The Mysterious Island (French: L'Île mystérieuse) is a novel by Jules Verne, published in 1874. The plot focuses on the adventures of five Americans on an uncharted island in the South Pacific. During the American Civil War, five northern prisoners of war decide to escape, during the siege of Richmond, Virginia, by hijacking a balloon.The escapees are Cyrus Smith, a railroad engineer in the Union army ; his ex-slave and loyal follower Neb ; Bonadventure Pencroff, a sailor (who is addressed only by his surname; his protégé and adopted son Harbert Brown ; and the journalist Gedéon Spilett . The company is completed by Cyrus' dog "Top". After flying in a great storm for several days, the group crash-lands on a cliff-bound, volcanic, unknown island...