that blends Garance’s inimitable photography and illustrations with the candid, hard-won wisdom drawn from her life and her travels. Infused with her Left Bank sensibility, the eclecticism of her adopted city of New York, and the wild, passionate spirit of her native Corsica, Love Style Life is a backstage pass behind fashion’s frontlines, peppered with French-girl-next-door wit and advice on everything from mixing J.Crew with Chanel, to falling in love, to pursuing a life and career that is the perfect reflection of you.

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Fiction / Japanese Literature / Cultural

Synopsis: This leading postwar Japanese writer's second novel, tells the poignant and fascinating story of a young man who is caught between the breakup of the traditions of a northern Japanese aristocratic family and the impact of Western ideas. In consequence, he feels himself "disqualified from being human" (a literal translation of the Japanese title).

Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Recommended by @chocochipcookieyum here

Genre: Historical Fiction / Classics

Synopsis: A story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it -- from garden seeds to Scripture -- is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Recommended by @gamorazenn here / by @agentpegcxrter here / by @arosewithdaisies here

Genre: Fiction / Romance / Classics

Synopsis: The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen's radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.

Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Fiction / Romance

Synopsis: Tsukiko is drinking alone in her local sake bar when by chance she meets one of her old high school teachers and, unable to remember his name, she falls back into her old habit of calling him 'Sensei'. After this first encounter, Tsukiko and Sensei continue to meet. Together, they share edamame beans, bottles of cold beer, and a trip to the mountains to eat wild mushrooms. As their friendship deepens, Tsukiko comes to realise that the solace she has found with Sensei might be something more.

Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeline L’Engle

Recommended by @thesaltyduchess here

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult / Science Fiction

Synopsis: When fifteen-year-old Charles Wallace Murry shouts out an ancient rune meant to ward off the dark in desperation, a radiant creature appears. It is Gaudior, unicorn and time traveler. Charles Wallace and Gaudior must travel into the past on the winds of time to try to find a Might-Have-Been - a moment in the past when the entire course of events leading to the present can be changed, and the future of Earth - this small, swiftly tilting planet - saved.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Recommended by @arosewithdaisies here

Genre: Fiction / Mystery / Crime / Classics / Short Stories

Synopsis: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of twelve short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring his fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. It was first published on 14 October 1892; the individual stories had been serialized in The Strand Magazine between July 1891 and June 1892. The stories are not in chronological order, and the only characters common to all twelve are Holmes and Dr. Watson. The stories are related in first-person narrative from Watson's point of view.

The Bean Trees by Barbara King

Recommended by @nerdgirljen in a comment here

Genre: Fiction / Contemporary

Synopsis: Clear-eyed and spirited, Taylor Greer grew up poor in rural Kentucky with the goals of avoiding pregnancy and getting away. But when she heads west with high hopes and a barely functional car, she meets the human condition head-on. By the time Taylor arrives in Tucson, Arizona, she has acquired a completely unexpected child, a three-year-old American Indian girl named Turtle, and must somehow come to terms with both motherhood and the necessity for putting down roots. Hers is a story about love and friendship, abandonment and belonging, and the discovery of surprising resources in apparently empty places.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis

Recommended by @agentpegcxrter here

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult / Classics

Synopsis: Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battles between good and evil—what more could any reader ask for in one book? The book that has it all is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, written in 1949 by Clive Staples Lewis. But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed, and together they became known as The Chronicles of Narnia.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Recommended by @notimetoblog here / by @arosewithdaisies here

Genre: Fiction / Classics

Synopsis: This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story is of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his new love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted "gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession," it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s. The Great Gatsby is one of the great classics of twentieth-century literature.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tart

Recommended by @lunardanvers here

Genre: Fiction / Contemporary

Synopsis: It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love-and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.

The Gospel of Loki by Joanne M. Harris

Recommended by @wintersxsoul here

Genre: Fiction / Mythology / Fantasy

Synopsis: The novel is a brilliant first-person narrative of the rise and fall of the Norse gods - retold from the point of view of the world's ultimate trickster, Loki. It tells the story of Loki's recruitment from the underworld of Chaos, his many exploits on behalf of his one-eyed master, Odin, through to his eventual betrayal of the gods and the fall of Asgard itself.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Recommended by @marvelsangel here

Genre: Fiction / Young Adult

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr

The Immortal Rules Series by Julie Kagawa

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Paranormal

Synopsis: Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Recommended by @redandpurpleskies here

Genre: Science Fiction / Classic

Synopsis: The Martian Chronicles tells the story of humanity’s repeated attempts to colonize the red planet. The first men were few. Most succumbed to a disease they called the Great Loneliness when they saw their home planet dwindle to the size of a fist. They felt they had never been born. Those few that survived found no welcome on Mars. The shape-changing Martians thought they were native lunatics and duly locked them up.But more rockets arrived from Earth, and more, piercing the hallucinations projected by the Martians. People brought their old prejudices with them – and their desires and fantasies, tainted dreams. These were soon inhabited by the strange native beings, with their caged flowers and birds of flame.

The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Fiction / Japanese Literature / Classics

Synopsis: The story is told through the eyes of Kazuko, the unmarried daughter of a widowed aristocrat. Her search for self meaning in a society devoid of use for her forms the crux of the novel. It is a sad story, and structurally is a novel very much within the confines of the Japanese take on the novel in a way reminiscent of authors such as Nobel Prize winner Yasunori Kawabata – the social interactions are peripheral and understated, nuances must be drawn, and for readers more used to Western novelistic forms this comes across as being rather wishy-washy. Kazuko’s mother falls ill, and due to their financial circumstances they are forced to take a cottage in the countryside. Her brother, who became addicted to opium during the war is missing. When he returns, Kazuko attempts to form a liaison with the novelist Uehara. This romantic displacement only furthers to deepen her alienation from society.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Recommended by @consttantina here

Genre: Historical Fiction / Fantasy / LGBT / Romance

Synopsis: Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

The Song of the Lioness Series by Tamora Pierce

Recommended by @just-add-butter here

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult

Synopsis: The Song of the Lioness quartet is the adventurous story of one girl's journey to overcome the obstacles facing her, become a valiant knight, and save Tortall from conquest. Alanna douses her female identity to begin her training in Alanna: The First Adventure, and when she gains squire status in In the Hand of the Goddess, her growing abilities make her a few friends -- and many enemies. Books 3 and 4 complete Alanna's adventure and secure her legend, with the new knight errant taking on desert tribesmen in The Woman Who Rides like a Man and seeking out the powerful Dominion Jewel in Lioness Rampant.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Recommended by anonymous here

Genre: Historical Fiction / Classics

Synopsis: The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.

#our world book day celebration

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