Book excerpt: After escaping from their captors in a giant air balloon, five prisoners of the Civil War find themselves stranded on a deserted island. Despite their different backgrounds, they decide to band together and combine their talents to live on the island, which they named Lincoln Island. Cyrus is a railroad engineer, Gideon is a journalist, Neb is a man who escaped slavery, Pencroff is a sailor, and Harbert is Pencroff’s protégé and son. Each man uses their skills in a different way, building houses, making inventions, and finding creative ways to live off of the island. One day, Gideon, the reporter desperate for human contact, decided to send a message via a bird. After a long period of isolation with no contact from the outside world, the men accept that they will likely spend the rest of their life on the island. Now, two and a half years later, the group finally spot a ship sailing nearby—a fantasy sight. Hopeful that it is the way off their island, the group of survivors work to gain the attention of the ship, fighting off pirates and braving the rough environment to finally escape. However, as they fight to leave Lincoln Island, the survivors discover that it had been harboring a shocking secret all along. The Secret of the Island is the third and final installation of Jules Verne’s The Mysterious Island adventure series. Following The Mysterious Island and Abandoned, this exciting and mysterious adventure novel concludes the popular trilogy. The Secret of the Island is full of shocking twists and even features a surprise appearance of a popular character from another famous Verne novel. With detailed prose and memorable characters, The Secret of the Island depicts the satisfying reveal of mysteries present throughout the trilogy. This edition of The Secret of the Island by Jules Verne features a new, eye-catching cover design and is printed in a modern, easy-to-read font, crafting an accessible and enjoyable experience for modern readers.