Jules Verne

Before I talk about the Journey to the Center of the Earth film I saw yesterday, I should probably talk about the Grandfather of all Science Fiction: Jules Verne. Jules Verne is an inspiration to me in various ways. although more indirectly through movies produced based on his works than with his works themselves.

Jules Verne is responsible for my journey into Atlanteology. More so than Ignatius Donnelly, which I will talk about later. Jules Verne, when he wrote his Exploration Imaginares, was a visionary man. He also inspired many people to build on his ideas. These people are called Vernians, since they take Jules Verne's writings as fact.

At present, my favorite novels of his are: A Journey to the Center of the Earth, Paris in the Twentieth Century, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and Around the World in Eighty Days. The last of which inspired a Forgotten Realms novel -- Around the Realms in Eighty Days.

Jules Verne is the Author who wrote memorable impressions of Atlantis. Atlantis was first introduced in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea as a group of ruins. Something that stayed in my mind.

Many authors of Adventure and Science Fiction look to Jules Verne for inspiration. Aside from Sir H. Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines and his adventures of Alan Quartermain, Jules Verne is directly responsible for today's Adventure and Science Fiction. Aside from Plato, which started the Fantasy and Science Fiction Genre (if you read the Timaeus and Critas, which I have) Jules Verne has helped many bring their imaginations to life. And George Lucas is right, there are people without imaginations.