Jules Verne’s classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea first appeared in serial form in two-week intervals in the Magasin d’éducation et de recreation, a magazine edited by Pierre-Jules Hetzel. The biweekly journal printed a chapter or two in each issue, concluding on June 20, 1870. Many novels in this period came out first in serialized chapters before being published in book form. Verne’s depiction of Captain Nemo’s underwater ship, the Nautilus, was a century ahead of its time with many features of modern submarines. In the 1860s, submarines were comparatively primitive vessels capable of diving to only very shallow depths for a brief time. This thrilling adventure inspired many undersea explorers, including myself. After graduating from the US Naval Academy, I served as an engineering officer on a nuclear submarine. But let me tell you, life aboard a real sub “drilling holes in the ocean” isn’t the same as Verne’s Nautilus. It’s a dark, cold world down there with days of boredom occasionally interrupted by sheer terror.
Front cover of the first edition. 
The Nautilus as envisioned by Vernes
My first reading of Verne’s undersea thriller came in my high school years, a time when I was devouring seafaring stories. Captain Nemo’s submarine caught my interest because I had just finished Nautilus 90 North by Commander William R. Anderson, USN. Under strictest secrecy, the crew completed two historic goals: piercing the geographic North Pole and the first transpolar voyage from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Like Anderson, Nemo skippered a secret underwater mission, but one far more nefarious. Nemo is a man with a mysterious past that the narrator, Professor Arronax can’t seem to uncover. Nemo is a genius who designed and built a submarine with advanced technology. Its motto was Mobilis in mobili, a Latin phrase which Professor Aronnax translates to “moving within a moving element.” His past hidden, his heart hardened by his loathing of humanity, the enigmatic captain chooses to live on his submarine rather than return to society.
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Jules Verne’s avant-garde underwater adventure, Pole to Pole Publishing released 20,000 Leagues Remembered. The anthology of sixteen short stories by modern authors is an eclectic collection with a new spin on the science fiction classic that will bring you back to the time you first came across Verne’s fantastic novel.
Even if you’ve never read Verne’s book, you’ll still enjoy this anthology in its own right. Then again, it might move you to read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea for the first time. You’ll see how the authors of these stories have scattered brief references to the original book. These hidden tidbits and speculations will tickle your imagination.
Some stories have high adventure. My short story “Farragut’s Gambit” envisions a rematch between Admiral Farragut and Captain Nemo where Farragut hunts the Nautilus with an ironclad warship that carries its own surprising technology. Some other stories also set in the Victorian age are more contemplative and exploratory. Maya Chhabra’s “The Maelstrom” explores the mystery behind Nemo’s backstory and how his early years influenced some climactic scenes in Verne’s novel. Jason J. McCuiston’s “At Strange Depths” will capture your imagination with the adventures Captain Nemo experienced after Professor Aronnax and his companions escaped the Nautilus.
20,000 Leagues Remembered is a worthy tribute to a great French author and his fantastic undersea thriller. Grab a copy and submerge yourself in these stories. Live in a world beyond the daily news and wander in the great depths below the seas.