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Jules Verne (1828 to 1905) was a French author from a devout Catholic family. He was intended for a law career but chose to write. At the start of his writing career, he wrote many different types of literature, with limited success, until he had the idea for a novel of science, a story based on science-based adventure. The first such was called Five Weeks in a Balloon, which finally brought him success as a full-time writer. Since his later novels of science began to incorporate science and technology that had not yet been realized, he became known as the father of science fiction. His books have been translated into many languages. His books can be enjoyed by readers in middle to high school and beyond.
Jules Verne admired the British in the 19th century, since that country was the world’s leader in scientific discoveries and application of those discoveries to practical engineering problems. A number of the heroes of his novels, therefore, were British. The Steam House and Tigers and Traitors by Verne are a combined story, most definitely forming a two-part complete novel. It is set in India, several years after the Great Sepoy Rebellion, in which Great Britain almost lost control of the Indian portion of their Empire. Several British men, along with a Frenchman, travel throughout India in two luxurious carriages, pulled by a giant steam-powered elephant! They encounter various dangers, some linked to the aftermath of the Rebellion, others connected to the simple dangers encountered in that land, such as tigers. The reader will learn a great deal of history but in a painless way as they thrill to the great adventure of being pulled by an immense mechanical elephant through the exotic land of India. I don’t remember any other novel where a metal elephant is the motive power for an expedition – Verne was at his creative best when he wrote The Steam House and Tigers and Traitors.